Volta Voices September-October 2011 Magazine by Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

VOICES

A l e x a n d e r G r a h a m B e l l A s s o c i at i o n f o r t h e D e a f a n d Ha r d o f H e a r i n g

September/October 2011

Leading Innovation through Practice

W W W. AGBELL .ORG â&#x20AC;˘ VOL 18, ISSUE 5

FM for Real Life – The new Amigo T30/T31

Ask teachers and audiologists what they expect from FM systems and two words are likely to pop up: Simplicity and Reliability. Ask students the same question and they might reply, “hear the teacher clearly”. Amigo T30 and T31 FM educational transmitters offer these benefits and more:

Keeping it simple – In-the-palm fitting and programming makes PC’s and cables redundant Hearing more speech – Broad 8.5 kHz bandwidth provides more high frequency speech cues Inspiring confidence – LEDs in the receiver and transmitter provide quick status updates Built to last – Robust construction withstands real life school settings For more information visit www.amigofm.com or contact your local hearing healthcare professional.

Amigo – FM made friendly!

September/October 2011 VOLUME 18 ISS U E 5

VOICES V

Departments

Features

Voices from AG Bell

Leading Innovation through Practice

Children with Late Onset Hearing Loss: Increasing Awareness and Understanding

3 Giving Children Access to Hearing Technology 5 Learning from Each Other 38 Conversations with Alex Graham

By Melody Felzien and Susan Boswell, CAE

By Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.

Tips for Parents

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

40 Rising Above

Hear Our Voices 42 “I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way”

In Every Issue

Por Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.

K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., and Cache Pitt, Au.D.

6 voices Contributors

Directory of Services

List of Advertisers

Written Resources for Parents of Children with Hearing Loss By Megan G. Mansfield, Au.D., Karen Muñoz, Ed.D., Richard Harward, Au.D., Kim Corbin-Lewis, Ph.D.,

2 Want to Write for Volta Voices?

8 Soundbites

Los niños con pérdida de audición de aparición tardía: Aumentar la concienciación y comprensión

Connect—Discover—Inspire: The AG Bell 2012 Convention By Melody Felzien

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs: A Blueprint for Success By Melody Felzien

Alex ander

Graham

Bell

A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e D e a f a n d Ha r d o f H e a r i n g

3417 volta pl ace, nw, was hington, dc 20 0 07 • w w w. agbell .org

VOICES Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking

— Adopted by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Board of Directors, November 8, 1998

Ale x ander Gr aham Bell As sociation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

3417 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007 www.agbell.org | voice 202.337.5220 tty 202.337.5221 | fax 202.337.8314

Volta Voices Staff Production and Editing Manager Melody Felzien Manager of Advertising and Exhibit Sales Garrett W. Yates, CEM Director of Communications and Marketing Susan Boswell, CAE Design and Layout EEI Communications AG Bell Board of Directors President Kathleen S. Treni (NJ) President-Elect Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT (OH) Secretary-Treasurer Meredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH) Immediate Past President John R. “Jay” Wyant (MN) Executive Director/CEO Alexander T. Graham (VA) Corrine Altman (NV) Christine Anthony, M.B.A. (IL) Rachel Arfa, Esq. (WI) Holly Clark (DC) Wendy Ban Deters, M.S., CCC-SLP (IL) Cheryl Dickson, M.Ed., LSLS Cert. AVT (Australia) Catharine McNally (VA) Ted Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. (SC)

Want to Write for Volta Voices? Volta Voices? Submissions to Volta Voices Volta Voices welcomes submissions from both AG Bell members and nonmembers. The magazine is published six times annually. Its audience consists of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and professionals in fields related to hearing loss (audiology, speech-language pathology, psychology, otology, social services, education). Visit the Volta Voices page at www.agbell.org for submission guidelines and to submit content. Subjects of Interest n Technology – related to hearing loss, new technology, improvements to or problems with existing technology, or how people are using existing technology, accommodations. n Education – related to public or private schools through post-secondary education, new approaches and teaching methods, legal implications and issues, etc. n Advocacy – information on legislation, hearing health, special or mainstream education, and accessibility. n Health – audiology issues relating to children or adults with hearing loss and/or their families and friends.

Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing cannot issue or disseminate reprints, authorize copying by individuals and libraries, or authorize indexing and abstracting services to use material from the magazine. Art Submission Guidelines Volta Voices prefers digital images over original artwork. When submitting electronic files, please provide them in the following formats: TIF, EPS or JPG (no BMP or GIF images). Digital images must be at least 300 dpi (at size).

n Action – stories about people with hearing loss who use spoken language as their primary mode of communication; deafness need not be the focal point of the article.

Submit Articles/Items to: Volta Voices Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 3417 Volta Place, NW • Washington, DC 20007 Email: editor@agbell.org Submit online at www.agbell.org

Editorial Guidelines The periodicals department reserves the right to edit material to fit the style and tone of Volta Voices and the space available. Articles are selected on a space-available and relevancy basis; submission of materials is not a guarantee of use. Transfer of Copyright The revised copyright law, which went into effect in January 1978, provides that from the time a manuscript is written, statutory copyright is vested with the author(s). All authors whose articles have been accepted for publication in Volta Voices are requested to transfer copyright of their articles to AG Bell prior to publication. This copyright can be transferred only by written agreement. Without copyright ownership, the Alexander

VOICES Letters to the Editor Let us know how we are doing. Write a Letter to the Editor, and you could see your comment in the next issue.

Media Kit Visit www.agbell.org and select “About AG Bell” for advertising information.

Volta Voices (ISSN 1074-8016) is published six times a year in J/F, M/A, M/J, J/A, S/O and N/D. Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, DC, and other additional offices. Copyright ©2011 by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3417 Volta Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20007. Postmaster: Send address changes to Volta Voices, Subscription Department, 3417 Volta Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202/337-5220 (voice) or 202/337-5221 (TTY). Claims for undelivered issues must be made within 4 months of publication. Volta Voices is sent to all members of the association. Yearly individual membership dues are $50. Volta Voices comprises $30 of membership dues. Subscriptions for schools, libraries and institutions are $105 domestic and $125 international (postage included in both prices). Back issues, when available, are $7.50 plus shipping and handling. Articles published in Volta Voices do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Acceptance of advertising by Volta Voices does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, their products or services, nor does Volta Voices make any claims or guarantees as to the accuracy or validity of the advertisers’ offer. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40624074 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6

On the cover: Attendees of the AG Bell 2011 Listening & Spoken Language Symposium learned of innovative strategies on the horizon for helping children with hearing loss develop listening and spoken language.

VOICES FROM AG BELL

Giving Children Access to Hearing Technology

his July, the Listening & Spoken Language Symposium was an incredible gathering of professionals in the field of listening and spoken language. Participants represented more than 14 countries around the world and nearly every state in the nation as they gathered to share best practices and engage in professional dialogue. The Symposium comes at an exciting juncture in our professional history. AG Bell’s mission of advocating independence through listening and talking has never been more relevant. Technology has been a game-changer. Early hearing detection is giving parents the information they need from the start to help their children thrive, and early intervention is leading to better outcomes for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. While there has been much progress, challenges remain. One critical challenge is to give our children access to hearing technology. The purchase of hearing aids is often a large—and unplanned— expense facing parents of children with hearing loss after diagnosis. Currently, there are 13 states—Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Rhode Island—that have passed legislation requiring insurance coverage for hearing aids for children, but many more states have no such requirement. Working together toward passage of statewide hearing aid insurance legislation is a way for everyone in the AG Bell community to join forces to make a difference for children and families. In a workshop at the Listening & Spoken Language Symposium, Joni Alberg, executive director of BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing,

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

discussed the advocacy strategies behind the recent legislative victory for hearing aid insurance coverage in North Carolina, and several AG Bell members shared progress reports toward hearing aid legislation in their states.

North Carolina Victory Beginning in January 2011, every health care benefit plan based in North Carolina must cover hearing aids for children with hearing loss from birth through age 21, up to $2,500 per ear every 36 months. Behind this benefit was more than a year of research, coalition-building, drafting legislation, advocacy, education and lobbying. Advocates began by comparing legislation that was successfully passed in other states and by beginning a dialogue with other groups to support the effort, such as insurers, audiologists, chapters of national organizations and statewide organizations for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. Access to hearing aids is not just an issue of concern to those involved with hearing loss—it has broad implications for professionals in medicine, education, vocational rehabilitation and public welfare. The most convincing piece of information was the math. Advocates estimated the cost of covering hearing aids for North Carolina children, from birth through age 21, by collecting data from a wide range of sources. They estimated the number of children with hearing loss born each year in the state and those who would need insurance coverage. They also estimated the number of children who would access the benefit annually and estimated the cost of the benefit per year. From this data, the estimated insurance premium increase to provide hearing aids for children would be just $.39 annually for each insured North Carolina citizen. The bill was introduced in the North Carolina House and Senate in 2009,

but hit a snag when the Senate Finance Committee would not schedule the bill for a hearing without an autism rider—an amendment with large fiscal implications that sank the entire bill as the legislative session came to a close. The rider was removed after the bill was reintroduced during the next legislative session, and the bill sailed through the legislature. As the advocates regrouped, they learned the power of a personal letter to a representative explaining what the bill would mean for children in their state who have benefitted from hearing aids. However, the most powerful “voices” were those of the children who have benefited from early identification and access to hearing aids. Visits to legislators by these children made it possible for legislators to “see” the impact of the proposed legislation. And they responded with unanimous support for the new law.

South Carolina to Introduce a Bill In neighboring South Carolina, AG Bell member Jocelyn Ross, a parent of a child with hearing loss, discovered that her insurance does not cover hearing aids and later founded “Let South Carolina Hear” in an effort to pass hearing aid insurance legislation that would support the 4 percent of families in the state who have children with hearing loss. The proposed legislation would cover $1,000 to $2,500 per hearing aid every 36 months for children ages birth to 22, and would include fitting and dispensing costs. The organization is in contact with a state senator who has agreed to sponsor the legislation during the next session and is working on grassroots efforts to reach other state senators and representatives for their support. The website, www.letsouthcarolinahear.org, has information on hearing loss, statistics and personal stories.

VOICES FROM AG BELL Massachusetts Massachusetts, which has universal health insurance coverage that does not cover children’s hearing aids, is working to pass House Bill 52, “An Act to Provide Access to Hearing Aids for Children.” The bill would require insurance companies to cover up to $2,000 of the cost of a hearing aid for children age 21 and younger every 36 months. The proposed bill is estimated to increase insurance premiums .03 percent over a five-year period, according to the Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition. AG Bell member Lisa Adams, who founded the coalition, estimates that she will spend up to $40,000 on hearing aids for her 7-year-old twin sons by the time they turn 18 years old. In states that have passed hearing aid insurance mandates, these laws are making a difference in the lives of children. In New Jersey, Grace’s Law—passed after a

nine-year advocacy effort led by Jeanine Gleba—enabled Susan Dean’s 13-yearold son to obtain a hearing aid. Dean’s suspicions about her son’s hearing loss were confirmed only after her son did not pass a second school-based hearing screening. Dean’s son wanted a hearing aid—but the cost took Dean by surprise. Fortunately, Dean and her husband work for New Jersey employers, so the entire cost of the hearing aid was covered. The preteen likes the hearing aid and feels that his hearing is better—he realized that he was missing things and couldn’t tell the direction of sound without the hearing aid. I encourage you to become involved in state and national advocacy efforts, such as hearing aid insurance legislation, that will benefit many more children with hearing loss. There are many opportunities for volunteers, even those

with a limited amount of time to give. If you’re interested in becoming more involved in AG Bell, please contact me at ktreni@agbell.org. Sincerely,

Kathleen Treni President QUESTIONS? C O MMEN T S ? C O N C ERN S ? Write to us: AG Bell 3417 Volta Place, NW Washington, DC 20007 Or email us: editor@agbell.org Or online: www.agbell.org/VoltaVoices

The Educational Audiology Association is an international organization of Audiologists and related professionals who deliver a full spectrum of hearing services to all children, particularly those in educational settings. The organization was founded by Fred S. Berg in November of 1983. Nowhere else can an educational audiologist find instruments, tests, videos, and forms created and tested by educational audiologists. EAA’s product line has grown exponentially as members share their expertise and develop proven materials valuable to the professional. EAA Membership is open to audiologists, teachers of the hearing impaired, speech-language pathologists, or professionals from related fields who have an active interest in the mission of the association. Individuals who supply products and services who are not included in a Corporate Membership can join as Affiliate Members. Students in audiology are also encouraged to join and apply for EAA’s scholarship opportunities. EAA offers a biannual conference, the Journal of Educational Audiology, the Educational Audiology Review (quarterly newsletter), Doctoral Scholarships, Research Grants, the prestigious Fred Berg Award, an active listserv, and professional materials and products for Educational Audiologists and the individuals they provide services to. EAA is also the sole source for Therapy for APD: Simple, Effective Procedures, written by Dr. Jack Katz.

Phone: 800-460-7EAA (7322) | Fax: 303-458-0002 | www.edaud.org | admin@edaud.org EAA_AGBell_7.11.indd 1

7/13/2011 2:56:24 PM

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

EDITOR’S NOTE

Learning from Each Other

his edition of Volta Voices highlights the information and impact of AG Bell meetings, and provides strategies for promoting information about listening and spoken language. First, “Leading Innovation through Practice” summarizes three days of learning from leaders in the field of listening and spoken language communication during the 2011 Listening & Spoken Language Symposium, July 21-23 in Washington, D.C. Speakers provided new ideas and strategies for helping young children with hearing loss and their families encourage listening and spoken language development. Don’t miss your chance to read up on what these leaders had to say. We also provide a special preview of the 2012 Convention with “Connect—Discover—Inspire.” Read more about the wonderful attractions Scottsdale has to offer, and why this convention will make an ideal family vacation full of opportunities to meet and connect with others.

This issue also offers many other interesting reads. “Children with Late Onset Hearing Loss” defines late onset hearing loss and discusses how increasing awareness of the potential for late onset hearing loss can lessen its impact on the communication development of children. “Written Resources for Parents” reviews one state’s development of a resource guide for parents whose child does not pass the newborn hearing screen and the lessons learned for sharing valuable information with parents. In addition, “Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs” provides a summary of The Volta Review monograph on a strategic analysis of state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. The results of this analysis provide important recommendations for improving EHDI program effectiveness in 12 different areas. This is a must-read for anyone involved in early intervention programs. The full results of the monograph are available online at www.agbell.org/TheVoltaReview.

This issue’s columns also provide valuable information. In “Rising Above,” one parent shares the lessons she learned along the journey to encourage her son’s spoken language development. “I Wouldn’t Have it Any Other Way” is the story of one young man’s journey from childhood to college, and how his advocacy efforts helped him succeed. Finally, “Conversations” features a discussion with Dimity Dornan on her work on improving professional development opportunities through the Ling Consortium. Thank you for reading. Shortly we will begin developing our editorial calendar for 2012. I encourage you to contact me at editor@agbell.org with your comments and suggestions, or to submit a story idea. Best regards,

Melody Felzien Editor, Volta Voices editor@agbell.org

THEY can learn… YOU can teach them. Let us show you how.

•

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VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

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On-site training offered IMSLEC accredited • Graduate credit and CEUs available •

UC 64059.5215 1.11

Professional Development programs that create success for students with severe to profound hearing loss and/or language-speech disorders, including apraxia, dyslexia-learning disabilities and related disorders

Voices contributors Susan Boswell, CAE, co-author of “Leading Innovation through Practice,” is the director of communications and marketing for AG Bell and a long-time member. Boswell received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with majors in mass communications (journalism) and psychology. Boswell was hard of hearing and became deaf as a teenager; she received a cochlear implant in 2002. She can be contacted at sboswell@agbell.org. Kim Corbin-Lewis, Ph.D., co-author of “Written Resources for Parents,” is professor and department head of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education at Utah

State University. As the Speech-Language Pathology Division chair, she assisted in the development of the listening and spoken language graduate program emphasis. Dr. Corbin-Lewis is committed to exemplary graduate training and the incorporation of evidence-based practice service delivery to children and adults into the rigorous curriculum. Her primary clinical interest is in voice and management of voice disorders across the lifespan. Alexander T. Graham, author of “Conversations,” is the executive director of AG Bell. He has a bachelor’s degree from Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va., and masters’ degrees in organizational effectiveness and business administration from Marymount University in

Arlington, Va. His late mother had a hearing loss as a result of a childhood illness. He can be contacted at agraham@agbell.org. Richard Harward, Au.D., co-author of “Written Resources for Parents,” is currently the director of Newborn Screening Services (Hearing and Heel Stick) for the Utah Department of Health and Program Manager for Specialty Services. He is currently the principal investigator on a project to electronically link newborn screening and follow-up information to the statewide clinical health information exchange (cHIE). He has adjunct faculty appointments in the Communicative Disorders Department at Utah State University and at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics.

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Voices contributors K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, co-author of “Written Resources for Parents,” is an associate professor in the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at The University of Akron. Dr. Houston can be contacted at houston@uakron.edu. Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D., author of “Children with Late Onset Hearing Loss,” is a writer and education researcher who specializes in hearing loss and the impact it has on children and families. Both she and her young son were diagnosed with hearing loss one year apart. She holds an Ed.D. in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and is the author of the e-book, “What to Do When Your Child is Diagnosed with Late Onset Hearing Loss: A Parent’s Perspective.” She can be contacted at krysty.krywko@verizon.net. Helen Ledgard, author of “Hear Our Voices,” is a writer in the marketing department at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She recently worked as the business development and general counsel for the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living. Megan Mansfield, Au.D., co-author of “Written Resources for Parents,” received her Au.D. from Utah State University in May 2011 with an emphasis in pediatrics as well as an auditory-learning and spoken language program. Mansfield currently works at an ear, nose and throat clinic as well as a private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she works each day to VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

make a difference in the lives of her patients and their families. She can be contacted at megan.g.mansfield@gmail.com. Karen Muñoz, Ed.D., CCC-A, co-author of “Written Resources for Parents,” is an assistant professor of audiology at Utah State University in the Department of Communicative Disorders. Her focus is pediatric audiology and she has been actively involved in efforts to support the early identification and management of hearing loss in children. In addition to her faculty appointment, Muñoz also serves as the associate director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University. Cache Pitt, Au.D., co-author of “Written Resources for Parents,” is a cochlear implant audiologist at Utah State University. He received his graduate degrees at the University of Wyoming and Salus University. He then pursued cochlear implant training at the California Ear Institute, Let Them Hear Foundation. His clinical and research interests include outcomes in cochlear implant recipients. In addition to clinical responsibilities, Dr. Pitt teaches an “Introduction to Cochlear Implants” course. Melanie Ribich, author of “Tips for Parents,” is the mother of three spirited and talkative children, one of whom hears with bilateral cochlear implants. After many years as a high school teacher, she now spends her time reading with her kids, enjoying date nights with her husband, and practicing yoga. She is the author of No Peas, a blog about her family and teaching her son, Noah, to listen and speak. She can be contacted at melribich@hotmail.com or www.nopeas.blogspot.com.

