How PLUM and HATS unlocked little boy’s potential

PLUM and HATS resources help parents and early childhood educators quickly understand how a young child’s listening and communication skills are developing. Source: Supplied

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Kaylah shares her experience using PLUM and HATS resources to identify her 3-year-old son’s hearing loss at an early stage and seeking appropriate treatment.

Key points

PLUM and HATS: a new toolkit for early detection and treatment of hearing loss.
Parent-evaluated Listening and Understanding Measure (PLUM).
Hearing and Talking Scale (HATS).

For three-year-old Tjandamurra and his Mum, Kaylah, using the PLUM and HATS resources was a crucial step forward for Tjandamurra on his hearing journey.

Due to his chronic ear issues, Tjandamurra struggled to hear and had difficulty learning to communicate well.

Applying the PLUM assessment revealed the 3-year-old was well below the acceptable level of listening skill for his age.

After the assessment, Kaylah decided to get him fitted with a hearing device to provide immediate help. With this hearing technology, the world opened for the vibrant boy.

Tjandamurra is now wearing his hearing device and working with his regular speech therapist to improve his speech and listening skills.

Kaylah says, now that Tjandamurra can hear there is no looking back.

Kaylah’s advice to other parents concerned about their child’s hearing is to ask for the PLUM and HATS assessment now – don’t wait. “You don’t want to leave it. The earlier you can get your little one help, the better.”