Our adult services: NYC’s best-kept secret
I have often heard clients say to me that they had been coming to the Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC) for years and never knew that we offered communication services for adults. Perhaps I can set the record straight.
SLP Linda Kessler’s speechreading class
I’m Linda Kessler, a speech-language pathologist who has worked with adult clients at CHC in New York for over 25 years. Typically, my clients wear hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, and they tend to get a good amount of benefit from them. But hearing in real-life listening situations can be challenging, even with amplification. I provide therapy options that help people improve their ability to hear and understand speech, even in noisy situations.
Speechreading training
Speechreading (or lipreading) therapy has been beneficial to many of my clients. Working one-on-one as well as in a group setting, I help adults with hearing loss learn to decipher sounds and conversation cues by observing a person’s mouth, facial expressions and gestures.
My clients find the “extra information” they glean through speechreading indispensable when the benefit they get from their hearing aids or cochlear implant isn’t quite enough. Recently, a client shared this with me after a group speechreading class:
I really like the group lessons…and yesterday I had a noisy conference — where I really saw that in a subtle way these classes help tremendously. Wow… Thanks again — am grateful for such a good teacher.
– CHC client
Audiotherapy
Audiotherapy is available for clients wishing to improve their ability to hear using a cochlear implant or hearing aid. Oftentimes people will come to me when they are adjusting to new hearing aids or when they’ve received a new implant. Post-cochlear implant rehabilitation is key to getting the best results from an implant as quickly as possible.
With each client I develop a custom audiotherapy program that addresses their individual needs. But typically, the goal with all audiotherapy is the same: maximizing everyday communication competence.
Speech and language therapy
Additionally, I work with teens and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing to help them improve their speech and language skills. This is a service available to English language speakers as well as those learning English as a second language. Teaching English as a second language to people who are deaf or hard of hearing is a service that you’ll find at CHC and almost nowhere else, and we’re very proud of that!
A young woman shared this about her experiences learning English and working on her speech and language with me:
I began to have more confidence in myself and in my ability to speak English and move independently in the world.
– CHC Client
Linda Kessler, MA, CCC-SLP
Contact me
If you think communication therapy could be helpful to you or a loved one, please contact me at (917) 305-7838 or lkessler@CHChearing.org. I would be delighted to answer your questions and tell you more about the benefits of adult communication services at CHC.
Individual therapy is covered by certain Medicare and Medicaid plans as well as certain private insurances. I would be happy to let you know if your plan provides coverage for these services.
I look forward to hearing from you!