SOUND NEWS BITES New Florida Law Recognizes Listening and Spoken Language Specialists On June 17, 2011, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the Public School Accountability Act (CS/CS/HB 1255) into law. The act revises numerous provisions related to educational accountability, adds Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS) to the list of specialized instructional service providers for children who are deaf and hard of hearing and pursuing a listening and spoken language outcome, and recognizes and defines standards for auditory-based education. The precedent-setting law, which went into effect on July 1, 2011, allows parents to enroll their child in either a public or private auditory-based program with funding for that child’s education allocated under Florida’s special education funding matrix. An article in an upcoming issue of Volta Voices will detail the process of the law’s creation and how other states can follow suit. DOJ ADA Settlement with Wells Fargo – New Claim Details Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reached an agreement with Wells Fargo & Company to settle claims that Wells Fargo discriminated against customers with disabilities by (among other things) refusing to accept telephone calls from customers who are deaf and hard of hearing. Under this settlement, Wells Fargo will pay up to $16 million to compensate individuals who experienced discrimination. If you believe that you were

a victim of disability discrimination or failure to accommodate discrimination by Wells Fargo, please visit www.ada.gov/wells_fargo to learn more about the settlement. The deadline to file a claim for compensation is Jan. 29, 2012. If you or someone you know may be eligible, it is important that you or that person file a claim for compensation by this date; no claims will be accepted after Jan. 29, 2012. You can begin the process of filing a claim by sending your name, address, email, and day and evening telephone numbers by email to WFclaims@usdoj.gov, or by

leaving a message at 1-866-708-1273 (voice mail) or 1-866-544-5309 (TTY).

GAO Releases Report on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children On May 25, 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report to Congress on “Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: Federal Support for Developing Language and Literacy.” The report describes how federal programs support children who are deaf and hard of hearing and examines educational settings, factors that facilitate language and literacy, and challenges in providing appro-

People in the News AG Bell member Susan Allen, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVEd, director of Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech Jacksonville campus, was awarded the 2011 Clinical Career Award at the 2011 Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA) Convention. At the ceremony, Allen was recognized for her high standards for student learning and achievement, dedication to the field, and excellence as a teacher and adjunct professor. Individuals who receive this award are also nominated for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA’s) Frank R. Kleffner Clinical Career Award, a national award recognizing excellence in clinical service. A recent Philadelphia Inquirer article, “Deaf Education Evolving with Implants,” profiles the changes occurring in the education of children who are deaf and hard of hearing as the result of early hearing detection and intervention and cochlear implant technology, and highlights programs at several local schools. AG Bell members Judith Sexton, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, director of the Clarke School for Hearing and Speech in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and Anne Geers, Ph.D., a researcher at the Dallas Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Texas at Dallas, were featured in the article. AG Bell provided background information for the story.

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

BITES priate intervention. AG Bell President Kathleen Treni, who is a school administrator and an individual living with hearing loss, said that the GAO report keeps the educational needs of children with hearing loss at the forefront of public policy. “In these challenging fiscal times, early intervention agencies and schools struggle with resource allocation for all programs. This report stresses the importance of providing parents with unbiased, comprehensive information and the critical need for qualified professionals that are there every step of the way to ensure a successful outcome for children with hearing loss.” The AG Bell Public Affairs Council will review the report’s findings as they pertain to the needs of children with hearing loss who are seeking a listening and spoken language outcome.

Advisory Panel Examines Cochlear Implant Insurance Coverage A Medicare advisory committee has qualified a number of issues related to the effectiveness of cochlear implants for sensorineural hearing loss for further examination by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which will use this information as it determines cochlear implant coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. The advisory committee met in May to examine evidence on cochlear implant outcomes to determine if items and services can be covered under the Medicare statute, including review of the effectiveness of cochlear implant use. Currently, Medicare coverage for cochlear implants is limited to unilateral cochlear implants for individuals who demonstrate limited benefit from amplification. CMS will

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

review the findings and may make a decision regarding bilateral cochlear implant coverage in late 2011.

Report Cites Improvement in 1-3-6 Early Intervention Goal The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) released its 2011 Annual Report in April. According to the report, the center has made great collaborative efforts towards improving newborn hearing screening rates and advancing the goal of meeting 1-3-6 —infants screened by 1 month of age, identified with a hearing loss by 3 months of age and enrolled in early intervention services by 6 months of age. In its report, the NCBDDD outlines that the center has “collaborated with state-based EHDI coordinators to recommend benchmark standards, which have been incorporated into a new results-centered report designed to help states focus their intervention efforts. This new report will be distributed by directors of the Speech and Hearing Programs

Compiled by: Melody Felzien and Susan Boswell, CAE

in State Health and Welfare Agencies.” Further, “to enhance reporting systems, the NCBDDD is partnering with organizations such as the Public Health Data Standards Consortium on the interoperability of clinical electronic health records and the public health EHDI information system.” The NCBDDD was established in April 2001 as a result of The Children’s Health Act of 2000.

AG Bell 2012 Convention Call for Submissions AG Bell has begun the process of developing the educational program for its 2012 Convention June 28-July 2 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 2012 Convention theme, CONNECT – DISCOVER – INSPIRE, continues AG Bell’s commitment to the communities who ensure that all individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing have an opportunity to listen and speak. We invite you to connect with families, professionals

SOUND BITES and individuals with hearing loss by presenting a short course, concurrent session or poster as we journey together to discover new ideas and inspire one another in Scottsdale. Currently, short course submissions are being accepted until Sept. 27. Concurrent session and poster presentation submissions are being accepted until Oct. 12. Visit www.agbell.org for instructions on submitting a short course, concurrent session or poster presentation proposal.

AG Bell Monograph Highlights Compelling Strategic Analysis of State EHDI Programs The latest issue of The Volta Review presents the findings of a groundbreaking analysis that applies a widely used business strategic planning tool to gain new insights into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs across the nation. The results provide a guideline for strengthening EHDI systems in each state to provide comprehensive care to infants and young children with hearing loss. Visit www.agbell.org/ TheVoltaReview to view the latest monograph (you must be logged in as a member to view the full content). Deaf Lawyers Break the Sound Barrier John Stanton, a former AG Bell board member and current chair of the AG Bell Public Affairs Council, recently published an article in the Valparaiso Law Review, “Breaking the Sound Barriers: How the Americans With Disabilities Act and Technology Have Enabled Deaf Lawyers to Succeed.” The article recounts the U.S. history of lawyers with hearing loss in the 19th century and discusses the obstacles that aspiring lawyers and law students who are deaf or hard of hearing

CHAPTERS The AG Bell Connecticut Chapter and Greenwich Public Schools will co-sponsor a presentation by Dr. Jane Madell in Greenwich, Conn., on Sept. 28, 2011. In her first talk, “Managing Hearing Loss in the Classroom: Best Practices,” Dr. Madell will discuss a team approach to supporting children with hearing loss and the importance of technology to provide auditory access to instruction, classroom acoustics and learning through audition. In her second talk, “Succeeding with Hearing Loss: What We Need to Know,” she will address the critical role of parents as team members and advocates, strategies for evaluating the child’s amplification equipment, and ways to monitor progress in therapy and in the classroom. Dr. Madell is a certified audiologist, speech-language pathologist, Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) and auditory-verbal therapist. For more information, please visit http://conta.cc/AGBellCTMadellSeminar. This summer, Hear Indiana, the AG Bell Indiana Chapter, hosted its annual, week-long youth leadership camp. Forty-eight children who are deaf or hard of hearing and who listen and talk attended the camp and participated in activities such as horseback riding, swimming and building friendships with each other. For more information about the camp, visit www.hearindiana.org/camp. In addition, on Oct. 28, 2011, Hear Indiana and the St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf will host the 29th Annual Listening and Spoken Language Conference presented by Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent in Carmel, Ind. Our goal is to host a quality educational program for parents of children with hearing loss and the professionals who serve them. To this end, Hear Indiana and St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf will be working together to improve the quality of instruction for today’s children learning to listen and talk. For more information, visit www.hearindiana.org/LSLConf.

encountered throughout most of the 20th century until the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. Stanton provides numerous examples of how increased awareness, greater legal protections and advanced technology have removed many of the barriers that lawyers with hearing loss have faced throughout the decades, including his own experiences as well as those of many AG Bell members such as Rachel Arfa, Michael Tecklenburg, Bonnie Tucker, Laura Gold, Mac Gibson, Susan Harris, Michael Stein and Caitlin Parton. Visit http://nc.agbell.org/NetCommunity/ Page.aspx?pid=1331 to read the full article.

Support Grows for Captioned Radio Technology now makes it possible for radio broadcasts to be captioned both over the air and online. The Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons and the Hearing Loss Association of America have been working with National Public Radio and Towson University for several years to make radio broadcasts accessible. These organizations have approached the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for a research grant to support pilot demonstrations in several cities. On May 23, 2011, a letter was sent to CPB from 49 national, state and local organizations and 131

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CHAPTERS

AG Bell Florida

The AG Bell Florida Chapter made waves at the 2011 Annual Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA) Convention in Marco Island, Fla., May 26-29. The collaboration of the two organizations was threefold: AG Bell Florida designed a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) track, AG Bell Judy Horvath, Taylor Sands and Lynn Miskiel present a LSLS-focused session during the national had a booth in the Exhibit 2011 FLASHA Convention. Hall, and AG Bell Florida held their Annual Membership Meeting during the convention. The LSLS courses were well attended and some rooms were overflowing. Participants shared positive feedback and many expressed an interest in the LSLS certification process. Collaboration with FLASHA was a highly successful project and plans for a 2012 AG Bell Florida/FLASHA collaboration in Orlando have already begun. Goals for next year include educational activities for families and functions for adults who are deaf or hard of hearing. Thank you to the FLASHA organization for contributing to this collaboration and to AG Bell national for its support. On Oct. 22, 2011, the AG Bell Oregon Chapter will host an Insurance Reimbursement Workshop in partnership with the Tucker Maxon Oral School. The goal of the workshop is to educate parents, audiologists and speech-language pathologists about working with insurance plans, plan benefits and obtaining coverage for hearing equipment and speech services. The three-hour workshop will be held in Portland, Ore., at Tucker Maxon school. If you are interested in attending or have questions, please email agbell.oregon@gmail.com.

individual supporters of the captioned radio project; AG Bell supported the effort. As of May 26, a total of 363 individuals have signed the letter and at least three more organizations have signed on as supporters. To support the effort, visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/ Captionedradiosupport.

U.S. Department of Labor Initiative to Improve Disability Employment Rates The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the availability of approximately $20 million to fund programs that will improve education, training and employment opportunities for

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adults and youth with disabilities. The Disability Employment Initiative is a joint project of the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration and its Office of Disability Employment Policy. Funded programs will serve individuals who are unemployed, underemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits. The goals of the project are to improve coordination and collaboration across multiple service delivery systems, build effective partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve people with disabilities, and, ultimately, improve employment outcomes of people with disabilities. Grantees include state workforce agencies.

Regal Entertainment Group Announces Digital Cinema Access Regal Entertainment Group, a leading movie theatre circuit in the United States, recently announced plans to equip all digital cinema locations with personal captioning and descriptive video technologies by the end of 2012. Regal has actively worked with various technology companies and film distributors to create opportunities to increase theatre access for moviegoers who are deaf, hard of hearing and blind. In addition, Regal has partnered with Captionfish, the Internet’s leading captioned movies search engine that finds open captioned, Rear Window captioned, foreign/subtitled and descriptivelynarrated movies showing at theatres across the United States. Clarke Schools Hire Director for Northampton School Programs On May 31, 2011, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech announced the appointment of Owen J. Logue, Ed.D., as the director of the Northampton School Programs. Logue comes to Clarke from the Department of Academic Services at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development and is a former special education director in a public school setting. Logue was born with a bilateral hearing loss and grew up in a listening and spoken language environment. Article Summarizes WHO Report on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention A recent article published by the International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology summarizes the outcomes of a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report on early

SOUND BITES hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) implementation in countries around the world. “Highlights of the new WHO Report on Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and implications for developing countries” reviews the WHO’s guiding principles for EHDI programs, and offers recommendations to improve EHDI systems in other countries.

Bone Conduction Hearing Aid Receives 2nd FDA Approval A new type of hearing aid, the SoundBite Hearing Aid, has received a second clearance from the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration for use with individuals who have conductive hearing loss. The SoundBite Hearing Aid utilizes a removable prosthetic device that uses bone conduction through the teeth to amplify and transmit sound, and is a nonsurgical alternative to surgical Bone Conduction hearing aids. Visit www.soundbitehearing.com to learn more.

Free Consumer Guide for Hearing Aid Purchases Hearing-Aid.com and the National Council for Better Hearing are offering a free “Consumer’s Guide to Hearing

Aids.” The guide is a third party resource for comparing hearing aid features, technology and prices. The guide also includes a discussion on the difference between unilateral or bilateral hearing aids. This is only a guide, and consumers are encouraged to work with an audiologist or other hearing health care provider to ensure proper amplification needs are met. Visit www.hearing-aid.com/ Free-Consumer-Guide to access the guide.

Expanding Children’s Hearing Opportunities (ECHO) at Carle Foundation Hospital ECHO’s family-CEntErEd prOgram EnCOmpassEs: tHE pEdiatriC HEaring CEntEr • Providing audiologic & speech/language services for children with hearing loss, from birth to 21 years. • First pediatric cochlear implant program in Illinois. • Established 1989. CarlE auditOry Oral sCHOOl (formerly known as the St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf at Carle)

• Illinois State Board of Education approved auditory oral school. • Preschool through 2nd grade. • Parent/infant program including center and home-based services. • Established 1997.

carle.org/echo

611 W. Park Street | Urbana, IL 61801 | (217) 383-4375 | echo@carle.com

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Collaboration Between Organizations: How It Works and Who Gains By Tena McNamara, Au.D. There are many rewards when individual organizations collaborate with similar, specialized groups. It provides a chance to cut across conventional barriers and link a greater number of professionals from comparable backgrounds. In turn, this enables collaborating organizations to advocate for common purposes on a larger scale and permits these associations to collectively pool their resources to meet common goals. Likewise, collaboration can foster action and promote change. By having multiple sources of expertise and by fostering stewardship, positive change can often be accomplished in a timelier manner and on a larger scale. In addition, a shared partnership between organizations allows for greater access to shared information and sources for its members. It is important to recognize that when two organizations team together for a common goal or project, it is still necessary for each body to maintain its individualism and distinctiveness. Separate organizations may have specific areas where their goals and objectives overlap. However, each institution is still an individual entity with its own personality and explicit mission statement. Successful collaboration exists when organizations join forces for common goals, but still maintain their unique qualities. This occurs when the organizations have a mutual trust and respect for one another. The Educational Audiology Association (EAA) and the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) have adapted these

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ideals and embraced the positive effects of working jointly on a variety of events and undertakings. EAA is an “international organization for audiologists and related professionals who deliver a full spectrum of hearing services to all children and adolescents, particularly those in educational settings.” EAA is not only open to audiologists, but speech-language pathologists, teachers of the deaf and a variety of professionals who deal with hearing needs of the pediatric population. EAA advocates for a) identification and determination of hearing loss and hearing difficulties in children and adolescents (including peripheral and central auditory assessments), b) provision of aural (re)habilitative intervention for school-age children and adolescents, c) implementation of hearing conservation programs in the schools, d) provision and/or referral for counseling of children, parents and/or teachers in regards to hearing loss and hearing difficulties, e) determination and analysis of appropriate amplification that meet a student’s need in an educational setting, and f) fostering of successful management and leadership skills within professionals (including the promotion of collaboration and research). Many of these professional practices interlink with the same ideals that AG Bell promotes. Collaboration between EAA and AG Bell originated from a mutual participation at each organization’s conferences. This led to further dialogue between EAA and AG Bell and from the various

discussions an affiliation agreement was developed. Here are just a few highlights from this agreement: • EAA and AG Bell have the opportunity to participate as exhibitors at each other’s national conferences and conventions. • EAA is working with AG Bell on the dissemination of public outreach efforts and education campaigns. AG Bell initiated this endeavor by providing a complimentary copy of Volta Voices to all EAA members. • EAA and AG Bell have agreed to share website links. For example, EAA has numerous position and advocacy materials to share concerning educationally related, school-based issues. In return, AG Bell offers a vast array of materials and information for families and professionals relating to the diagnosis and intervention of childhood hearing loss. Even though both organizations maintain their own autonomy and missions, consolidated efforts on common interests are beneficial for the members of each association. Members benefit from improved communication, shared resources and an increased knowledge base. EAA’s mission is to “act as the primary resource and as an active advocate for its members.” By collaborating with related associations such as AG Bell, EAA is better equipped to accomplish this mission for its members. ~ Tena McNamara, Au.D., is the president of EAA. To learn more about the association, please visit www.edaud.org.

Leading Innovation through Practice

AG Bell 2011 Listening & Spoken Language Symposium By Melody Felzien and Susan Boswell, CAE

ver 300 Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS), teachers of the deaf, speech-language pathologists, audiologists and leaders in the field of hearing loss and spoken language gathered in Washington, D.C., July 21-23 for the 2011 Listening & Spoken Language Symposium. This year’s Symposium focused on leading innovation through practice, and the three days of presentations and information energized participants. Topics such as improving language and literacy outcomes, inspiring family support and advancing legislative action, as well as discussions around hot topics such as

telepractice, drew high attendance rates and captivated participant attention.

Keynote Speakers Friday’s general session featured Dr. Melody Musgrove, director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Musgrove shared what OSEP is doing to improve education for individuals with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of parent education: “I can’t favor one approach over another, but I do endorse comprehensive intervention for parents to help them make informed decisions.” She continued to talk about how to make special education services

more effective for children, including improved accountability for special education teachers and an increased focus on educational results. Dr. Musgrove credited the No Child Left Behind law with establishing high expectations for all students, including those with disabilities. “We cannot know if we are achieving better results for students with disabilities unless we know how they are performing,” she noted. Dr. Musgrove also supports greater alignment between the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Act, with an emphasis on universal design for learning, positive behavior intervention and

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Capitol Building Image Credit: Konstantin L/shutterstock.com

support for differentiated instruction. “The best instruction for students with disabilities is good instruction for all students,” Dr. Musgrove said. She also touched on improving general teacher preparation for students with hearing loss entering mainstream education settings, noting that OSEP wants to work with states to change state licensure requirements, ensuring special education in general education curriculum for future educators. On Saturday, attendees were treated to a presentation by Tawara Goode, director of the National Center for Cultural Competence in Washington, D.C. Goode provided a discussion of

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cultural and linguistic competencies and their implications for programs and professionals. This is an issue that is growing more important as our population is becoming increasingly diverse and one that has taken root in recent federal and state legislation, particularly the health bill. Goode encouraged providers to look at the multiple dimensions of cultural and linguistic characteristics in the families they serve, noting that “culture is the lens by which we view the world.” Individuals often have multiple cultural identities, which shape their perceptions and behavior. Culture affects an individual’s perception of family constellation, time and disability. “Understanding cultural differences is important to the design of service support,” Goode said. At the organizational level, there is a need to value diversity of clients, conduct a cultural self-assessment, manage the dynamics of difference and institutionalize cultural knowledge. Goode discussed how organizational structure needs to allow for these differences without relying on each practitioner/teacher to be alert for them. Goode went on the emphasize, “cultural and

linguistic competence improves quality of service delivery.”

