Rehabilitation Process
Assessment and Evaluation
If your child has been identified during the hospital’s hearing screening as having hearing loss, we are here to guide you.
There are various potential causes of hearing loss in infants and children. We encourage parents to contact us for an initial consultation and guidance, even if the medical diagnostic process is not yet complete.
You can schedule an intake meeting at Micha. The meeting includes the participation of Micha's director, an audiologist, a social worker, you as parents, close family members, and, of course, your child. During this meeting, we will gather information about your child’s family, medical, and hearing background. We will also explain the hearing impairment, rehabilitation daycare centers, and Micha preschools. Additionally, your child will undergo an initial behavioral hearing test at our audiology clinic. A follow-up appointment will be scheduled for a preliminary assessment with our speech therapist and certified parent counselor.
The first assessment session with the speech therapist will include shared play, through which we will observe your child’s abilities holistically.
In terms of hearing, we will explain the connection between the hearing test results and your child’s functional hearing. We’ll demonstrate which sounds are accessible to your child and assess how they respond to sounds in their environment (from what distance and at what volume). We will also evaluate your child’s communication, play, language, and speech abilities at this stage before using any hearing aids.
Additionally, you will receive basic guidance on auditory training, building communication with your child at home, and adapting the environment to meet their needs.
Together, we will thoughtfully plan the most suitable rehabilitation pathway for your child, taking your preferences into account as much as possible.
At Micha, we emphasize the importance of early intervention. We believe rehabilitation begins the moment you arrive for the intake meeting. Our extensive experience shows that the earlier tailored professional support is provided, the greater the likelihood of maximizing your child’s hearing rehabilitation.
Don’t delay—schedule a consultation call today.
Rehabilitation Pathways Ages 0-3
Your child was diagnosed with hearing loss at birth through the hospital’s screening test and later confirmed with a BERA evaluation.
From your introductory meeting with us, we will provide your child with a warm, professional, and supportive therapeutic framework tailored to their specific needs and those of your family.
The professional team at Micha will guide and support you, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding to make informed decisions about:
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Which framework your child will join and when
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Which hearing device they will use (hearing aid or implant)
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Your preferred method of communication for your child and family
Rehabilitation Pathways at Micha
Rehabilitative Daycare
The Micha Haifa Center operates three daycare centers:
Two Hebrew-speaking centers (ages 6 months to 2 years and ages 1.5 to 3 years) and one Arabic-speaking center (ages 6 months to 3 years). The Micha Tiberias Center operates a Hebrew-speaking daycare. Each class accommodates up to 10 infants and is supported by a multidisciplinary team of educators and paramedical professionals. Operating Sunday to Thursday: 7:30–15:00, Fridays 7:30-12:00. All classes use a combined communication method incorporating spoken language (Hebrew or Arabic) and signs accompanying speech. Each child is entitled to weekly therapy sessions with a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. Additionally, therapeutic group sessions are integrated into the weekly routine. Children undergo hearing assessments at least three times a year. The curriculum is age-appropriate, focusing on daily life routines with a strong emphasis on communication and auditory development. Auditory and other skills are practiced through experiential and enjoyable play activities.
Individual Therapy
If your child remains at home, attends a regular educational setting, or is enrolled in another rehabilitative daycare (due to a developmental delay combined with varying degrees of hearing loss), you can access individual therapy sessions with a speech therapist specializing in parent guidance at Micha centers in Haifa or Tiberias.
This pathway enables you to begin the rehabilitation process even if your child’s hearing condition is not yet fully understood or you have not yet decided on the appropriate hearing device or educational framework.
Therapy frequency varies (weekly to monthly), and through shared play with your child and active parental involvement, we will assess your child’s communication, language, hearing, and speech abilities and collaboratively determine the next steps in their rehabilitation. As part of this framework, you can also schedule hearing assessments at our audiology clinic. Additionally, you have the option to arrange a home visit or a visit to your child's educational setting by a Micha speech therapist. The therapist will guide you and the educational staff on how to adapt the child's natural environment to address their hearing needs effectively.
Rehabilitation Pathways Ages 3-6
In accordance with the Compulsory Education Law in Israel, when your child reaches the age of 3, they will transition to a framework supervised by the Ministry of Education. Before entering a Ministry of Education-supervised framework, you will be required to participate in an "Eligibility and Characterization Committee." You will have two main options available to you, tailored to your child's hearing, speech, and emotional abilities:
Option 1
Continue in a framework for children with hearing impairments and deafness (children with hearing loss). This kindergarten is part of the Micha Kindergarten District in Haifa or Micha Kindergarten in Tiberias. The kindergarten is managed by a multidisciplinary team (specialized kindergarten teacher for children with hearing impairments, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and emotional therapist) and accommodates up to 10 children in each group. The kindergarten operates 6 days a week (like a regular kindergarten), and your child will attend daily, either independently or via transportation funded by the local authority/council to which you are assigned.
Option 2
Integration into a regular kindergarten. This option allows your child to attend a regular kindergarten near your home, where they will receive support from a specialized kindergarten teacher. The teacher will visit the kindergarten once or twice a week and assist in the areas of hearing, language, and social development (helping with the understanding of the curriculum, ensuring that the child is wearing their hearing aid correctly, and making sure the staff knows how to operate the amplification systems and the hearing aid itself).
In this track, it will also be possible to add an additional day per week where the child visits Micha Kindergarten, where they will meet other children with hearing impairments and deafness. This provides an opportunity for the child to identify with a peer group. On this day, the child will receive all the treatments they are entitled to, including hearing tests and monitoring of their hearing function. This track is tailored to the child's needs and your personal preferences and is designed to save you the effort of coordinating all the necessary tests.
Family Support
In most cases, when a child is born with hearing impairment or deafness, the family needs to "recalculate their course" and prepare for a journey that is often unfamiliar.
At Micha Haifa and the North, we strive to provide parents with the best response in line with the needs that arise.
Upon your first contact with us, you will meet with a social worker who will guide you through the first steps in building a support system tailored to your child.
You will be asked to provide relevant tests and any supporting documents, and we will begin the process.
It is important to note that our services are provided for a wide range of hearing impairments, from mild to moderate unilateral hearing loss, mild to moderate bilateral hearing loss, to complete deafness.
Following the assessment we will conduct together, you, the parents, will be offered a process that includes auditory and speech rehabilitation for your child, guidance on adapting to the environment, and providing tools to help you communicate effectively with your child, along with emotional support throughout the process.
Additionally, you will receive information regarding the rights you and your child are entitled to, depending on the severity of the impairment (National Insurance, Income Tax, Ministry of Health, and others).
The final choice and decision regarding the best process for your child and your family are yours, dear parents.