Sharjah: Every May, the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) observes International Speech-Language-Hearing Month through the Sharjah Hearing Centre (SHC). The initiative seeks to raise awareness of auditory, speech, and language health, with a particular emphasis on early detection of hearing and speech problems to ensure a better quality of life, particularly for children. The campaign also emphasises the necessity of conducting hearing screenings, detecting language and speech impairments, and offering preventive and rehabilitative care.
According to Emirates News Agency, Marwa Abdul Fattah Madi, head of the Sharjah Hearing Centre, outlined the centre’s key efforts during the awareness month, which included a program to provide free hearing examinations to schoolchildren. Additionally, awareness talks are held to educate the public on the need for early detection and management of hearing disorders in the community.
She stated that the Sharjah Hearing Centre is a leading provider of auditory health care in the UAE and the region. It offers various services for assessing, diagnosing, and treating hearing and communication issues. The centre emphasises early intervention among children and guarantees that beneficiaries of all ages have access to the most up-to-date hearing equipment and gadgets.
Madi went on to clarify that the centre provides an all-inclusive bundle of services for all community members. These services include hearing exams for individuals of all ages, including newborns and the elderly. The centre also programs and maintains hearing aids and cochlear implants, as well as family therapy and training services for parents and educators to better support people with hearing impairments.
According to Madi, the centre alone provided over 1,000 services in the previous year. These comprised auditory examinations and hearing device-related services for over 450 beneficiaries from various emirates. During the same year, over 13 different events and activities were held for families and the larger community to raise awareness and engagement.
She continued by mentioning that seven of the centre’s speech and hearing specialists have been granted official professional licences by the Ministry of Health and Prevention. This success indicates the team’s high professional standards, compliance with national legislation, and the centre’s commitment to evidence-based practice and comprehensive, person-centred treatment.
Alaa Saif Al Itr, Head of the Speech and Language Council at SCHS, stated that this awareness month is an excellent opportunity to highlight the importance of early detection and intervention. She reaffirmed the Council’s mission to raise public awareness of various communication disorders and clarify the role of speech and language specialists in assessment, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and ongoing support, all while emphasising the importance of early intervention in improving speech, language, and communication skills.
Al Itr revealed that the Speech and Language Council is hosting a forum titled “Bilingualism: Challenges and Opportunities” as part of SCHS’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness and promote scientific and societal understanding of communication challenges. The forum will include a scientific session that will discuss the most recent research and approaches to bilingualism, an open panel that will address the educational and psychological dimensions of bilingual language use, and a true-life story about a girl who overcame bilingualism-related difficulties and went on to excel academically.
The forum seeks to promote positive discourse among specialists, parents, researchers, and academics. It hopes to open up new channels of conversation and establish a more comprehensive understanding of bilingualism in culturally varied settings.
The Council is also collaborating with the Ajad Centre for Training and Development to provide various training and awareness sessions. These will provide hands-on and instructional guidance from subject matter specialists with the goal of improving professionals’ capabilities and familiarising them with the most recent therapeutic and rehabilitation procedures.
Furthermore, seven speech and language specialists from the council have been granted formal licences by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, demonstrating their high degree of expertise and the city’s commitment to offering competent therapy services in accordance with worldwide standards.