Session Highlights This year’s Symposium began with pre-symposium short courses that focused on themes related to innovation. Some highlights included a session on auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) presented by Holly Teagle and Patricia Roush that provided in-depth discussion of defined ways to identify ANSD, and how to best utilize technology in treating these children. Presenters emphasized that due to ongoing research, much more is understood about how to work with children whose hearing loss is caused by ANSD, and more importantly a practitioner’s ability to quickly diagnose the hearing loss as ANSD with a combination of assessments. A child’s ability to acquire spoken language skills was also discussed in detail, and strategies for developing language abilities also reviewed. This included a strong emphasis on utilizing hearing aids first before considering a cochlear implant, with presenters noting that the protocol for children diagnosed with ANSD should

2011 Symposium Sponsors Platinum Level Sponsor The Wasily Family Foundation

Gold Level Sponsors Cochlear Americas Oticon Pediatrics

Bronze Level Sponsor Hamilton CapTel

Supporting Level Sponsors Advanced Bionics American Speech-LanguageHearing Association Auditory Verbal Center – Atlanta BEGININGS for Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Caption First, Inc. Central Institute for the Deaf Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech

DePaul School for Hearing and Speech Discovery Toys Hearing and Speech Agency – Maryland The Lake Drive Programs Listening to the Waves MED-EL Corporation OPTION Schools, Inc. Oral Deaf Education Panasonic Phonak, LLC Plural Publishing, Inc. Rochester Institute of Technology – National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rosie’s Ranch Rule the School Strada Communications Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children

not be different than others diagnosed with hearing loss. Another highly praised course was “Auditory Vocal Spoken Language Matrix for Measuring Progress toward Listening and Spoken Language” by Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, who provided an overview of assessment tools that can be used with infants to ensure that they have sufficient auditory access to spoken language, that the language environment is sufficient for developing vocabulary and conversational turn taking, and that the child’s vocalizations are following a typical developmental continuum. One tool Yoshinaga-Itano highlighted for assessing a child’s language environment is the Language Environmental Analysis (LENA), which is a recording device worn by the child throughout the day. The audio file from the device is transferred to the computer, which uses speech recognition software to automatically analyze the audio stream. LENA provides information about the number of words a child is exposed to each day, vocaliza-

tions a child makes, conversational turns, and the amount of TV and electronic media a child is exposed to each day. Visit www.lenafoundation.org for additional information. Sometimes, however, children can have an unexpected disparity in performance and this was the focus of “Listening to Kids: Optimizing Technology” presented by Joan Hewett, Jane Madell and Sylvia Rotfleisch. Providers were encouraged to be alert to red flags that can signal specific problems with technology, impeding auditory development. “If a child is not making progress, there is a reason and we have an obligation to figure out why. Children speak what they hear, and we need to listen to kids and they will tell us what is wrong,” Madell said. Red flags such as the child not tolerating the technology, not hearing soft conversation, poor single word speech recognition or poor sentence recognition, or poor voice quality are all signals that a child may be under or over ampli-

2011 Symposium Planning Committee AG Bell would like to thank the 2011 Symposium Planning Committee for their hard work in putting together this year’s educational program. Joni Alberg, Ph.D. (Symposium Chairperson) BEGINNINGS for Parents of Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Wendy DeMoss, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT Hearts for Hearing, Oklahoma Dorothea French, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT Redford Union Schools, Michigan Susan Lenihan, Ph.D. Fontbonne University, Missouri Corine Theobald, MSDE, LSLS Cert. AVEd Atlanta Speech School, Georgia

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fied or stimulated with their hearing aid or cochlear implant. Or, they may have a clarity issue with their device. Rotfleisch noted that 90 percent of problems are related to hearing technology. Following Friday and Saturday’s general sessions, participants attended workshops that highlighted innovative practices and provided practical application strategies. One of the more popular sessions was “Outcomes for Children with Mild-to-Severe Hearing Loss,” which provided some of the data in a longitudinal study evaluating this population. Presenters discussed new methods of evaluation for literacy and language development aimed at this population, demonstrating that current standardized tests may not account for audibility disparities. The presenters reviewed new methods they developed to address gaps in the data and to catch high-risk children who look “good” on paper but who may have very poor audibility skills. Another highly regarded session was “Using Telepractice to Mentor

Professionals and Provide Services to Families.” A hot topic for today’s practitioners, panelists included clinicians from Australia, Utah and Wisconsin who discussed how they use modern technology, such as Skype, video recordings, Webinar education programs and even remote MAPping and audiological services, to provide services to families in remote areas. One of the highlights was when presenters utilized this technology to interact in real time with parents and their children, connecting from Washington, D.C., to Utah, Wisconsin and Australia. The implications of this technology is far-reaching and can allow listening and spoken language professionals to provide critical services to families in remote locations or to those who have limited means to travel to central facilities. To further explore this developing practice, The Volta Review will produce a special monograph edition on telepractice using telecommunications to be published in late 2012.

Summary This year’s Symposium brought together LSLSs, teachers of the deaf, speech-language pathologists and audiologists committed to helping children with hearing loss and their families develop listening and spoken language skills. Throughout the three days of sessions, presenters emphasized that no one person or case is the same, every situation is different and that it’s important to respect and acknowledge that not all children develop or parents facilitate in the same way. Presenters were careful to emphasize that professionals should cater to the needs of each individual family to see improved communication abilities. AG Bell thanks everyone who participated or presented, and we look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2012! Editor’s note: Full presentation handouts for all the Symposium sessions are available online at www.agbell.org.

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Children with Late Onset Hearing Loss

Increasing Awareness and Understanding By Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.

“

an you say juice? J-U-I-C-E. How about please? P-L-EA-S-E.” There I was on the floor with my face mere inches from my 26-month-old son—pleading with him to attempt to repeat some sort of word that I might recognize. At this point I believed my son had a speech delay. As a former early childhood educator, I had taught numerous children who didn’t talk until their third birthday. My pediatrician told me not to worry. My son had passed the universal newborn hearing screening test (UNHS) and was hitting other developmental milestones; he was simply a late talker. It wasn’t until he was two months shy of his 3rd birthday

that his preschool teacher suggested we take him for a hearing test. Six weeks later my son was diagnosed with a moderate-tosevere bilateral hearing loss. Reflecting on our experiences, I realize that I appear incredibly naïve not to connect my son’s delayed speech with the possibility of a hearing loss, but at the time I had absolutely no familiarity with the concept as I didn’t know any other families who were dealing with hearing loss. However, more importantly, our pediatrician missed an opportunity to write out a simple referral for a hearing test. Hearing loss affects 1.4 of every 1,000 children in the United States every year, thereby making it the most common

sensory birth difference (CDC, 2011). This number represents the children who do not pass the UNHS. However it leaves out the number of children who are diagnosed with a late-onset hearing loss. Hearing loss can occur at any time in a child’s life for a variety of reasons (see sidebar on p. 21), and passing the UNHS at birth has absolutely no bearing on what will happen to the child’s hearing in the future. Despite the best intentions of practitioners, once a child who is born to parents with typical hearing has passed the UNHS, hearing ability is often overlooked in a child’s development. As babies and young children learn to talk primarily through imitating the voices

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Krystyann Krywko

Despite a late onset hearing loss identified at age 3, Henry, now 5, is now thriving and developing listening and spoken language.

of adults and other caregivers in their lives, even a small degree of hearing loss has the potential to interfere with speech and language development. Some hearing losses are so mild that it can be difficult to determine whether that is really the root cause of the delay; however, hearing loss should be one of the first things to be ruled out. Parents or caregivers are usually the first to suspect that their child has a hearing loss. Their suspicions are based upon something not “quite right” with their child’s development, including limited use of speech, inconsistent responses, their child becomes frustrated when trying to communicate or a change in the child’s behavior. Parental concerns need to be

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treated as “red flags” and should lead to a referral for a hearing test. Although it can be difficult to determine exactly when a child loses his or her hearing, it is important to distinguish between the misdiagnosis of hearing loss and late onset hearing loss. “Misdiagnosis of hearing loss would be when the parent was told the child passed the UNHS and, in fact, did not,” says Dr. Michelle Kraskin, audiology supervisor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. She goes on to explain that with a diagnosis of late onset hearing loss, the child passed the UNHS but at some point after their discharge from the hospital up to the time of diagnosis, there was some form of progressive hearing loss that occurred. Although children who have congenital severe-to-profound hearing loss are most likely identified earlier through UNHS, it is more difficult to ascertain mild to moderate losses. These losses are generally not detected through UNHS and are instead identified at a later age when significant gaps are noticed in the child’s speech and language development. Due to the uncertain timeframe of when late onset hearing loss first occurs it can be difficult to ascertain what speech and language gaps exist, as each child has a different experience. “While it is inevitable that there will be some language gaps in a child diagnosed with late onset hearing, the degree of those gaps depends on numerous variables,” states Meredith Berger, head of Clarke School NYC. Therefore it is important not to be overwhelmed by statistics from online research and searches. Berger suggests that the following variables need to be taken into account when assessing communication gaps in children with late onset hearing loss: ʶʶ The age of the child when hearing loss was diagnosed. ʶʶ The degree of hearing loss and the quality of residual hearing the child has unaided. ʶʶ If child was immersed in language rich, stimulating home environment prior to diagnosis. ʶʶ The child’s personality (whether they are engaged, curious, and active, or more shy and withdrawn). Because many late onset hearing losses are of a mild-to-moderate nature it is

Krystyann Krywko

The author’s son, Henry, and his teacher Miss Jackie work on language development in school. Henry was identified with a late onset hearing loss at age 3.

important not to dismiss the impact that hearing loss has on a child’s development. “Minimal is often connected with insignificant,” states Dr. Carol Flexer, distinguished professor emeritus of audiology at The University of Akron, “however, a minimal hearing loss can have major implications in a classroom setting.”

Spoken language is such an important component of learning that even a mild hearing loss can cause a child to miss up to 25 percent of classroom instruction (Flexer, 1995). Therefore, it is important to have access to consistent appropriate therapies and amplification options. “Hearing is not optional,” continues Dr.

Flexer, “it’s not something that is nice to have. Every child needs to have consistent access to clear speech and acoustic detail in order to succeed with listening and spoken language.” No matter what the degree of hearing loss, children need access to enriched environments, enriched conversations and enriched language both at home and at school. While it can be difficult for parents to accept their child’s hearing loss, it is important that there is immediate access to appropriate interventions and that the child be fitted for hearing aids and/ or cochlear implants. “The diagnosis of hearing loss is an emotional time,” cautions Berger, “but the family really should deal with the emotional issues while they continue to move forward with treatment.” The wearing of hearing aids and/or cochlear implant processors need to become a non-negotiable part of a daily routine, along with any prescribed auditory-verbal and/or speech therapy. Ongoing audiological management and support is necessary to ensure that a child’s aids or implant are working and also to

Providing children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. • Birth to 3

• Mainstreaming Services

• Preschool/Kindergarten

• Educational Evaluations

• School Programs • Summer Programs • Professional Development and Trainings • Audiological Services

clarkeschools.org Bo sto n

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Etiology of Late Onset Hearing Loss The etiology of late onset hearing loss can be difficult to determine, however it may be related to one of the categories below: • Hereditary (genetic)—A hereditary or genetic loss may be related to a syndrome, such as Ushers, Downs and Waardenburgs syndromes. Or it might be passed onto the child if there is a family history of hearing loss. • Pathological (result of disease)— The most common childhood illness that can lead to hearing loss is congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). However, viral and bacterial meningitis, mumps, measles and other viral infections that cause high fever can lead to hearing loss in young children. Having your child vaccinated will reduce the risk of these infections.

• Structural—some structural irregularities might interfere with hearing and will lead to late onset hearing loss. Irregularities include include stenosis (a narrowing of the ear canal) or Mondini dysplasia (a malformation of the cochlea). • Acquired—head trauma and exposure to loud noises, such as fireworks, can also lead to hearing loss; exposure to ototoxic medication (such as that used for chemotherapy) might also lead to hearing loss. • Idiopathic (unknown origin)— It can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of a child’s hearing loss, and the audiologist might label it as being of unknown origin.

follow up to determine whether the hearing loss is progressive or if it is stable. Technological advances in hearing aids and cochlear implants allow children who are hard of hearing to connect to the world in ways that they never could before. However, children who develop late onset hearing loss often fall into a grey area, as parents and health care providers fail to recognize that the child has a hearing loss. The intricate link between speech and hearing is a fundamental cornerstone of a child’s academic and social success, and ruling out hearing loss earlier is necessary for continued development. With appropriate early intervention and parental support, children with hearing loss can be mainstreamed in regular elementary and secondary education classrooms.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). Data and statistics. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ hearingloss/data.html. Flexer, C. (1995). Classroom management of children with minimal hearing loss. The Hearing Journal. 48(9), 54-58.

ommunic lC

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AN AMERICAN OWNED AND OPERATED CORPORATION

ent C Sil al

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5s 2 Year

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Los niños con pérdida de audición de aparición tardía

Aumentar la concienciación y comprensión Por Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.

«¿

uedes decir zumo? Z-UM-O. ¿Qué tal por favor? P-O-R F-A-V-O-R». Estaba tumbada en el suelo con mi cara a pocos centímetros de mi hijo de 26 meses; rogándole que al menos intentara repetir algún tipo de palabra que yo pudiera reconocer. A estas alturas pensaba que mi hijo tenía un retraso en el habla. Como antigua profesora de la primera infancia, había dado clases a numerosos niños que no hablaron hasta su tercer cumpleaños. Mi pediatra me decía que no me preocupara. Mi hijo había pasado la prueba universal de audición para recién nacidos (UNHS, por sus siglas en inglés) y estaba pasando

los otros hitos del desarrollo; lo único que le pasaba era que iba a hablar más tarde. No fue hasta unos dos meses antes de su 3er cumpleaños que su profesora de párvulos nos sugirió que lo lleváramos a que le hicieran un examen de audición. Seis meses más tarde se le diagnosticó a mi hijo una pérdida de audición bilateral moderada a severa. Reflexionando ahora sobre nuestras experiencias, me doy cuenta de que fui sumamente ingenua al no relacionar el retraso de lenguaje de mi hijo con la posibilidad de una pérdida de audición, pero en aquel momento desconocía del todo el concepto ya que no conocía a otras familias que estuvieran lidiando con una

pérdida de audición. No obstante, lo más importante de todo, nuestro pediatra, como profesional de confianza, no cayó en cuenta de escribir un simple volante para una prueba de audición. La pérdida de audición afecta cada año a 1,4 de cada 1.000 niños nacidos en los EE.UU., por lo que la convierte en la diferencia sensorial más común al nacer (CDC, 2011). Esta cifra representa a los niños que no pasaron la UNHS. Sin embargo, se excluye el número de niños a los que se les diagnosticó una pérdida de audición tardía. La pérdida de audición puede ocurrir en cualquier momento de la vida del niño por una variedad de motivos (ver barra lateral), y el hecho de pasar la

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

de audición debería ser una de las primeras cosas que se han de descartar. Por lo general, los padres o cuidadores son los primeros en sospechar que su niño tiene una pérdida de audición. Sus sospechas se basan en algo que no está «del todo bien» en el desarrollo de su niño, incluso el uso limitado del lenguaje, respuestas incoherentes, la frustración del niño cuando intenta comunicarse o un cambio en su comportamiento. Preocupaciones de los padres como estas necesitan ser tratadas como «señales de alarma» y deberán llevar a un volante para una prueba de audición. A pesar de que puede ser difícil determinar con exactitud cuándo un niño pierde el oído, es importante diferenciar entre un diagnóstico equivocado de pérdida de audición y una pérdida de audición de aparición tardía. «Un diagnóstico equivocado de pérdida de audición sería cuando a los padres se les informa que el niño pasó la UNHS cuando, de

hecho, no la pasó» dice la Dra. Michelle Kraskin, supervisora de audiología en el Weill Cornell Medical College en Nueva York, EE.UU. Ella explica además que con un diagnóstico de pérdida de audición de aparición tardía, el niño pasó la UNHS, pero en algún momento desde su salida del hospital, hasta el momento del diagnóstico, ocurrió alguna forma de pérdida progresiva de la audición. A pesar de que los niños que tienen una pérdida de audición congénita severa a profunda tienen más probabilidades de ser identificados más pronto a través de la UNHS, es más difícil determinar las pérdidas leves a moderadas. Estas pérdidas, por lo general, no se detectan a través de la UNHS, sino que se identifican a una edad más tardía cuando se notan lagunas importantes en el desarrollo del habla y del lenguaje del niño. Debido al periodo de tiempo incierto de cuándo es que la pérdida de audición

Etiología de la pérdida de audición de aparición tardía

A pesar de la pérdida de audición de aparición tardía, Henry está floreciendo y desarrollando habilidades de hablar y escuchar.

Krystyann Krywko

La etiología de la pérdida de audición de aparición tardía puede ser difícil de determinar, no obstante, puede estar relacionada con una de las categorías de abajo:

UNHS no tiene relación alguna con lo que le pasará a la audición del niño en el futuro. A pesar de las mejores intenciones de los médicos, una vez que un niño nacido de padres que oyen ha pasado la UNHS, la capacidad de oír es a menudo pasada por alto en el desarrollo del niño. Ya que tanto los bebés como los niños pequeños aprenden a hablar imitando en gran medida las voces de los adultos y de otros cuidadores en su vida, el grado de pérdida de audición, incluso siendo mínima, tiene el potencial de interferir con el desarrollo del habla y el lenguaje. Algunas pérdidas de audición son tan leves que puede ser difícil determinar si esa es la causa del retraso; no obstante, la pérdida

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

• Hereditaria (genética) - una pérdida hereditaria o genética puede estar relacionada con un síndrome, como pueden ser los síndromes de Ushers, Downs y Waardenburgs. O podría heredarlo el niño si existen antecedentes familiares de pérdidas de audición.

• Estructural - algunas irregularidades estructurales pueden interferir con la audición y ocasionarán una pérdida de audición de aparición tardía. Entre las irregularidades se encuentra la estenosis (un estrechamiento del conducto auditivo) o displasia de Mondini (una malformación de la cóclea).

• Patológica (el resultado de una enfermedad) - las enfermedad infantil más común que puede llevar a una pérdida de audición es el citomegalovirus congénito (CMV). No obstante, la meningitis bacteriana y vírica, las paperas, el sarampión y otras infecciones víricas que causan fiebres altas pueden provocar pérdidas de audición en niños pequeños. Tener las vacunas de su niño al día reducirá el riesgo a contraer estas infecciones.

• Adquirida - un traumatismo craneal y la exposición a ruidos fuertes, como lo pueden ser los fuegos artificiales; la exposición a fármacos ototóxicos (como lo pueden ser los utilizados en quimioterapia) también podrían ocasionar pérdidas de audición. • Idiopática (origen desconocido) puede ser difícil señalar la causa exacta de la pérdida de audición de un niño. Y el audiólogo podría etiquetarla como de origen desconocido.

