Hearing help needs boost

An organisation helping deaf children learn to hear and speak says it gets only a quarter of the money it needs from the Government.

Auckland-based charity The Hearing House has about 50 families on its books, but expects demand to soar when a programme to screen newborns for deafness starts in June.

"We rely hugely on funding and grants," said chief executive Scott Johnston.

"The Government contributes only 25 per cent of what we need - I can't see how it's hard to fund teaching deaf children to speak."

About 150 babies are born with hearing loss each year.

The Hearing House provides therapy for children who have had cochlear implants in a bid to prepare them for school. Patients are ideally referred before the implant is fitted.

The charity, which has headquarters in Greenlane and an outreach programme in Waikato, does not charge and gets the bulk of its funding through donations and sponsorship.

During the 12 years it's been running, almost every child who's been through the programme has gone on to mainstream school.

Six-year-old Yuan Tsai is among those. He was diagnosed profoundly deaf aged 18 months, and would have been unable to hear a jet engine roaring above his head.

After having a cochlear implant inserted deep into his ear and therapy at the Hearing House, he can hear and speak two languages.

His father, David Tsai, never imagined Yuan would be able to hear again and is hopeful he can go on to become a doctor.

"When we were told that our son had lost his hearing we didn't know what to do; now he can hear and talk and play with other children."

Johnston said cochlear implants and auditory-verbal therapy meant profoundly or even deaf children could live unaffected by their disability.

As one of the recipients of this year's High Flyers award, he plans to send staff to an international conference so they can keep up to date with the latest research.

For more information, visit www.hearinghouse.co.nz.