Krystyann Krywko

de aparición tardía sucede por primera vez, puede ser difícil determinar las lagunas en el habla y el lenguaje que existen, ya que cada niño tiene una experiencia diferente. «A pesar de que es inevitable que existan algunas lagunas en el lenguaje en un niño diagnosticado con pérdida de audición de aparición tardía, el grado de dichas lagunas depende de muchas variables», afirma Meredith Berger, directora de Clarke School NYC. Por lo tanto es importante no sentirse abrumado por las estadísticas procedentes de las investigaciones y búsquedas por Internet. La Sra. Berger sugiere que se deben tener en cuenta las siguientes variables cuando se evalúan las lagunas en niños con pérdidas de audición de aparición tardía: ʶʶ La edad del niño cuando se le diagnosticó la pérdida de audición ʶʶ El grado de pérdida de audición y la calidad del oído residual que el niño tiene sin ayuda ʶʶ Si el niño estaba inmerso en un entorno en casa estimulante y rico en lenguaje antes del diagnóstico ʶʶ La personalidad del niño (si es comprometido, curioso y activo, o es más tímido y retraído) Ya que muchas pérdidas de audición de aparición tardía son de naturaleza leve a moderada es importante no desestimar el impacto que dicha pérdida de audición tiene en el desarrollo de un niño. «A menudo se relaciona mínima con insignificante», dice la Dra. Carol Flexer, distinguida profesora emérita de audiología en la Universidad de Akron, «no obstante, una pérdida mínima de audición puede tener una repercusión importante dentro del entorno escolar». El lenguaje hablado es un componente tan importante del aprendizaje que incluso una pérdida de audición leve puede ser la causante de que el niño se pierda hasta un 25% de las indicaciones en el aula (Flexer, 1995). Por lo tanto, es importante tener acceso a terapias coherentes y acordes, y a opciones de amplificación. «Oír no es opcional», continúa diciendo la Dra. Flexer, «no es algo que es bonito tener. Todos los niños

El hijo de la autora, Henry, y su profesora, la Señorita Jackie trabajan en el desarrollo del lenguaje en el colegio. A Henry se le diagnosticó una pérdida de audición de aparición tardía cuando tenía 3 años.

necesitan tener un acceso constante a discursos claros y detalles acústicos para poder tener éxito». Independientemente del grado de la pérdida de audición, los niños necesitan tener acceso a entornos enriquecidos, conversaciones enriquecidas y lenguaje enriquecido tanto en casa como en el colegio. A pesar de que puede ser difícil para los padres aceptar la pérdida de audición de su hijo, es importante que exista un acceso inmediato a las intervenciones adecuadas y que se equipe al niño con audífonos y/o implantes cocleares, si se elige el lenguaje hablado. «El diagnóstico de la pérdida de audición es un periodo de tiempo emocional», advierte la Sra. Berger, «pero la familia deberá tratar realmente de enfrentarse a las cuestiones emocionales a la vez que sigue adelante con el tratamiento». El uso de audífonos y/o procesadores de implantes cocleares necesita convertirse en una parte no negociable de la rutina diaria, junto con cualquier terapia auditivo verbal y/o del lenguaje prescrita. Se necesita gestión y soporte audiológico continuo para asegurarse de que los audífonos o implantes del niño funcionan y también hacer el seguimiento para determinar si

la pérdida de audición es progresiva o si es estable. Los avances tecnológicos en el campo de los audífonos e implantes cocleares permiten a los niños con problemas para oír conectarse al mundo en formas que nunca antes había sido posible. Sin embargo, los niños que desarrollan una pérdida de audición de aparición tardía caen con frecuencia en una zona gris, ya que tanto los padres como el personal sanitario no se dan cuenta de que el niño tiene una pérdida de audición. El complicado vínculo entre el habla y el oído es una piedra angular básica en el éxito académico y social del niño, y descartar tempranamente la pérdida de audición es necesario para el desarrollo continuo. Con la intervención temprana apropiada y el apoyo de los padres, los niños con pérdidas de audición pueden ser integrados en aulas normales de educación primaria y secundaria.

Referencias Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés). (2011). Datos y estadísticas Fecha de consulta 12 de julio de 2011, http://www.cdc.gov/ ncbddd/hearingloss/data.html. Flexer, C. (1995). Classroom management of children with minimal hearing loss. The Hearing Journal. 48(9), 54-58.

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Parent advocacy training

Know your rights

[ ]

AG Bell’s acclaimed Parent Advocacy Training program is now available for free in Spanish! Disponible en español en la página web www.agbell.org More than 1,000 parents have successfully completed AG Bell’s Parent Advocacy Training (P.A.T.) program. P.A.T. gives parents the tools they need to successfully advocate for their child to ensure his or her educational needs are met. After completing the P.A.T. program, parents will have a basic understanding of education law and how to negotiate appropriate applications to help develop an effective Individualized Education Program (IEP).

• Know the Law • Know your rights Under the Law • Know How to Use the Law to advocate for your child’s educational needs • Know How to Secure ongoing Support and Services for your child

P.A.T. is free service offered by AG Bell made possible by the generous support of the Oticon Foundation. The program is approved for 1.5 CEUs from the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language.

To access P.A.T. in both English and Spanish, visit www.agbell.org. Registration is required.

ASK tHe aSK THE EXPERT eXPert AG Bell now offers expert responses to your questions through its partnership with Bruce Goldstein and his associates at Goldstein, Ackerhalt & Pletcher, LLP. Families are welcome to contact AG Bell if they need additional information to assist with their child’s IEP, or access and rights to special education accommodations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Prior to submitting your question, families are encouraged to complete the P.A.T. online course; answers to many common questions can be found within the course content. To submit your question or take the course, visit the P.A.T. program online at www.agbell.org.

Written Resources for Parents of Children with Hearing Loss

By Megan G. Mansfield, Au.D., Karen Muñoz, Ed.D., Richard Harward, Au.D., Kim Corbin-Lewis, Ph.D., K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., and Cache Pitt, Au.D.

or most parents, finding out that their beautiful baby has a hearing loss is difficult news. Parents struggle with the joy of welcoming their new son or daughter to the family and the unexpected need to learn new information, all while trying to understand what having a hearing loss will mean for their child’s future. Taking the first steps in this new journey can be overwhelming. Before their child failed the newborn hearing screening, the typical parent has probably never met an audiologist or deaf educator, not to mention hearing unfamiliar vocabulary filled with acronyms such as “OAE,” “ABR,” and “BTE.” To begin navigating this new world, parents need ready access to

comprehensive information and support as they gain critical knowledge and skills that will help them make important decisions about their child’s care. Providing comprehensive written material when a hearing loss is diagnosed can provide parents with information they do not yet realize they need, serving as a source to address questions as they arise. A state-based resource is one way to systematically provide such information to all parents. The Utah Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program developed such a resource, “An Interactive Notebook for Families with a Young Child Who Is Deaf or Hard of Hearing,” learning valuable lessons related to development

and distribution that led to improved parent access to this information. Each state has an EHDI program designed to monitor program effectiveness and a parent’s ability to connect with needed services. Many state EHDI coordinators have realized the importance of providing parents with comprehensive written information when a hearing loss is identified. In fact, 17 states have links to such a document on the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) website or on their state EHDI website. Over half of these states also have information available in Spanish, and a few have additional languages (e.g. Russian, Somali and Creole).

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Table. Challenges encountered in distribution of the resource and in speaking with parents (N = 89) Challenge Incorrect or missing telephone number

31 (35%)

No answer/could not speak with parent

27 (30%)

Family spoke Spanish

12 (14%)

Undeliverable/wrong address

8 (10%)

Declined to participate

4 (.04%)

Did not review resource

4 (.04%)

Hearing loss not yet determined

2 (.02%)

Could not read

1 (.01%)

rSnapshotPhotos/shutterstock.com

ing hearing aid options and components, describing FM systems and cochlear implants, and summarizing educational services for children with hearing loss. Developing a resource is only the first step, but it is also important to know that parents are receiving this important information and that it is meeting their needs. To deliver the notebook to the parent, a postage-paid postcard is typically mailed to the EHDI coordinator by the audiologist or the parent when a hearing loss is diagnosed, triggering the EHDI coordinator to mail a notebook to the family. In addition, when the EHDI coordinator receives a report for an infant diagnosed with hearing loss, if a notebook has not yet been requested, it is sent at that time. To gather feedback from parents about the resource, a follow-up survey was conducted by phone shortly after the initial distribution. One hundred and eleven parents were contacted, and In 2008, the Utah Department of 22 parents participated in the interview. Health developed a comprehensive writA number of challenges were encountered ten resource to address parental need for in the distribution of the notebook and in information. A committee was formed obtaining feedback from parents (shown to review existing resources developed in the Table). by other states to identify the type of The interviews provided valuable information to include and the format of feedback. Most parents reported that a written resource. Local content experts they desired more information than they volunteered their time to contribute to received from the audiologist at the time specific sections. These efforts led to the development of “An Interactive Notebook of the diagnosis, and that the parent notebook provided by the EHDI program for Families with a Young Child Who Is improved their understanding of their Deaf or Hard of Hearing.” The notebook addresses a variety of topics in 10 sections child’s hearing loss. They also reported that the parent notebook provided focused on helping families cope with a diagnosis of hearing loss, providing educa- them with information that they had tion on communication options, explain- not received from any other source. The

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

n (%)

parents that experienced a delay between their child’s diagnosis and receiving the notebook expressed that the information came too late; they had already sought out information on their own from other sources, such as the Internet and asking other parents or professionals. These parents reported that they needed and wished they had received this information closer to the time of their child’s diagnosis. Additionally, some parents reported that they had a previous child with hearing loss and therefore did not need some of the information provided. There were several lessons learned as a result of the follow-up survey. For a state-based distribution system to be effective, such as the EHDI program, it is critical for audiologists to be aware of the parent resource, let parents know about the existence of the resource and to communicate with the EHDI coordinator to have a notebook delivered to the parents. Timely reporting of diagnostic results to the state EHDI coordinator along with the families’ current address are critical factors for seamless delivery. Many of the parents were Spanish-speaking families and it quickly became apparent that it would be helpful to have the resource available in Spanish. Given the prevalence of information sharing that occurs online, it also became apparent that having the resource posted online would be useful for some parents. In 2010, the parent notebook was translated into Spanish and both the English and Spanish versions were made available online through the NCHAM website

Empowering parents leads to the ultimate improved outcome of higher competence, achievement and adjustment for children with hearing loss. (www.infanthearing.org/states/utah/ index.html). An additional consideration in the development process was ensuring that the reading level was accessible and easy to understand. It was also important to inform stakeholders about the existence of the parent notebook, such as physicians and early interventionists that work with families. The next steps for the Utah EHDI program include expanded educational awareness with key professional groups within the state. Efforts to obtain parent feedback will also be ongoing. A parent feedback survey (in English and

Spanish) is provided as a hardcopy in the notebook and also through a link online. Parent feedback will be used to identify how the resource can continue to be improved to meet parents’ needs. The parent notebook is intended as a supplement to the necessary counseling of an audiologist and other providers, and can be used for parents to digest the information at their own pace, offering ideas of questions they may ask providers and key facts needed to help them make decisions for their child’s future. Empowering parents leads to the ultimate improved outcome of higher com-

petence, achievement and adjustment for children with hearing loss (White & Luterman, 2003).

References National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM). (2011). State parent information about EHDI programs. Retrieved July 14, 2011, from http://www.infanthearing.org/ statematerials/index.html. National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM). (2011). Utah Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) information. Retrieved July 14, 2011, from http:// www.infanthearing.org/states/utah/index.html. White, E., & Luterman, D. (2003). Families and children with hearing loss: Grief and coping. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 9, 232-235.

A Listening and Spoken Language School

Services and Programs: • Newborn Hearing Evaluation Center • Parent-Infant Cottage • Early Childhood and Elementary Programs • Outdoor and Discovery classrooms • Music and Art classrooms • Speech Language Pathology • Audiology Center with five testing booths • Cochlear Implant Programming • Placement site for Graduate Program in Deaf Education and Hearing Science though UTHSCSA

Sunshine Cottage provides the very best early identification and intervention services for infants and children with hearing loss. The day-school program offers a comprehensive educational environment for children, preschool through fifth grade, with state-of-the-art technology taught by master-level educators.

(210) 824-0579

603 E. Hildebrand Ave. San Antonio, Texas 78212 www.sunshinecottage.org

Sunshine Cottage, a listening and spoken language school, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, OPTIONschools International, and is a Texas Education Agency approved non-public school. We accept students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin. New 2011 color ad.indd 1

7/13/2011 8:50:37 AM

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

FinAidAd_HALF PG_8-11:Financial Aid Ad_HALF PG 8/9/11 1:34 PM Page 1

Every Child Deserves a Chance ...to Learn...to Grow...

to Hear from the Start

dvances in newborn hearing screening, early hearing detection and intervention are A giving more children with hearing loss the opportunity to learn to listen, talk and thrive along with their hearing peers. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why AG Bell offers programs designed to support children and youth with hearing loss who are pursuing spoken language education. PARENT-INFANT FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM DEADLINE: OCTOBER 11, 2011

Eligibility criteria, program deadlines and applications are available at www.agbell.org. Email requests for an application to financialaid@agbell.org or fax to 202.337.8314.

TEL 202.337.5220 â&#x20AC;˘ EMAIL financialaid@agbell.org

Connect Discover Inspire The AG Bell 2012 Convention By Melody Felzien

very other summer, individuals with a vested interest in listening and spoken language communication flock to a family-friendly destination to connect with each other and learn about innovative strategies that support listening and spoken language for people with hearing loss. AG Bell will again host its popular biennial convention June 28-July 2, 2012, at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Connect The AG Bell convention is defined by relationships throughout five days of programming where old friends catch up and lifelong friendships are started. The

convention offers a wide range of programming catering to every interest, including families of children with hearing loss, individuals with hearing loss and the professionals who work with them. “The AG Bell convention is an exciting time where people can connect with, learn from and grow with each other. We are planning a comprehensive program that will offer much for every attendee,” noted Corrine Altman, the AG Bell 2012 Convention committee chair and parent of two adults with hearing loss who listen and talk. AG Bell will also offer its popular child and teen program, full of fun activities and exciting learning opportunities for children and teens ages 0-14.

AG Bell is pleased to announce that Dr. Dale Atkins will be the 2012 convention’s keynote speaker. Dr. Atkins is a licensed psychologist, popular commentator for NBC’s Today Show, and a renowned lecturer known for her practical advice and warm personality. A former teacher of the deaf and editor of a Volta Review monograph on parent relationships with children who are deaf, Dr. Atkins has more than 25 years experience helping individuals maintain a balanced lifestyle by focusing on relationships and managing stress. She is the author of

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Submit a Short Course or Concurrent Session Proposal AG Bell relies on the ideas and experience of its members to craft a wellbalanced and informative educational program. In 2012, AG Bell will again offer learning tracks to meet the experience and interests of adults with hearing loss, parents of children with hearing loss and the professionals that work with them.

Short Course Proposals

Concurrent Session Proposals

Short course presentations are 3 hours in length. Courses should address audiences with advanced knowledge and focus on evidence-based practice.

Concurrent sessions should fulfill a broad range of topics related to deafness and spoken language. Presentations are 90 minutes in length and address audiences with a wide range of knowledge.

Call for Submissions: August 2-September 27

Call for submissions: August 17-October 12

Proposals will be accepted electronically through the AG Bell website at www.agbell.org. Selections are made by the Education Program Committee, whose members are representative of AG Bell’s membership—education and hearing health professionals, parents of children with hearing loss and adults with hearing loss.

numerous articles and books, including “Sanity Savers: Tips for Women to Live a Balanced Life” and “I’m OK, You’re My Parents: How to Overcome Guilt, Let Go of Anger, and Create a Relationship that Works.” We can’t wait to hear what she has to say to the AG Bell family. Currently, AG Bell is accepting concurrent session and short course proposals. Please see the side bar on this page for details on the requirements and deadlines for submissions. The convention program is defined by what you, our members, want to hear about. We encourage submissions from parents, professionals and adults with hearing loss about the issues that matter to them.

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

In the heart of the Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale, and especially the Westin Kierland Resort, provides many attractions and activities that make it an ideal location for a family vacation. The host hotel is a brand new, state-of-the-art resort offering a championship golf course, 900-foot winding lazy river, 110-foot waterslide, private pool for adults, full-service spa, award-winning dining and upscale shopping, all at a budget-friendly rate. The resort pays homage to the Scottish heritage of Scottsdale by offering daily bagpipe performances. In

addition, the resort employs a chief FUN officer, a former cruise ship entertainment officer whose sole responsibility is to make sure kids and parents have a great time during their stay. Scottsdale is a city full of culture, art and character. If enjoying the hotel attractions doesn’t entice you, shopping, dining and the many other attractions Scottsdale has to offer are a short walk or shuttle ride away. During the day, Scottsdale offers sunny skies and a lush desert atmosphere for many outdoor activities. The area has championship golf courses, the nation’s

Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., will host the AG Bell 2012 Convention June 28-July 2.

Westin Kierland Resort

Discover

Scottsdale offers a wide range of activities for families and children, such as an award-winning zoo (pictured above).

that will excite your taste buds. Arizona is well-known for its unique wines, and Scottsdale boasts more than 80 wine bars for you to enjoy the tastes of the Arizona wine culture.

Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

Inspire

Scottsdale is a city full of art and culture, all a short walk or shuttle ride from the host hotel.

largest wilderness preserve, an awardwinning zoo, a railroad museum, horseback riding and a recreation of the Wild West frontier (circa 1880), all familyfriendly activities. Art and culture define Scottsdale, which offers more than 100 galleries, one of the most concentrated collections in the nation. One highlight is

the Public Art Walking Tour, which takes you through downtown Scottsdale as you view celebrated public art works and check out the restaurants and shopping offered downtown. The Scottsdale nightlife is not to be overlooked. The city boasts a large number of acclaimed chefs and unique cuisine

The AG Bell convention is for the attendees, meant to inspire and renew their passion for listening and spoken language opportunities for children with hearing loss. But don’t take our word for it; here are just a few of the comments provided by past attendees: “The AG Bell Convention literally changed our lives. When we learned our son was born deaf, we ventured to the convention to learn about listening and speaking. When we returned for our second convention, we couldn’t have been more proud of how far he’s come. Thank you AG Bell!” “I have attended AG Bell conventions since 1998. I have always found the short courses to be exceptional, the children in the children’s programs to be adorable and the teenagers to be inspirational. Attending the AG Bell convention is my way to get

THEATRE GROUP

Join a one of a kind performing arts program! www.kidswithnolimits.org To participate in a professional, original production or to bring No Limits Theatre Group to your hometown, contact No Limits at 310•280•0878 or email info@kidswithnolimits.org

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Westin Kierland Resort

re-energized to be the best auditory-verbal therapist I can be.” “As a teacher’s assistant, I came to the AG Bell Convention to learn more about what I was already doing every day. However, I gained so much more—practical advice on promoting spoken language, concrete resources to take lessons and ideas from

The host of the 2012 Convention, the Westin Kierland Resort, offers many attractions for attendees including a 900-foot winding lazy river.

and knowledge in so many areas. I felt strengthened from seeing the passion of so many individuals in promoting education and opportunities for individuals who are deaf. I walked away with renewed passion, advanced knowledge and the drive to continue working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing, having seen the difference it makes in their lives.” “The opportunity to meet new people and learn from them and share with them experiences, and the happy reunions with old friends, are the biggest reasons I come to the AG Bell convention.” “My favorite part of convention is seeing so many people who are deaf and hard of hearing speaking, hearing…seeing the variety and diversity of people involved in this cause; and being astounded by the sheer amount of information, technology and resources in the exhibition hall that are available.” The AG Bell 2012 Convention is not to be missed. Registration will open in early 2012. Stay tuned to the AG Bell website at www.agbell.org for updates as they become available. We look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale!

AG Bell 2012 Convention Committee Corrine Altman, chairperson David Davis Christine Evans-Schmidt Mary Gutierrez Emily Lawson Helen Morrison, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT Lindsey Rentmeester, Ph.D. Lisa Sanders Uma Soman Kim Sorenson

Vendor Relations Committee Patti Trautwein, Au.D., chairperson Dan Collins Peggy Diehl Maureen Doty Tomasula, Au.D., FAAA, CCC-A Christine Jones, Au.D., CCC-A Carissa Moeggenberg, MA, CCC-A

Got Germs?

Bacteria and fungus naturally thrive in the moist environment of the ear canal, and areas of extended wear contact, such as BTE processors, frequently resulting in itchy, irritated skin. While it’s common practice to treat the ear canal or affected area, often overlooked is the need for effective elimination of these microorganisms from the surfaces of the hearing instrument. This is where the germicidal action of Dry & Store® can make a huge difference in your child’s comfort.

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Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs A Blueprint for Success

By Melody Felzien

Every state has instituted an Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program responsible for establishing, maintaining, and improving the system of services needed to serve children with hearing loss and their families. Over the past 20 years, tremendous strides have been made in establishing and strengthening EHDI programs in all 50 states and the U.S. territories. Approximately 97 percent of all newborns are screened for hearing loss prior to discharge from a birthing center or hospital (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007; White et al., 2010). This is indeed a significant achievement. Unfortunately, nearly 60 percent of

infants referred from newborn hearing screening do not receive a timely diagnosis (Russ et al., 2010) and some are lost to follow-up. While approximately 77 percent of children confirmed to have a permanent hearing loss enroll in early intervention by the age of 6 months, not all of these children have access to the services they need for speech and language development (Russ et al., 2010). Complicating this situation is the paucity of data available to policy makers, researchers, administrators and other stakeholders regarding the current status of EHDI programs in the United States. In 2009, the National Center for Hearing and Assessment Management (NCHAM)

initiated a national strategic planning activity to help EHDI program coordinators identify ways to improve their programs through the use of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis framework. A SWOT analysis, and subsequent threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths (TOWS) matrix evaluation, are commonly used methods of strategic planning. Although the specific way in which a SWOT analysis is implemented varies somewhat depending on the situation to which it is applied, the basic principles are relatively simple and straightforward. First, one or more program goals are identified as the focus of the strategic planning activity. In

VOLTA VOICES â&#x20AC;˘ SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Table 1. The 12 EHDI components included in the SWOT/TOWS analysis

Mikhail Tchkheidze/shutterstock.com

EHDI Area

this case, 12 major areas within the EHDI system were defined as critical to the success of state EHDI programs (Table 1). Next, participants use the SWOT analysis framework to identify strengths and weaknesses within a program, and opportunities and threats in the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s external environment. For this study, 51 EHDI coordinators were asked to complete an online survey of the 12 major areas within the EHDI system. The survey asked the EHDI coordinator to report at least one strength, weakness, opportunity and threat for each area for use in strategic planning. Once these variables are identified, a threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths, or TOWS, matrix is used to

VOLTA VOICES â&#x20AC;˘ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

Description

1. Newborn Hearing Screening

This EHDI area covers aspects of newborn hearing screening, including hospital screenings as well as home births.

2. Audiological Evaluation

This EHDI area covers aspects of audiological evaluations and documentation.

3. Early Intervention

This EHDI area covers aspects of early intervention including, but not limited to, Part C and non Part-C communication options, and technology options.

4. Medical Homes/Medical Professionals

This EHDI area includes the medical home and medical professionals responsible for the continuity of care for children who have or are at-risk for hearing loss.

5. Loss to Follow-Up

This EHDI area includes issues related to loss to follow-up during the EHDI process (screening to identification to intervention).

6. Family Support

This EHDI area includes aspects of family support services as well as both educational materials and services that are culturally and linguistically sensitive as well as readily available.

7. Periodic Early Childhood Hearing Screening

This EHDI area includes aspects of screening for hearing loss in children who passed their initial hearing screening but are at-risk for hearing loss, have an identified diagnosis that is associated with hearing loss, or are being screened to find late-onset hearing loss.

8. Professional Development

This EHDI area represents education and professional development for individuals who provide services related to universal newborn hearing screening, identification, and intervention as well as administrators who oversee various aspects of the EHDI program.

9. Infrastructure

This EHDI area encompasses aspects of implementing a universal newborn hearing screening program in a state. This includes, but is not limited to, staffing at the state level, funding, legislature/regulations, advisory committee, public awareness, etc.

10. Data System/ Management

This EHDI area deals with aspects of collecting, compiling, and analyzing data needed for follow-up, reporting, program improvement, etc

11. Quality Enhancement

This EHDI area deals with how states use data, staff, and other resources for quality improvement, program evaluation, and projects.

12. Collaboration

This EHDI area includes formal collaboration as well as informal cooperation and systems integration within the state systems and the private/community sectors. These collaborative efforts are necessary for infants and young children with hearing loss to receive appropriate audiological, medical, educational, family support, and other needed services.

The strengths of this SWOT analysis include a high response rate, a large amount of data, uniformity of respondents (i.e., state EHDI coordinators), and cross-discipline analysis and interpretation of the data. The response rate ranged from 94 to 98 percent for each of the 12 areas surveyed. There were 3,101 total responses, with 907 responses for strengths, 788 responses for weaknesses, 694 responses for opportunities and 712 responses for threats. The results of these analyses suggest concrete ways in which the various components of an EHDI system can be improved by using opportunities to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses, and using strengths to reduce threats and finding ways to reduce the threats to identified weaknesses (overall results are shown in Table 2).

Recommendations By applying the TOWS matrix to the themes identified in the SWOT analysis, specific recommendations, or “strategic options,” were derived from the internal and external environmental factors identified by the EHDI coordinators. By systematically pairing the four categories of the SWOT analysis, recommendations were derived to maximize resources and affect positive change. Based on an analysis of all

12 areas, the following emerged as recommendations to strengthen EHDI programs: ʶʶ Examine effective and efficient webbased data management systems; provide and/or share information with EHDI programs, vendors, and federal and state agencies; and take advantage of funding opportunities to develop these systems in each state. ʶʶ Build collaborative relationships through a variety of communication outlets, educational venues, advisory groups and committees. ʶʶ Develop protocols and procedural guidelines to enhance data collection, communication and personnel preparation. ʶʶ Utilize communication, relationships and professional networks to work with state and federal lawmakers to secure mandates that support needed outcomes. ʶʶ Draw on the expertise of EHDI advisory committees and outcome data to prioritize objectives in ways that maximize state resources and allocation of personnel. ʶʶ Strengthen data reporting systems to impact legislation and funding decisions at both the state and federal levels. ʶʶ Engage university training programs in ways that create pre-service and in-service educational opportunities for physicians, nurses, audiologists, speech-

Internal Factors

Table 2. SWOT summary of the 12 critical areas of EHDI programs Positive/Helpful

Negative/Harmful

Strengths

Weaknesses

1. Good Communication

1. Deficiencies in Data Management

2. Effective Data Management

2. Staff Shortages/Lack of Qualified Providers

3. Active Advisory Committees 4. Grant and Funding Opportunities

Opportunities External Factors

match the external threats and opportunities with internal weaknesses and strengths of the organization or program (Weihrich, 1982, 1998). Using the TOWS matrix enables strategic planners at various levels of the organization to use strengths to take advantage of opportunities (strengthopportunity strategies); to minimize weaknesses by pursuing opportunities (weakness-opportunity strategies); to use strengths to reduce the organization’s vulnerability to threats (strength-threat strategies); and to develop plans to prevent weaknesses from making the program susceptible to threats (weakness-threat strategies). The purpose of this study was to complete a systematic review of state EHDI programs using a SWOT/TOWS analysis to review current EHDI practices, and to generate recommendations that would enhance programming and overall outcomes. The analysis identified internal and external factors that contribute to the success of an EHDI program, but also identified obstacles confronted by EHDI programs. By identifying processes that are successful, resources can be optimally allocated in ways that improve overall quality and reduce duplication of effort. Conversely, by identifying potential barriers, solutions can be formulated. It is important to recognize that depending on one’s viewpoint, many of the factors identified in this analysis could be a strength, weakness, opportunity or threat (Gibis et al., 2001). For example, a data management and tracking system might be a strength in a state that has a well-developed and effective system that is meeting their needs, a weakness in a state that has a system that functions poorly, an opportunity in a state that is considering the acquisition of a system that other states have found valuable, and a threat in a state which has been told it must use an existing system that doesn’t meet their EHDI-specific needs. The combination of data across states provides a national perspective and recommendations for strategic actions that may not be applicable to some states. The SWOT analysis methodology is just as applicable for individual states, but may lead to very different conclusions than the national perspective taken here.

1. Improved Communication and Inter-Agency Relationships 2. Improved Data Management 3. Expanded Training Opportunities

3. Barriers to Program Development

Threats 1. Limited Funding 2. Insufficient Staff 3. Insufficient Educational Preparation 4. Insufficient Legislation

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Jackson Roush

Newborn hearing screening, as seen here, is identifying hearing loss sooner then ever before and children need early intervention services to support their language development.

language pathologists, early interventionists and teachers. ʶʶ Require state agencies, service providers and related organizations to be accountable to standards and procedural protocols. The SWOT analysis is only one way of generating ideas for how to improve EHDI programs; it is a subjective tool and depends on the perspectives, experiences and biases of those who conduct the analysis. In this case, the informants were state EHDI coordinators who are responsible for the overall implementation of EHDI programs in their state and have important information to share about how to improve EHDI programs. Although EHDI coordinators are a logical group because of their extensive experience and day-to-day responsibilities for the operation of EHDI programs, there are other stakeholders that also have important perspectives, such as parents, health care providers and policy makers. By using the SWOT analysis with input from state EHDI coordinators, a beginning point is established that can be useful for these other groups in suggesting additional or alternative strategic plans. It is also important to note that using a TOWS matrix to analyze the results of the items generated by the SWOT analysis is just one way of developing a strategic plan. Using a TOWS matrix after the completion of a SWOT analysis could limit the possible strategies by focusing

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

too narrowly on the pairs of strengthopportunity, strength-threat, weaknessopportunity and weakness-threat. Again, the results of this approach are offered as a beginning point, but not necessarily the final word in identifying strategic plans to improve EHDI programs. Finally, this analysis represents information for a single point in time. Ongoing analysis and strategic planning are necessary as EHDI programs continue to evolve, as national policies concerning health care and delivery of services change, and as strategic plans are implemented and alter what should be regarded as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. EHDI programs are dynamic and continue to evolve. As shown in this study, SWOT analysis has identified specific strategies in all 12 components of an EHDI program. These strategies should be carefully considered by both national and state level EHDI stakeholders to continue improvements to state EHDI programs so that children with hearing loss and their families benefit from the advances made in recent years and the opportunities now available. Data from this study indicate that many states have found solutions to barriers and have turned program weaknesses into strengths. State EHDI programs are increasingly successful in their efforts to ensure that infants are screened by 1 month of age, diagnosed and fitted with hearing aids by 3 months of age if

spoken language is the communication choice, and provided with appropriate intervention services by 6 months of age, as recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH, 2007). Furthermore, a growing number of systems are in place to identify and provide intervention for children who have later onset hearing loss. Through collaboration, improved infrastructure and successful personnel preparation, many states have the elements that underpin a successful EHDI program. It is hoped that through sharing of resources, networking and cooperative relationships, the nation will continue to build EHDI systems that provide the information, resources and services needed to optimize goals and outcomes for each child with hearing loss. Editor’s Note: The full details of this summary paper were published in July 2011 in a special monograph edition of The Volta Review, the 112-year-old professional journal of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Visit www.agbell.org/TheVoltaReview for additional information about downloading the full issue of the monograph.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2007). Annual data: Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) program. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ hearingloss/ehdi-data.html. Gibis, B., Artiles, J., Corabian, P., Meiesaar, K., Koppel, A., Jacobs, P., et al. (2001). Application of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis in the development of a health technology assessment program. Health Policy, 58, 27-35. Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH). (2007). Year 2007 position statement: Principles and guidelines for early hearing detection and intervention programs. Pediatrics, 120(4), 898-921. Russ, S. A., White, K., Dougherty, D., & Forsman, I. (2010). Preface: Newborn hearing screening in the United States: Historical perspective and future directions. Pediatrics, 126(1), S3-S6. White, K., & Blaiser, K. (2011). Strategic planning to improve early hearing detection and intervention programs. The Volta Review, 111(2), 82-108. Weihrich, H. (1982). The TOWS matrix—a tool for situational analysis. Long Range Plan, 15, 54-66. Weihrich, H. (1998). Daimler-Benz’s move towards the next century with the TOWS matrix. In: Dyson, R., & O’Brien, F. (Eds.), Strategic development: methods and models (pp. 69-79). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. White, K. R., Forsman, I., Eichwald, J., & Muñoz, K. (2010). The evolution of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs in the United States Seminars in Perinatology, 34(2), 170-179.

VOICES FROM AG BELL

Conversations With Alex Graham

his Conversations is based on a recent meeting at AG Bell’s national office, the Volta Bureau, with Dimity Dornan who traveled all the way from Australia for a youth leadership conference here in the United States. Dimity stopped by the Volta Bureau with her friend Sigrid Cerf, past board member of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Dimity is the founder and managing director of the Hear and Say Centre in Brisbane, Australia. The purpose of Dimity’s visit to AG Bell was twofold. The first order of business was to check in on a bust of Dr. Graeme Clark that her husband, Peter Dornan, sculpted. The bust was gener-

ously donated to AG Bell by Sigrid Cerf. Peter Dornan has been sculpting for more than 30 years. His motivation for creating the sculpture was to pay tribute to Dr. Clark as one of the world’s greatest scientists, widely viewed as the inventor of the cochlear implant. Weighing in at more than 70 pounds, the bronze bust rests on a solid block of Carrara marble. Today, the bust of Dr. Clark is displayed proudly on the main floor of the Volta Bureau. The second reason for her visit was to discuss an exciting project she has been working on for the past couple of years— The Ling Consortium. Alexander Graham: What is the Ling Consortium?

Dimity Dornan: Initiated by Hear and Say, the Ling Consortium is an international consortium of teachers, practitioners and parents focused on bringing speech and hearing to children with hearing loss. It is named in honor of the extraordinary contributions of the late Dr. Daniel Ling, a pioneer of auditory-verbal practice for children with hearing loss. A.G.: Why Dr. Ling? D.D.: Much of the work that Listening and Spoken Language Specialists do today with children who are deaf or hard of hearing can be traced back directly to a few pioneers, including Dr. Ling. Some years ago, I remember Dr. Ling speaking passionately of the need to embrace new hearing technology, which he predicted

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sional teaching standards have become obstacles to serving children. A.G.: What are the activities of the consortium? D.D.: In addition to promoting global advocacy to improve services offered for pediatric hearing loss for all children, we are delivering training courses focused on the next generation of service providers

Dimity Dornan, Ph.D., Ba.SpTh, F.S.P.A.A., CpSp, LSLS Cert. AVT, is a speech-language pathologist and Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, and the managing director and founder of The Hear and Say Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Today the Hear and Say Centre works with more than 200 children and families in six centers throughout Queensland. From L-R: Sigrid Cerf, Alex Graham, Dimity Dornan, In addition to Hear and Say, Dim- Jennifer Smith and Gary Yates gather around the bust of Dr. Graeme Clark. ity is also the founder of Hear and Say Worldwide, which teaches professionals globally. For more about the Ling Consortium and Dimity’s work, visit www.hearandsaycentre.com.au.

AG Bell

Meet Dimity Dornan

would change rapidly in the future, elevating the level of the professional training needed at the university level. He implored the attendees to consider that, for their professions to be taken seriously by other professionals, the recognition of university credentials was essential. This is the reasoning behind the development of the Ling Consortium. A.G.: What is your motivation for spearheading the formation of the consortium? D.D.: There have been many advances in the treatment of pediatric hearing loss: improved newborn hearing screening, cochlear implants, digital hearing aids, objective diagnostic assessments and specialized brain-based education techniques, to name a few. The development of technology and the advances in medicine and neuroscience have outpaced the revision of professional training courses and creation of new ones. Unfortunately, too many children around the world with hearing loss have been unable to receive the best that is available. Uncoordinated worldwide efforts and a lack of appropriate profes-

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kstein@moogcenter.org (314) 692-7172

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

tips for parents

Rising Above By Melanie Ribich

Ribich Family

o you ever have those moments where you can’t believe how different your life turned out to be? I refuse to use the phrase “everything happens for a reason” because somehow it dismisses the fact that we have the ability (at least) to choose how we react to what life throws at us. When something bad happens that we as parents were not expecting, I imagine most people initially feel fear, grief and sadness. They wonder, “why me?” Or “why my child?” Have you ever had one of those moments? When it came to our situation, I was stuck in the sadness of my son, Noah’s diagnosis for a long time. Deaf, deaf, deaf, deaf. It was like a weight on my chest all day and all night that got heavier and heavier the longer I carried it. But then, mostly due to the support of my husband, I decided that grieving what Noah didn’t have wasn’t going to do him or us any good. I could choose to feel sorry for myself and for my child, or I could do something. The time for sadness and thoughts of “if only” were over. It was time for action. So we sought out the experts. It took a little searching, but we found who we needed to find. Noah received some hightech hearing aids when he was just 12

Noah (top), his twin brother Cameron and father Nick pause after a family day.

weeks old. We drove countless miles in the snow for audiology appointments. I quit my job. We adjusted every single aspect of our lives to revolve around just one of our three children. Then we waited... And nothing happened.

Noah didn’t hear a thing for that entire first year despite the fact that we did everything you are supposed to do, to the letter. His loss was just too profound for even the best hearing aids to give him access to speech sounds. It would have been easy to give up, I suppose. There were certainly times that I considered it. Maybe it would just be easier to sign and forget this whole hearing thing all together? Noah’s therapist came to our house week in and week out and the only person who was getting any therapy was me! We eventually made the decision to give Noah bilateral cochlear implants. And even when his cochlear implants were turned on, it was still a struggle every single day. The surgery was the easy part. We had some MAPping issues, and it seemed that every day that Noah wasn’t responding, listening, hearing and speaking was time lost. Tick tock. My 15-month-

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

it is this: trust your instincts and lead with your heart. Parents, it is crucial to learn as much information as possible about your child’s hearing loss, but it is just as important to surround yourself with professionals who are passionate about working with a child like yours. It is important to listen to sound medical advice from the doctors you will see, but just as imperative to connect with families who are living daily life with a child who is deaf. These are the people who will help you feel like you are not alone. Fast forward to today and Noah is a typical 4 ½-year-old boy in every respect. His progress has been remarkable. He has already completed auditory-verbal therapy, and this past spring successfully finished his first year of mainstream preschool. There are no limits to what Noah will be able to do in his life. And as I write this article, my little boy who is deaf came running in the room at top speed, looked me in the eye and said in the most perfect little voice: “I love you, Mommy.”

Ribich Family

old child has zero words. He doesn’t even babble. Tick tock. The first six months with cochlear implants were even more stressful than the first year with hearing aids. I kept thinking, “More therapy sessions for nothing.” It would be lovely to end this little story with, “Then, all of a sudden, he spoke! It was a miracle!” Alas, it was never all of a sudden. It was a ton of work to teach Noah to listen and speak. It was baby steps for longer than I ever thought it would be. Only now do I see that those hours where it seemed Noah wasn’t getting anything out of therapy sessions were most definitely not for nothing because they taught me. In those sessions where it seemed that all we did was ring a cowbell, I was learning how to advocate for my child—how to make everything we do a language experience; how to never give up even when you want to; how to ask the hard questions; and how to have faith that it will happen even though you feel like you are drowning. If I have learned anything in the past four and a half years

4-year-old Noah wears bilateral cochlear implants and attends a mainstream school.

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Hear Our Voices

“I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way” By Helen Ledgard

Daryl Marshke

“

y disability has made me who I am. It gives me a different viewpoint, a different way of thinking,” says Ben Case, 18. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” In 2010, Ben was the winner of the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living’s (CIL’s) annual John Weir Youth Academic Scholarship. With stand-out academic and extracurricular accomplishments and leadership in promoting disability awareness and acceptance, Ben embodies the opportunities achievable for individuals with a disability. Ben has enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome, or EVAS, a condition in his inner ear that affects his ability to hear and control his balance. With a profound hearing loss in his left ear and a severe-to-profound hearing loss in his right, Ben wears hearing aids and uses some sign language. “Being hard of hearing—I love it,” he says. “It’s made me who I am. I’m not going to say it hasn’t been without its challenges, but for me it’s been a positive thing, every step of the way.” Ben says that when he was a child his deafness never posed a barrier for him. But in high school he began struggling to keep up with lectures because of it, and his GPA began declining. “I was trying to prove that I could do everything on my own,” he says. “But I quickly realized that I shouldn’t. I began asking for some accommodations, and they made a big difference.” Ben asked to sit in the front of the classroom so that he could hear lectures more easily, and he asked for help from a teacher consultant in accessing learning materials. “I had never had to advocate for what I needed and was a little afraid and unsure of how to do it when I first asked. But I wanted to be able to participate just like everyone else. I wanted to prove that I could succeed.” Ben learned that advocating for what he needed

Ben Case, 18, is currently a sophomore at the University of Michigan and is studying pre-med.

was worth it—the school provided the accommodations, and his GPA improved dramatically. Ben says from this he was able to take more challenging classes. “I figured out that being strong and independent doesn’t mean you have to struggle to do everything on your own,” he says. “It just means you have to know yourself—know what you can do and what you need in order to be able to succeed.” During Ben’s junior year of high school, he says he got his first real test of whether he would be able to live on his own. “I had an opportunity to travel to Mexico and study at the American School Foundation in Mexico City,” he says. “It was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to take advantage of it, but I was worried about adjusting to the language and culture with my hearing loss. I decided the only way to find out was to try.” The trip ended up going really well, and Ben says it gave him the confidence to go after his goal of living independently at college. Ben began applying to colleges during his senior year and realized that if he was going to be able to go, he needed significant

financial aid to do so. Ben says he began applying for scholarships and looking for any financial aid that could help. Ben’s counselor at Huron High School in Ann Arbor told Ben about the Ann Arbor CIL’s John Weir Youth Academic Scholarship, and Ben applied. “Initially I applied because I needed the money,” he says, “but after I learned more about what it is about, I began to want it more because of what it stands for. I really believe in disability rights and acceptance.” The Ann Arbor CIL’s John Weir Scholarship is awarded annually to college-bound high school seniors with disabilities on the basis of academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and demonstrated leadership in promoting disability rights and acceptance. The scholarship is named after John Weir, one of the founding members of the Ann Arbor CIL, who was a pioneer in advancing disability rights and cultural acceptance. The scholarship is managed and held in trust by the Ann Arbor Community Foundation and provides one winner each year with a $2,000 scholarship over a four-year college

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

Daryl Marshke

Ben says his hearing loss is a driving factor and source of motivation in his life.

period and two runners-up with one-time $500 scholarships. As an applicant, Ben stood out not just for his academic and extracurricular accomplishments, but also for his leadership expe-

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

riences in promoting disability awareness and acceptance. Ben has spoken on panels at conferences about hearing issues, and when he was a sophomore in high school he participated in the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing’s Leadership Opportunities for Teens (LOFT) program in Milwaukee, Wisc. Ben says meeting other youths from around the country and participating in the program gave him a deeper appreciation for having a disability and the importance of promoting disability awareness. Ben says his love of talking to others about what it’s like to have a disability began as a child when he would often give impromptu demonstrations to friends and family about what it’s like to be hard of hearing. “I loved telling people my story,” he says. “I had a device that simulates what it’s like to have a hearing loss, and I had so much fun watching people try out what I experience all the time.” Now a freshman at the University of Michigan, Ben says, “I think my disability and all the experiences that have come with it have enabled me to be more of a leader

than I would have been otherwise. Most people when they meet me don’t know that I have a disability. I love finding the right opportunity to tell them and to teach more people about what it means to have a disability.” Majoring in pre-med with a 3.6 GPA, Ben says his disability is a driving factor and source of motivation in everything he does. “I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish so far and excited about the things that lie ahead.” After college, Ben plans to go to medical school to become an otolaryngologist. “I hope to make a real difference in the lives of those who are hard of hearing,” he says. Right now Ben is working as a research assistant on efforts to regenerate hearing in those who have lost it. “It’s very promising research,” he says. “We are trying to figure out how to redevelop hair cells in the cochlea. It’s exciting.” Editor’s Note: This article was originally printed in the 2011-2012 edition of Access Magazine, published by the Ann Arbor Center for Leadership Initiative, and has been reprinted here with permission. Visit www.annarborcil.org for more information.

Directory of Services

Directory of Services n Alabama Alabama Ear Institute, 300 Office Park Drive,

Suite 210, Birmingham, AL 35223 • (205-879-4234 – voice) • (205-879-4233-fax) – www.alabamaearinstitute. org AEI Auditory-Verbal Mentoring Program - Training in spoken language development utilizing the A-V approach w/ continuing education workshops & mentoring by LSLS Cert AVTs. AEI Summer Institute in Auditory-Verbal Therapy- two-week immersion in A-V approach - Workshops and practicum experience w/instruction and coaching by LSLS Cert AVTs. The Alabama School for Hearing: pre-school utilizing auditory/oral classroom approach - Auditory-Verbal therapy also provided. AEI: Education, research and public policy.

n Arizona Desert Voices, 3426 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85028 • 602-224-0598 (voice) • 602-224-2460 (fax) • info@desertvoices.phxcoxmail.com (email). Emily Lawson, Executive Director. Oral school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth to nine years of age. Programs include Birth to Three therapy, Toddler Group, and full day Educational Program. Other services include parent education classes, speech and language evaluations, parent organization and student teacher placements. Desert Voices is a Moog Curriculum school.

n California Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623 Emerson Bend, Tustin, CA 92782. 714-573-2143 (voice) KarenatAVS@aol.com (email). Karen Rothwell-Vivian, M.S.Ed., M.A., CCC-A, LSLS Certified AuditoryVerbal Therapist (LSLS Cert.AVT). Auditory-Verbal Therapy and audiological consultation for children with hearing loss from infancy. Expertise with hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM systems, and mainstreaming support. Auditory Rehabilitation both pre-lingual and post-lingual hearing loss for children and adults. Children’s Choice for Hearing and Talking, CCHAT Center – Sacramento, 11100 Coloma

Road, Rancho Cordova, Ca 95670 • 916-361-7290 (voice). Laura Turner, Principal. An auditory/oral day school educating children and their families from birth through early elementary grades. Other programs include adult cochlear implant support, parent-infant program, on-site audiological services and mainstreaming support services. The school is staffed with credentialed teachers, licensed speech-language pathologists and a licensed audiologist. Echo Center/Echo Horizon School, 3430 McManus Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232 • 310-8382442 (voice) • 310-838-0479 (fax) • 310-202-7201 (tty) • vishida@echohorizon.org (email) • www.echohorizon. org (website) • Vicki Ishida, Echo Center Director. Private elementary school, incorporating an auditory/ oral mainstream program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Daily support by credentialed DHH teachers in speech, language, auditory skills and academic follow-up.

HEAR Center, 301 East Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena,

CA 91101 • 626-796-2016 (voice) • 626-796-2320 (fax) • Specializing in audiological services for all ages. Auditory-Verbal individual therapy, birth to 21 years. HEAR to Talk, 547 North June Street, Los Angeles,

CA 90004 • 323-464-3040 (voice) • Sylvia@hear2talk. com (e-mail) • www.hear2talk.com • Sylvia Rotfleisch, M.Sc.A., CED, CCC, Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist®, LSLS Cert. AVT, Licensed Audiologist, California NPA Certified. Trained by Dr. Ling. Extensive expertise with cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf, 3518 Jefferson Avenue, Redwood City, CA

94062 • 650-365-7500 (voice) • jwposd@jwposd.org (e-mail) • www.oraldeafed.org/schools/jwposd (website) Kathleen Daniel Sussman, Executive Director; Pamela Musladin, Principal. An auditory/oral program where deaf and hard of hearing children listen, think and talk! Cognitive based program from birth through mainstreaming into 1st or 2nd grade. Students develop excellent language, listening and social skills with superior academic competencies. Cochlear Implant Habilitation, mainstream support services and Family Center offering special services for infants, toddlers and their families. John Tracy Clinic, 806 West Adams Blvd., L.A., CA 90007 • 213-748-5481 • 800-522-4582 (parents) • www.jtc.org • Since 1942, free worldwide Parent Distance Education Program and onsite comprehensive audiological, counseling and educational services for families with children ages birth thru 5 years. Intensive 3-week Summer Sessions (ages 2-5) with Sibling Program. Online and on-campus options for accredited Master’s and Credential in Deaf Education. Legal Services, David M. Grey, Grey & Grey,

233 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Santa Monica, CA 90401 • 310-444-1980 (voice) • david@greyslaw. com (e-mail). Advocacy for those with hearing loss. Focus on educational issues, communication access and discrimination. We handle IEPs, due process and court proceedings throughout California. We are knowledgeable about AVT, cochlear implants, FM systems and other aids and services that facilitate communication access. Free initial consultation. 25 years of legal experience.

Listen and Learn, 4340 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite

107, San Jose, CA 95129 • 408-345-4949 • Marsha A. Haines, M.A., CED, Cert. AVT, and Sandra Hamaguchi Hocker, M.A., CED • Auditory-verbal therapy for the child and family from infancy. Services also include aural habilitation for older students and adults with cochlear implants. Extensive experience and expertise with cochlear implants, single and bilateral. Mainstream support services, school consultation and assessment for children in their neighborhood school. California NPA certified.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is not responsible for verifying the credentials of the service providers below. Listings do not constitute endorsements of establishments or individuals, nor do they guarantee quality.

No Limits Performing Arts Academy and Educational Center, 9801 Washington Boulevard,

2nd Fl, Culver City, CA 90232 – 310.280.0878, 800.948.7712 • www.kidswithnolimits.org. • Provides free speech, language, literacy and support services to dhh children and their families between the ages of 3 and 18 through its No Limits Educational Center. Additionally, No Limits offers a national performing arts program for schools and the community that builds the self confidence and communication skills of children with a hearing loss. Oralingua School for the Hearing Impaired,

North Campus – 7056 S. Washington Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602 – 562-945-8391 (voice) 562-945-0361 (fax) info@oralingua.org (email) www.oralingua.org (website) South Campus – 221 Pawnee Street, San Marcos, CA 92078 – 760-471-5187 (voice) 760-591-4631 (fax) Where Children are Listening and Talking! An auditory/ oral program serving children from infancy to 11 years old. Audiological, Speech, Itinerant, AVI Therapy, and other related Designated Instructional Services available. Contact Elisa J. Roche, Executive Director. QuickCaption, Inc., 951-779-0787 (voice) • info@

quickcaption@com (email) • www.quickcaption. com (website). QuickCaption proudly offers reliable, high-quality real-time captioning and CART services nationwide, both on site as well as remotely via the Internet. In addition, QuickCaption offers prompt and professional video/media captioning, web stream and podcast captioning, as well as our NEW mobile CART! If it can be captioned, we can caption it!

Training and Advocacy Group for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children and Teens (TAG),

11693 San Vicente Blvd. #559, Los Angeles, CA 90049, 310-339-7678, tagkids@aol.com, www.tagkids.org. Leah Ilan, Executive Director. Offers free group meetings for ddh children and teens from 5th grade through high school to provide socialization and advocacy training. Half-day workshops for high school seniors are given to prepare students for college or employment. Groups are held in schools during weekdays and in the community during the weekends. The sessions are each two hours long with 8-12 participants. Parent workshops and special extracurricular outings are also offered throughout the school year.

n Colorado Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing, The Children’s Hospital – Colorado, Department of Audiology, Speech Pathology and Learning Services, 13123 East 16th Avenue,

B030 Aurora, CO 80045. www.thechildrenshospital. org (website) – 720-777-6531(voice) - 720-777-6886 (TTY) or BillDanielsCenter@tchden.org (e-mail) We provide comprehensive audiology and speech-language services for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (ages birth through 21 years). Our pediatric team specializes in family-centered care and includes audiologists, speech-language pathologists, a deaf educator, family consultant, and clinical social worker. Individual, group and parent educational support and programs are designed to meet each family desire for their preference of communication needs. We also provide advanced technology hearing aid fitting and cochlear implant services.

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Directory of Services Rocky Mountain Ear Center, P.C. • 601 East Hampden Avenue, Suite 530, Englewood, CO 80113 • 303-783-9220 (voice) • 303-806-6292 (fax) • www. rockymountainearcenter.com (website). We provide a full range of neurotology and audiology services for all ages, ranging from infants to seniors. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our board-certified otologist and doctors of audiology test and diagnose hearing, balance, facial nerve and ear disorders and we provide full-service hearing aid, cochlear implant and BAHA services. We offer medical and surgical treatment as well as language therapy and support groups, and are actively involved in various research studies.

n Connecticut CREC Soundbridge, 123 Progress Drive,

Wethersfield, CT 06109 • 860- 529-4260 (voice/ TTY) • 860-257-8500 (fax) • www.crec.org/soundbridge (website). Dr. Elizabeth B. Cole, Program Director. Comprehensive audiological and instructional services, birth through post-secondary, public school settings. Focus on providing cutting-edge technology for optimal auditory access and listening in educational settings and at home, development of spoken language, development of self advocacy – all to support each individual’s realization of social, academic and vocational potential. Birth to Three, Auditory-Verbal Therapy, integrated preschool, intensive day program, direct educational and consulting services in schools, educational audiology support services in all settings, cochlear implant mapping and habilitation, diagnostic assessments, and summer programs.

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New England Center for Hearing Rehabilitation (NECHEAR), 354 Hartford

Turnpike, Hampton, CT 06247 • 860-455-1404 (voice) • 860-455-1396 (fax) • Diane Brackett. Serving infants, children and adults with all degrees of hearing loss. Speech, language, listening evaluation for children using hearing aids and cochlear implants. Auditory-Verbal therapy; Cochlear implant candidacy evaluation, pre- and post-rehabilitation, and creative individualized mapping. Post-implant rehabilitation for adults with cochlear implants, specializing in prelingual onset. Mainstream school support, including onsite consultation with educational team, rehabilitation planning and classroom observation. Comprehensive audiological evaluation, amplification validation and classroom listening system assessment.

n Florida Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/ Jacksonville, 9857 St. Augustine Road, Suite 6,

Jacksonville, FL 32257 • 904-880-9001(voice/relay) • info@clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.org. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools.

Services include early intervention, toddler,

preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, parent support and support group, cochlear implant habilitation, and mainstream support. Summer Listening and Spoken Language Program provides additional spoken language therapy for toddler and preschool-ages children. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, New York City, and Northampton.

n Georgia Atlanta Speech School – Katherine Hamm Center, 3160 Northside Parkway, NW Atlanta,

GA 30327 - 404-233-5332 ext. 3119 (voice/TTY) 404-266-2175 (fax) scarr@atlspsch.org (email) http:// www.atlantaspeechschool.org (website) A Listening and Spoken Language program serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing from infancy to elementary school age. Children receive language-rich lessons and highly individualized instruction in a nurturing environment. Teachers and staff work closely with parents to instill the knowledge and confidence children need to reach their full potential. Early intervention programs, audiological support services, auditory-verbal therapy, mainstreaming opportunities, and independent educational evaluations. Established in 1938.

Directory of Services Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Atlanta, 1901 Century Boulevard, Suite 20, Atlanta, GA 30345, 404-633-8911 (voice) • 404-633-6403 (fax) • listen@ avchears.org (email) • www.avchears.org (website). Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Macon, 2720 Sheraton Drive, Suite D-240, Macon, GA 31204 • 478-471-0019 (voice). A comprehensive Auditory-Verbal program for children with hearing impairments and their families. Home Center and Practicum Site programs provide intensive A-V training for families and professionals. Complete audiological services for children and adults. Assistive listening devices demonstration center.

n Idaho Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind, 1450 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330 •

208 934 4457 (V/TTY) • 208 934 8352 (fax) • isdb@ isdb.idaho.gov (e-mail). IESDB serves birth to 21 year old youth with hearing loss through parent-infant, onsite, and outreach programs. Options include auditory/ oral programs for children using spoken language birth through second grade. Audiology, speech instruction, auditory development, and cochlear implant habilitation is provided.

n Illinois Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School (AGBMS) and Alternatives in Education for the Hearing Impaired www.agbms.org (website)

• info@agbms.org (email) • 847-850-5490 (phone) • 847-850-5493 (fax) • 9300 Capitol Drive Wheeling, IL 60090 • AGBMS provides challenging academic programs in a mainstream environment for deaf children ages 0-12 years. Teach of the Deaf, Speech/ Language Pathologist, and Classroom Teachers utilize Cued speech to provide complete access to English and enable development of age-appropriate language and literacy skills. Speaking and listening skills are emphasized by staff with special training in auditory/ verbal therapy techniques. AEHI provides Cued Speech training and other outreach services to families and professionals in the Great Lakes area. Child’s Voice School, 180 Hansen Court, Wood Dale, IL 60191, (630) 595-8200 (voice) (630) 5958282 (fax) - info@childsvoice.org (email) http://www. childsvoice.org (website). Michele Wilkins, Ed.D., LSLS Cert. AVEd., Executive Director. A Listening and Spoken Language program for children birth to age 8. Cochlear implant (re) habilitation, audiology services and mainstream support services provided. Early intervention for birth to age three with parentinfant and toddler classes and home based services offered. Parent Support/Education classes provided. Child’s Voice School is a Certified Moog Program.

n Indiana St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf Indianapolis. 9192 Waldemar Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268 • (317) 471-8560 (voice) •

n Kansas St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas City, 8835 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS 66215 • 913-

383-3535 • www.sjid.org • Jeanne Fredriksen, M.S., Ed., Director • jfredriksen@sjid.org. St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas City, a campus of the St. Joseph Institute system, serves children with hearing loss, birth to age eight. Listening and Spoken Language programs include: early intervention, toddler playgroups, preschool to second grade classes, cochlear implant/hearing aid rehabilitation and daily speech therapy. Challenging listening/speech and language therapy, academic programs and personal development opportunities are offered in a nurturing environment. (See Missouri and Indiana for other campus information.)

n Maryland The Hearing And Speech Agency’s Auditory/ Oral Program, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD

21215 • (voice) 410-318-6780 • (TTY) 410-318-6759 • (fax) 410-318-6759 • Email: hasa@hasa.org • Auditory/ oral education and therapy program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing between the ages of three and five. Early intervention services offered for birth to age three. Cheerful, spacious, state-of-the-art classrooms located in the Gateway School and approved by MSDE. On site audiology & speech-language pathology provided. Applications are accepted yearround.

n Massachusetts Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/ Boston, 1 Whitman Road, Canton, MA 02021 •

781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-821-3904 (tty) • info@ clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.org. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provide children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Services include early intervention, preschool, kindergarten, speech and language services, parent support, cochlear implant (re)habilitation, and an extensive mainstream services program (itinerant and consulting). Children and families come to our campus from throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Main and New Hampshire for services. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, New York City and Northampton.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/ Northampton, 47 Round Hill Road, Northampton,

MA 01060 • 413-584-3450 (voice/tty) • info@ clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.org. Bill Corwin, President. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Services include early intervention, preschool, day and boarding school through 8th grade, cochlear implant assessment, summer programs, mainstream services (itinerant and consulting), evaluations for infants through high school students, audiological services, and graduate degree program in teacher education. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, Northampton, New York City, and Jacksonville.

SoundWorks for Children, 18 South Main

Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 • 978-887-8674 (voice) • soundworksforchildren@verizon.net (e-mail) • Jane E. Driscoll, MED, Director. A comprehensive, non-profit program dedicated to the development of auditoryverbal skills in children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Specializing in cochlear implant habilitation and offering a full continuum of inclusionary support models from preschool through high school. Early Intervention services and social/self-advocacy groups for mainstreamed students are offered at our Family Center. Summer programs, inservice training, and consultation available.

n Michigan Redford Union Oral Program for Children with Hearing Impairments, 18499 Beech Daly

Rd. Redford, MI 48240 • 313-242-3510 (voice) • 313-242-3595 (fax) • 313-242-6286 (tty) • Dorothea B. French, Ph.D., Director. Auditory/oral day program serves 80 center students/250 teacher consultant students. Birth to 25 years of age.

n Minnesota Northern Voices, 1660 W. County Road B, Roseville, MN, 55113-1714, 651-639-2535 (voice), 651-639-1996 (fax), eloavenbruck@northernvoices. org (email), Erin Loavenbruck, Executive Director. Northern Voices is a non-profit early education center focused on creating a positive environment where children with hearing loss and their families learn to communicate through the use of spoken language. Our goal is for students to become fluent oral communicators and to join their hearing peers in a traditional classroom at their neighborhood schools. Northern Voices is a Certified Moog Program. Please visit www.northernvoices.org.

(317) 471-8627 (fax) • www.sjid.org; touellette@sjid. org (email) • Teri Ouellette, M.S. Ed., LSLS Cert. AVEd, Director. St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Indianapolis, a campus of the St. Joseph Institute system, serves children with hearing loss, birth to age six. Listening and Spoken Language programs include early intervention, toddler and preschool classes, cochlear implant rehabilitation, mainstream therapy and consultation and daily speech therapy. Challenging speech, academic programs and personal development are offered in a nurturing environment. (See Kansas and Missouri for other campus information.)

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Directory of Services Northeast Metro #916 Auditory/Oral Program, 3375 Willow Ave., Rm 109, White Bear

Lake, Minnesota 55110; 651.415.5546, • email auditory.oral@nemetro.k12.mn.us. • Providing oral education to children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Services strive to instill and develop receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking) English language skills within each student. Well-trained specialists carry the principles of this program forward using supportive, necessary, and recognized curriculum. The program’s philosophy is that children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing can learn successfully within a typical classroom environment with typical hearing peers. This can be achieved when they are identified at an early age, receive appropriate amplification, and participate in an oral-specific early intervention program. Referrals are through the local school district in which the family live.

n Mississippi DuBard School for Language Disorders, The

University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5215, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601.266.5223 (voice) • dubard@usm.edu (e-mail) • www.usm.edu/ dubard • Maureen K. Martin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CED, CALT, Director • The DuBard School for Language Disorders is a clinical division of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi. The school serves children from birth to age 13 in its state-of-the-art facility. Working collaboratively with 20 public school districts, the school specializes in coexisting language disorders, learning disabilities/dyslexia and speech disorders, such as apraxia, through its non-graded, 11-month program. The Association Method, as refined, and expanded by the late Dr. Etoile DuBard and the staff of the school, is the basis of the curriculum. Comprehensive evaluations, individual therapy, audiological services and professional development programs also are available. A/EOE/ADAI

Magnolia Speech School, Inc. 733 Flag Chapel Road, Jackson, MS 39209 – 601-922-5530 (voice), 601922-5534 (fax) – anne.sullivan@magnoliaspeechschool. org –Anne Sullivan, M.Ed. Executive Director. Magnolia Speech School serves children with hearing loss and/or severe speech and language disorders. Listening and Spoken Language instruction/therapy is offered to students 0 to 12 in a home based Early Intervention Program (free of charge), in classroom settings and in the Hackett Bower Clinic (full educational audiological services, speech pathology and occupational therapy). Assessments and outpatient therapy are also offered to the community through the Clinic.

n Missouri CID – Central Institute for the Deaf, 825 S.

Taylor Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 314-977-0132 (voice) • 314-977-0037 (tty) • lberkowitz@cid.edu (email) • www.cid.edu (website) Lynda Berkowitz/ Barb Lanfer, co-principals. Child- and family-friendly learning environment for children birth-12; exciting adapted curriculum incorporating mainstream content; Family Center for infants and toddlers; expert mainstream preparation in the CID pre-k and primary programs; workshops and educational tools for professionals; close affiliation with Washington University deaf education and audiology graduate programs.

The Moog Center for Deaf Education, 12300

South Forty Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141 • 314-6927172 (voice) • 314-692-8544 (fax) • www.moogcenter. org (website) • Betsy Moog Brooks, Executive Director, bbrooks@moogcenter.org. Services provided to children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing from birth to 9 years of age. Programs include the Family School (birth to 3), School (3-9 years), Audiology (including cochlear implant programming), mainstream services, educational evaluations, parent education and support groups, professional workshops, teacher education, and student teacher placements. The Moog Center for Deaf Education is a Certified Moog Program.

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - St. Louis,

1809 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017 • (636) 532-3211 (voice/TYY) • www.sjid.org; Mary Daniels, MAEd, LSLS Cert. AVEd, Director of Education • mdaniels@sjid.org • An independent, Catholic school serving children with hearing loss birth through the eighth grade. Listening and Spoken Language programs include early intervention, toddler and preschool classes, K-8th grade, I-Hear internet therapy, audiology clinic, evaluations, mainstream consultancy, and summer school. Challenging speech, academic programs and personal development are offered in a supportive environment. ISACS accredited. Approved private agency of Missouri Department of Education and Illinois Department of Education. (See Kansas and Indiana for other campus information.)

n New Jersey HIP and SHIP of Bergen County Special Services - Midland Park School District, 41

E. Center Street, Midland Park, N.J. 07432 • 201-3438982 (voice) • kattre@bergen.org (email) • Kathleen Treni, Principal. An integrated, comprehensive preK-12th grade auditory oral program in public schools. Services include Auditory Verbal and Speech Therapy, Cochlear Implant habilitation, Parent Education, and Educational Audiological services. Consulting teacher services are available for mainstream students in home districts. Early Intervention services provided for babies from birth to three. SHIP is the state’s only 7-12th grade auditory oral program. CART (Computer Real Time Captioning) is provided in a supportive, small high school environment.

The Ivy Hall Program at Lake Drive, 10 Lake Drive, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 • 973-299-0166 (voice/tty) • 973-299-9405 (fax) • www.mtlakes. org/ld. • Trish Filiaci, MA, CCC-SLP, Principal. An innovative program that brings hearing children and children with hearing loss together in a rich academic environment. Auditory/oral programs include: early intervention, preschool, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear implant habilitation, itinerant services, OT, PT and speech/language services. Self-contained to full range of inclusion models available. Speech Partners, Inc. 26 West High Street, Somerville, NJ 08876 • 908-231-9090 (voice) • 908231-9091 (fax) • nancy@speech-partners.com (email). Nancy V. Schumann, M.A., CCC-SLP, Cert. AVT. Auditory-Verbal Therapy, Communication Evaluations, Speech-Language Therapy and Aural Rehabilitation, School Consultation, Mentoring, Workshops. Summit Speech School for the HearingImpaired Child, F.M. Kirby Center is an

auditory-oral/auditory-verbal school for deaf and hard of hearing children located at 705 Central Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 • 908-508-0011 (voice/TTY) • 908-508-0012 (fax) • info@summitspeech.org (email) • www.summitspeech.org (website) • Pamela Paskowitz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Executive Director. Programs include Early Intervention/Parent Infant (0-3 years), Preschool (3-5 years) and Itinerant Mainstream Support Services for children in their home districts. Speech and language, OT and PT and family support/family education services available. Pediatric audiological services are available for children birth-21 and educational audiology and consultation is available for school districts.

n New Mexico Presbyterian Ear Institute - Albuquerque,

415 Cedar Street, SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 505-224-7020 (voice) • 505-224-7023 (fax) • www. presbyterianearinstitute.org (website) • Catherine Creamer, Principal. Services include a cochlear implant center and auditory/oral program for children who are deaf and hard of hearing birth through 9 years old. Exists to assist people with hearing loss to better listen and speak and integrate into mainstream society. Presbyterian Ear Institute is a Moog Curriculum.

JWPOSD is celebrating 44 years of helping children who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen, to speak, and to communicate in the world around them. • Educational Programs—Mommy & Me, Toddlers, Preschool, K/1 • Mainstream Preschool and Support Services • Parent Education • Therapy Services • Audiology—HA, CI, & FM 3518 Jefferson Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062 Tel 650-365-7500 • Fax 650-365-7557 Email jwposd@jwposd.org • www.deafkidstalk.org

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Directory of Services n New York Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT, CCCSLP, 401 Littleworth Lane, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY

11579 • 516-671-9057 (voice).

Auditory/Oral School of New York, 2164 Ralph Avenue & 3321 Avenue “M,” Brooklyn, NY 11234 • 718-531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • info@ auditoryoral.org (e-mail) • Pnina Bravmann, Program Director. A premier auditory/oral early intervention and preschool program servicing hearing impaired children and their families. Programs include: StriVright Early Intervention (home-based and center-based), preschool, integrated preschool classes with children with normal hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations, parent support, Auditory-Verbal Therapy, complete audiological services, cochlear implant habilitation, central auditory processing (CAPD) testing and therapy, mainstreaming, ongoing support services following mainstreaming. Center for Hearing and Communication,

50 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10004 • 917 305-7700 (voice) • 917-305-7888 (TTY) • 917-3057999 (fax) • www.CHChearing.org (website). Florida Office: 2900 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 3, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 • 954-601-1930 (Voice) • 954-601-1938 (TTY) • 954-601-1399 (Fax). A leading center for hearing and communication services for people of all ages who have a hearing loss as well as children with listening and learning challenges. Our acclaimed services for children include pediatric hearing evaluation and hearing aid fitting; auditoryoral therapy; and the evaluation and treatment of auditory processing disorder (APD). Comprehensive services for all ages include hearing evaluation; hearing aid evaluation, fitting and sales; cochlear implant training; communication therapy; assistive technology consultation; tinnitus treatment, emotional health and wellness; and Mobile Hearing Test Unit. Visit www.CHChearing.org to access our vast library of information about hearing loss and hearing conservation.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/New York, 80 East End Avenue, New York, NY 10028 •

212-585-3500(voice/tty) • info@clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.org. Meredith Berger, Director. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Clarke’s New York campus is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and serves children age birth-5 years old from New York City and Westchester County. Clarke is an approved provider of early intervention evaluations and services, service coordination, and preschool classes (self-contained and integrated). There are typically little or no out of pocket expenses for families attending Clarke New York. Our expert staff includes teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, speech language pathologists, audiologists, social workers/service coordinators and occupational and physical therapists. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in New York City, Boston, Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, Northampton and Jacksonville.

Long Island Jewish Medical Center: Hearing & Speech Center, 430 Lakeville Road, New Hyde

Park, NY 11042 • 718-470-8910 (voice) • 718-4701679 (fax). Long Island Jewish Medical Center: Hearing & Speech Center. A complete range of audiological and speech-language services is provided for infants, children and adults at our Hearing and Speech Center and Hearing Aid Dispensary. The Center participates in the Early Intervention Program, Physically Handicapped Children’s Program and accepts Medicaid and Medicare. The Cochlear Implant Center provides full diagnostic, counseling and rehabilitation services to individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. Support groups for parents of hearing impaired children and cochlear implant recipients are available.

Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf GOALS (Growing Oral/Aural Language Skills) PROGRAM, 40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, NY

11765 • (516) 922-4100 (Voice) Mark R. Prowatzke, Ph.D., Executive Director. State-supported school maintains Infant Toddler Program with focus on education, parent training, family support and speech/ language/audiological services.Collaborates with Early Intervention Services. Preschool/Kindergarten (ages 3 - 6) Auditory/Verbal program serves Deaf / HoH students and typical peers to facilitate academic goals meeting NY Standards. Teachers/therapists in this certified literacy collaborative program integrate literacy, listening and oral language skills throughout school day. Art, library, audiological services, daily music/speech/language therapies, related services and family-centered programming included. Nassau BOCES Program for Hearing and Vision Services, 740 Edgewood Drive, Westbury,

NY 11590 • 516-931-8507 (Voice) • 516-931-8596 (TTY) • 516-931-8566 (Fax) • www.nassauboces.org (Web) • JMasone@mail.nasboces.org (Email). Dr. Judy Masone, Principal. Provides full day New York State standards - based academic education program for children 3-21 within district-based integrated settings. An auditory/oral or auditory/sign support methodology with a strong emphasis on auditory development is used at all levels. Itinerant services including auditory training and audiological support are provided to those students who are mainstreamed in their local schools. Services are provided by certified Teachers of the Hearing Impaired on an individual basis. The Infant/Toddler Program provides centerand home-based services with an emphasis on the development of auditory skills and the acquisition of language, as well as parent education and support. Center-based instruction includes individual and small group sessions, speech, parent meetings and audiological consultation. Parents also receive 1:1 instruction with teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing on a weekly basis to support the development of skills at home. Comprehensive audiological services are provided to all students enrolled in the program, utilizing state of the art technology, FM assistive technology to maximize access to sound within the classroom, and cochlear implant expertise. Additionally, cochlear implant mapping support provided by local hospital audiology team will be delivered on site at the school.

New York Eye & Ear Cochlear Implant And Hearing & Learning Centers, 380 Second

Avenue at 22nd Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7801 (voice). Comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitative services for infants, children and adults including audiology services, amplification and FM evaluation and dispensing, cochlear implants, auditory/oral therapy, otolaryngology, and counseling, early intervention services, and educational services (classroom observation, advocacy, and in-service session). Rochester School for the Deaf, 1545 St. Paul

Street, Rochester, NY 14621; 585-544-1240 (voice/ TTY), 866-283-8810 (Videophone); info@RSDeaf. org, www.RSDeaf.org. Harold Mowl, Jr., Ph.D., Superintendent/CEO. Serving Western and Central New York State, RSD is an inclusive, bilingual school where deaf and hard of hearing children and their families thrive. Established in 1876, RSD goes above and beyond all expectations to provide quality Pre-K through 12th grade academic programs, support services and resources to ensure a satisfying and successful school experience for children with hearing loss.

The Children’s Hearing Institute, 380 Second Avenue at 22nd Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7819 (voice). Educational Outreach Program – provides continuing education courses for professionals to maintain certification, with accreditation by American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), American Academy of Audiology (AAA), and The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Free parent and family programs for children with hearing loss. CHI’s mission is to achive the best possible outcome for children with hearing loss by caring for their clinical needs, educating the professionals that work with them, and providing their parents with the pertinent information needed for in-home success.

n North Carolina BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc., 302 Jefferson

Street, Suite 110, PO Box 17646, Raleigh, NC 27605, 919-715-4092 (voice) – 919-715-4093 (fax) – Raleigh@ ncbegin.org (email). Joni Alberg, Executive Director. BEGINNINGS provides emotional support, unbiased information, and technical assistance to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf parents with hearing children, and professionals serving those families. BEGINNINGS assists parents of children from birth through age 21 by providing information and support that will empower them as informed decision makers, helping them access the services they need for their child, and promoting the importance of early intervention and other educational programs. BEGINNINGS believes that given accurate, objective information about hearing loss, parents can make sound decisions for their child about educational placement, communication methodology, and related service needs. CASTLE- Center for Acquisition of Spoken Language Through Listening Enrichment,

5501-A Fortunes Ridge Drive, Suite A, Durham, NC 27713 • 919-419-1428 (voice) • www. uncearandhearing.com/pedsprogs/castle An auditory/ oral center for parent and professional education. Preschool and Early intervention services for young children including Auditory Verbal parent participation sessions. Hands-on training program for hearingrelated professionals/ university students including internships, two week summer institute and Auditory Verbal Modules.

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Directory of Services n Ohio

n Oregon

Auditory Oral Children’s Center (AOCC),

Tucker-Maxon Oral School, 2860 SE Holgate

5475 Brand Road, Dublin, OH 43017 • 614-5987335 (voice) • auditoryoral@columbus.rr.com (email) • http://auditoryoral.googlepages.com (website). AOCC is a non-profit auditory and spoken language development program for children with hearing loss. We offer a blended approach by combining an intensive therapy-based pre-school program integrated into a NAEYC preschool environment. Therapy is provided by an Auditory-Verbal Therapist, Hearing–Impaired Teacher, and Speech-Language Pathologist. Birth to three individual therapy, toddler class, and parent support services also available.

Millridge Center/Mayfield Auditory Oral Program, 950 Millridge Road, Highland Heights,

OH 44143-3113 • 440-995-7300 (phone) • 440-9957305 (fax) • www.mayfieldschools.org • Louis A. Kindervater, Principal. Auditory/oral program with a ful continuum of services, birth to 22 years of age. Serving 31 public school districts in northeast Ohio. Early intervention; preschool with typically developing peers; parent support; individual speech, language, and listening therapy; audiological services; cochlear implant habilitation; and mainstreaming in the general education classrooms of Mayfield City School District. Ohio Valley Voices, 6642 Branch Hill Guinea Pike, Loveland, OH 45140513-791-1458 (voice) • 513-7914326 (fax) • mainoffice@ohiovalleyvoices.org (e-mail) www.ohiovalleyvoices.org (website). Ohio Valley Voices teaches children who are deaf and hard of hearing how to listen and speak. The vast majority of our students utilize cochlear implants to give them access to sound, which in turn, allows them to learn and speak when combined with intensive speech therapy. We offer birth-to-age three program, a preschool through second grade program, a full array of on-site audiological services, parent education and support resources. Ohio Valley Voices is a Certified Moog Program.

n Oklahoma Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th Street, Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK. • 73112 • 405548-4300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) • Comprehensive hearing healthcare program which includes pediatric audiological evaluations, management and cochlear implant mapping. Auditory-Verbal therapy, cochlear implant habilitation, early intervention, pre-school, summer enrichment services and family support workshops are also provided. Opportunities for family, professional education and consultations are provided. www.heartsforhearing.org INTEGRIS Cochlear Implant Clinic at the Hough Ear Institute, 3434 NW 56th, Suite 101,

Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-947-6030 (voice) • 405-945-7188 (fax) • Amy.arrington@integris-health. com (email) • www.integris-health.com (website) • Our team includes board-certified and licensed speechlanguage pathologists, pediatric and adult audiologists, as well as neurotologists from the Otologic Medical Clinic. Services include hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant testing and fittings, newborn hearing testing, and speech/language therapy. The Hearing Enrichment Language Program (HELP) provides speech services for children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing. Our speech-language pathologists respect adults’ and/or parents’ choice in (re) habilitation options that can optimize listening and language skills.

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 201 1

Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202 • (503) 235-6551 (voice) • (503) 235-1711 (TTY) • tminfo@tmos.org (email) • www.tmos.org (website). Established in 1947, Tucker-Maxon provides an intensive Listening and Spoken Language (auditory/verbal and auditory/oral) program that enrolls children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing in every class. Programs for children with hearing loss start at birth and continue through elementary. Tucker-Maxon provides comprehensive pediatric audiology evaluations; cochlear implant management; habilitation and mapping; early intervention; and speech pathology services.

n Pennsylvania Bucks County Schools Intermediate Unit #22, Hearing Support Program, 705 North

Shady Retreat Road, Doylestown, PA 18901 • (215) 348-2940 x1679 (voice) • (215) 340-1639 (fax) mvasconcellos@bucksiu.org (email) • Marguerite Vasconcellos, LSLS Cert. AVT, Director of Itinerant Services. A publicly-funded regional services agency for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (birth–21). Our continuum of services include itinerant support, resource rooms, audiology, speech-language therapy, auditory-verbal therapy, C-Print captioning and cochlear implant habilitation.

Center for Childhood Communication at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia,

3405 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia 19104 • (800) 551-5480 (voice) • (215) 590-5641 (fax) • www.chop.edu/ccc (website). The CCC provides Audiology, Speech-Language and Cochlear Implant services and offers support through CATIPIHLER, an interdisciplinary program including mental health and educational services for children with hearing loss and their families from time of diagnosis through transition into school-aged services. In addition to serving families at our main campus in Philadelphia, satellite offices are located in Bucks County, Exton, King of Prussia, and Springfield, PA and in Voorhees, Mays Landing, and Princeton, NJ. Professional Preparation in Cochlear Implants (PPCI), a continuing education training program for teachers and speech-language pathologists, is also headquartered at the CCC. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/ Pennsylvania, 455 South Roberts Road, Bryn

Mawr, PA 19010 • 610-525-9600 (voice/tty) • info@ clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.org. Judith Sexton, MS, CED, LSLS Cert AVEd, Director. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Locations in Bryn Mawr and Philadephia. Services include early intervention, preschool, parent education, individual auditory speech and language services, cochlear implant habilitation for children and adults, audiological services, and mainstream services including itinerant teaching and consulting. Specially trained staff includes LSLS Cert. AVEd and LSL Cert.AVT professionals, teachers of the deaf, special educators, speech language pathologists and a staff audiologist. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, Northampton and Jacksonville.

Delaware County Intermediate Unit # 25, Hearing and Language Programs, 200 Yale

Avenue, Morton, PA 19070 • 610-938-9000, ext. 2277 610938-9886 (fax) • mdworkin@dciu.org • Program Highlights: A publicly funded program for children with hearing loss in local schools. Serving children from birth through 21 years of age. Teachers of the deaf provide resource room support and itinerant hearing therapy throughout Delaware County, PA. Services also include audiology, speech therapy, cochlear implant habilitation (which includes LSLS Cert. AVT and LSLS Cert. AVEd), psychology and social work.

DePaul School for Hearing and Speech, 6202

Alder Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 • (412)924-1012 (voice/TTY) • ll@depaulinst.com (email) • www. speakmiracles.org (website). Lillian r. Lippencott, Outreach Coordinator. DePaul, western Pennsylvania’s only auditory-oral school, has been serving families for 101 years. DePaul is a State Approved Private School and programs are tuition-free to parents and caregivers of approved students. Programs include: early intervention services for children birth to 3 years; a center-based toddler program for children ages 18 months to 3 years; a preschool for children ages 3-5 years and a comprehensive academic program for grades K-8. Clinical services include audiology, speech therapy, cochlear implant mapping/ habilitation services, physical and occupational therapy, mainstreaming support, parent education programs and support groups. AV services are also available.

Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf,

300 East Swissvale Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 – 412-371-7000 (voice) – vcherney@wpsd.org (email) - www.wpsd.org (website). The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) provides tuition free educational and extracurricular programs in an all inclusive communication environment. With campuses in Pittsburgh and Scranton, WPSD serves over 300 deaf and hard-of-hearing children, birth through twelfth grade, from 124 school districts and 44 counties across Pennsylvania. WPSD is the largest comprehensive center for deaf education in the state.

n South Carolina The University of South Carolina Speech and Hearing Research Center, 1601 St. Julian

Place, Columbia, SC 29204 • (803) 777-2614 (voice) • (803) 253-4143 (fax) Center Director: Danielle Varnedoe, daniell@mailbox.sc.edu. • The center provides audiology services, speech-language therapy, adult aural rehabilitation therapy, and Auditory-Verbal Therapy. Our audiology services include comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, hearing aid evaluations and services, and cochlear implant evaluations and programming. The University also provides a training program for AVT therapy and cochlear implant management for professional/university students. Additional contacts for the AVT or CI programs include Wendy Potts, CI Program Coordinator (803-777-2642), Melissa Hall (803777-1698), Nikki Herrod-Burrows (803-777-2669), Gina Crosby-Quinatoa (803) 777-2671, and Jamy Claire Archer (803-777-1734).

Directory of Services n South Dakota

n Texas

South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD),

Bliss Speech and Hearing Services, Inc.,

2001 East Eighth Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 605-367-5200, ext 103 (V/TTY) - 605-36705209 (Fax) www.sdsd@sdbor.edu (website). Marjorie Kaiser, Ed.D., Superintendent. South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) serves children with hearing loss by offering the Bilingual Program located in the Harrisburg Public Schools, with the Auditory Oral Program located at Fred Assam Elementary and Brandon Elementary with the Brandon Valley School District, and through its Outreach Program. Academic options include a Bilingual Program offering American Sign Language with literacy in English preschool through twelth grade and an Auditory/Oral Program for students using listening, language and speech for preschool through fifth grade. SDSD utilizes curriculum specific to meeting the needs of individual students with the goal of preparing students to meet state standards. Instructional support in other areas is available as dictated by the IEP, speech-language pathology, auditory training, dual enrollment and special education. Outreach Consultants provides support to families across the state with newborns and children through the age of three while continuing to work with the families and school district personnel of children through age 21 who may remain in their local districts. Any student in South Dakota with a documented hearing loss may be eligible for services through Outreach, Bilingual or Auditory Oral Programs including complete multidisciplinary assessments.

n Tennessee Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, 7901 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138 • 901-7582228 (voice) • 901-531-6735 (fax) • www.mosdkids.org (website) • tschwartz@mosdkids.org (email). Teresa Schwartz, Executive Director. Parent-infant program, auditory/oral day school (ages 2 to 6), speech-language and cochlear implant therapy, mainstream services. Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center - National Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication, Medical Center East South

Tower, 1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 372328718 • 615-936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) • nccdfc@vanderbilt.edu (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt. edu/VanderbiltBillWilkersonCenter (web). Tamala Bradham, Ph.D., Director. The NCCDFC Service Division is an auditory learning program serving children with hearing loss from birth through 21 years. Services include educational services at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt as well as audiological and speech-language pathology services. Specifically, the Service Division includes audiological evaluations, hearing aid services, cochlear implant evaluations and programming, speech, language, and listening therapy, educational assessments, parent-infant program, toddler program, all day preschool through kindergarten educational program, itinerant/academic tutoring services, parent support groups, and summer enrichment programs.

12700 Hillcrest Rd., Suite 207, Dallas, TX 75230 • 972-387-2824 • 972-387-9097 (fax) • blisspeech@ aol.com (e-mail) • Brenda Weinfeld Bliss, M.S., CCC-SLP/A, Cert. AVT®. Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist® providing parent-infant training, cochlear implant rehabilitation, aural rehabilitation, school visits, mainstreaming consultations, information, and orientation to deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their parents. Callier Center for Communication Disorders/UT Dallas - Callier-Dallas Facility

1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235 • 214-905-3000 (voice) • 214-905-3012 (TDD) • Callier-Richardson Facility: 811 Synergy Park Blvd., Richardson, TX, 75080 • 972-883-3630 (voice) • 972-883-3605 (TDD) • cpiloto@utdallas.edu (e-mail) • www.callier.utdallas. edu (website). Nonprofit Organization, hearing evaluations, hearing aid dispensing, assistive devices, cochlear implant evaluations, psychology services, speech-language pathology services, child development program for children ages six weeks to five years. The Center for Hearing and Speech, 3636

West Dallas, Houston, TX 77019 • 713-523-3633 (voice) • 713-874-1173 (TTY) • 713-523-8399 (fax) info@centerhearingandspeech.org (email) www.centerhearingandspeech.org (website) CHS serves children with hearing impairments from birth to 18 years. Services include: auditory/oral preschool; Audiology Clinic providing comprehensive hearing evaluations, diagnostic ABR, hearing aid and FM evaluations and fittings, cochlear implant evaluations and follow-up mapping; Speech-Language Pathology Clinic providing Parent-Infant therapy, AuditoryVerbal therapy, aural(re) habilitation; family support services. All services offered on sliding fee scale and many services offered in Spanish.

Denise A. Gage, MA, CCC, LSLS Cert. AVT - Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist - 3111 West

Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76016-0378 - 817-4600378 (voice) - 817-469-1195 (fax) - denise@denisegage. com (email) - www.denisegage.com (website). Over twenty-five years experience providing services for children and adults with hearing loss. Services include: cochlear implant rehabilitation, parent-infant training, individual therapy, educational consultation, onsite and offsite Fast ForWord training.

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children,

603 E. Hildebrand Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212; 210/824-0579; fax 210/826-0436. Founded in 1947, Sunshine Cottage, a listening and spoken language school promoting early identification of hearing loss and subsequent intervention teaching children with hearing impairment (infants through high school.) State-of-theart pediatric audiological services include hearing aid fitting, cochlear implant programming, assessment of children maintenance of campus soundfield and FM equipment. Programs include the Newborn Hearing Evaluation Center, Parent-Infant Program, Hearing Aid Loaner and Scholarship Programs, Educational Programs (pre-school through fifth grade on campus and in mainstream settings), Habilitative Services, Speech Language Pathology, Counseling, and Assessment Services. Pre- and post-cochlear implant assessments and habilitation. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, OPTIONschools International, and is a Texas Education Agency approved nonpublic school. For more information visit www. sunshinecottage.org

n Utah Sound Beginnings at Utah State University,

1000 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-1000 • 435-797- 9235 (voice) • 435-797-7519 (fax) • www. soundbeginnings. usu.edu • kristina.blaiser@usu.edu (email) • Kristina Blaiser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Sound Beginnings Director todd.houston@usu.edu (email) • K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Graduate Studies Director. A comprehensive auditory learning program serving children with hearing loss and their families from birth through age five; early intervention services include home- and centerbased services, parent training, toddler group, pediatric audiology, tele-intervention and individual therapy for children in mainstream settings. The preschool, housed in an innovative public lab school, provides classes focused on the development of listening and spoken language for children aged three through five, parent training, and mainstreaming opportunities with hearing peers. The Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education offers the interdisciplinary Auditory Learning and Spoken Language graduate training program in SpeechLanguage Pathology, Audiology, and Deaf Education that emphasizes auditory learning and spoken language for young children with hearing loss. Sound Beginnings is a partner program of the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB), 742 Harrison Boulevard, Ogden UT 84404

- 801-629-4712 (voice) 801-629-4701 (TTY) - www. udsb.org (website). USDB is a state funded program for children with hearing loss (birth through high school) serving students in various settings including local district classes and direct educational and consulting services throughout the state. USDB language and communication options include Listening and Spoken Language. USDB has a comprehensive hearing healthcare program which includes an emphasis on hearing technology for optimal auditory access, pediatric audiological evaluations, and cochlear implant management. Services also include Early Intervention, full-day preschool and Kindergarten, intensive day programs, and related services including speech/language pathology and aural habilitation.

n Wisconsin Center for Communication, Hearing & Deafness, 10243 W. National Avenue, West Allis,

WI 53227 414-604-2200 (Voice) 414-604-7200 (Fax) www.cdhh.org (Website) Amy Peters Lalios, M.A., CC-A, LSLS Cert.AVT, as well as five LSLS Cert. AVEds. Nonprofit agency located in the Milwaukee area provides comprehensive auditory programming to individuals with hearing loss, from infants to the elderly. The Birth to Three program serves children from throughout Southeastern Wisconsin, including education in the home, toddler communication groups, and individual speech therapy. AV Therapy is also provided to school age children locally as well as through an interactive long-distance therapy program. Pre- and post-cochlear implant training is provided for adults and communication strategies and speech reading is offered to individuals as well as in small groups.

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Directory of Services I NTERNATIONAL n Australia The Shepherd Centre, 391-401 Abercrombie

Street, Darlington, NSW, Australia 2012 • (voice) 61 2 9351 7888 • (TTY) 61 2 9351 7881 • (website) www. shepherdcentre.com.au. Helping children who are deaf and hearing impaired and their families since 1970. An early intervention and cochlear implant program for families of children between birth-6yrs with all levels of hearing loss to develop spoken language working with a team of Auditory-Verbal Therapists, Audiologists, and Family Therapists. Centre based one-on-one sessions, preschool and child care visits, home visits, babies, toddler and school readiness group sessions, playgroup, parent information sessions, standardized/formal speech and language assessments, professional seminar series, New Families programs, internal and external AVT mentoring programs, Cochlear Implant program in conjunction with the Sydney Children’s Hospital. Intensive workshop programs and distance services for families from regional Australia and overseas.

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Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for Children WA (Inc), 36 Dodd Street, Wembley

WA 6014, Australia • 61-08-9387-9888 (phone) • 61-08-9387-9888 (fax) • speech@tsh.org.au • www.tsh. org.au • Our oral language programs include: hearing impairment programs for children under 5 and school support services, Talkabout program for children with delayed speech and language, audiology services, Ear Clinic for hard to treat middle ear problems, Variety WA Mobile Children’s Ear Clinic, newborn hearing screening and Cochlear Implant program for overseas children.

Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of British Columbia (formerly, The Vancouver

Oral Centre for Deaf Children), 3575 Kaslo Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5M 3H4, Canada, 604-437-0255 (voice), 604-437-1251 (tty), 604-4370260 (fax) - www.childrenshearing.ca (website). Our auditory-oral program includes: on-site audiology, cochlear implant mapping, parent-infant guidance, auditory-verbal therapy, music therapy, preschool, K, Primary 1-3; itinerant services.

n Canada Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, 4670 St. Catherine Street, West, Westmount, QC, Canada H3Z 1S5 • 514-488-4946 (voice/ tty) • 514-488-0802 (fax) • info@montrealoralschool.com (email) • www. montrealoralschool.com (website). Parent-infant program (0-3 years old). Full-time educational program (3-12 years old). Mainstreaming program in regular schools (elementary and secondary). Audiology, cochlear implant and other support services.

Directory of Services VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children, 161 Eglinton Avenue, East, Suite 704, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1J5 • info@voicefordeafkids.com • 866-779-5144 (Toll Free) • www.voicefordeafkids. com (website) • VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children is a Canadian pediatric hearing association for children with hearing loss whose parents have chosen to help them learn to HEAR, LISTEN and SPEAK. VOICE provides parent support, parent guide publications, advocacy and an auditory-verbal therapy and mentorship training program. VOICE is the largest organization in Canada supporting children with hearing loss and their families. In addition to its parent mentor program, regular parent group meetings and educational workshops, the VOICE AuditoryVerbal Therapy Program offers the expertise of 18 certified Auditory-Verbal Therapists. The VOICE annual conference is held in Ontario, Canada, the first weekend in May, attracting as many as 300 parents and professionals. A popular family summer camp near Toronto, Canada, is enjoyed by VOICE members annually in August. A complimentary first-year VOICE membership is available to parents and professionals.

n England The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre – Christopher Place, 1-5 Christopher Place, Chalton

Street, Euston, London NW1 1JF, England • 0114-207383-3834 (voice) • 0114-207-383-3099 (fax) • info@ speechlang.org.uk (email) • www.speech-lang.org.uk (website) • Assessment, nursery school and therapeutic centre for children under 5 with hearing impairment, speech/language or communication difficulties, including autism. • We have a Child Psychologist and a Child Psychotherapist. • Auditory-Verbal Therapy is also provided by a LSLS Cert. AVT.

List of Advertisers Auditory Verbal Center, Inc (Atlanta)............................................................... 40 Central Institute for the Deaf........................................................................... 45 Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech........................................................ 20 DuBard School for Language Disorders...........................................................5 Ear Gear............................................................................................................51 Ear Technology Corporation/Dry and Store................................................... 33 Educational Audiology Association...................................................................4 Expanding Children’s Hearing Opportunities - Carle Foundation Hospital..... 12 Gallaudet University.........................................................................................41 Harris Communications...................................................................................17 House Research Institute................................................................................ 38 Jean Weingarten School..................................................................................47 Moog Center for Deaf Education..............................................................19, 39 National Cued Speech Association...................................................................9 National Technical Institute for the Deaf/RIT.................................................. 29 No-Limits Theater Group................................................................................ 32 Oticon Pediatrics................................................................... Inside Front Cover Phonak.............................................................................................. Back Cover Silent Call..........................................................................................................21 Sorenson Communications...............................................................................6 Sound Aid.........................................................................................................16 St. Joseph Institute.......................................................................................7, 43 Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children...................................................28 AG Bell - 2012 Biennial Convention...................................... Inside Back Cover AG Bell - Parent Advocacy Training.................................................................25 AG Bell - Parent-Infant Financial Aid Program............................................... 29

VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201 1

AG Bell 2012 Convention

June 28–July 2 • Westin KierlAnd resort • sCottsdAle, ArizonA

The largest gathering of families, professionals and adults with hearing loss dedicated to a listening and spoken language outcome. HiGHliGHts: • Keynote address by Dr. Dale Atkins, a psychologist, former teacher of the deaf, author and frequent contributor to NBC-TV’s “Today Show” whose focus is on living a balanced life • 80+ education sessions for professionals, families and adults with hearing loss • Parent programs and networking opportunities • Children’s program • NIH-funded Research Symposium • Exhibit hall with the latest technology and education information • Fun social events for all ages • CEU opportunities • Exciting southwest desert environment with economical hotel rates–perfect for a family vacation

“The AG Bell Convention literally changed our lives. When we learned our son was born deaf, we ventured to the convention to learn about listening and speaking. When we returned for our second convention, we couldn’t have been more proud of how far he’s come. Thank you AG Bell!”

WHo sHould Attend: • Families raising children with hearing loss • Adults who are deaf and hard of hearing • Listening and Spoken Language Specialists • Teachers of the deaf • Speech-language pathologists • Audiologists • Students in speech-language pathology, audiology and deaf education

CAll For PAPers Short course call for submissions: August 2-September 27 Concurrent session call for submissions: August 17-October 12

Registration will open in early 2012 • www.agbell.org

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