volta voices may-june 2012 magazine

VOICESVOICESAlex Ander GrAhAm Bell AssociAtion for the DeAf AnD hArD of heAring

May/June 2012

V O L T A

W W W . A G B E L L . O R G • V O L 1 9 , I S S U E 3

Leading the Way Collaboration and Innovation Keys to Success

Let’s make it easier – together! For a copy of a new comparative study showing improvement in speech perception in children with hearing loss when using Amigo FM, contact [email protected]. And to see how we can helpyou solve other Pediatric challenges, visit www.making-it-easierusa.com.

Real Life Challenges

How can you make sure he is hearing what she’s saying?

The most e�cient way to help children overcome noise and distance and focus in classrooms is by providing good quality instruments and FM solutions. But what constitutes good? If a child has wide-bandwidth instruments, and the FM system cannot exploit this bandwidth, precious high frequency sounds may be lost.

While some systems use valuable bandwidth on transmitting data rather than speech, Oticon Amigo transmitters focus their power on capturing and delivering vital high-frequency details. So you needn’t be in any doubt as to which system provides more speech cues.

Oticon Amigo FM – wider bandwidth for more speech

A di�erence in sound quality“With the new digital hearing aids, the frequency response is going out so much farther. Being able to hear your ‘s’ and ‘t’ is so important for speech. When we add the FM to it,

we don’t want it to interfere with the good way the hearing aids have been �t. Now the FM systems are going out to a higher frequency that’s just been wonderful.”

Sandy Waters, MA, CCC-A Educational AudiologistTX

VOICESV O L T A

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 A t i o n f o r t h e D e A f A n D h A r D o f h e A r i n g

3417 volta place, nw, washington, dc 20007 • www.agbell.org

24 28 36

MAy/June 2012

VoLuMe 19

i ssue 3

Departments

VoICeS from AG BeLL

3 Honoring Helen Beebe

5 Leadership and Collaboration

TIpS for pArenTS

40 The Value of Acceptance and Understanding

HeAr our VoICeS

42 My Six Flags Experience

In Every Issue 2 Want to Write for Volta Voices?

6 Voices Contributors

8 soundbites

44 direCtory of serviCes

56 List of advertisers

Features 12 donald M. Goldberg: a teacher, Mentor,

Clinician By Susan Boswell, CAE AG Bell sits down with incoming AG Bell President Donald M. Goldberg to discuss his experience in the field of hearing loss and his goals for the association.

16 Karen youdelman: Honors of the association 2012 recipient By Melody Felzien Take a look at the accomplishment and dedication that earned Karen Youdelman the 2012 Honors of the Association award.

20 What is a Listening and spoken Knowledge Center? By Elizabeth Reed-Martinez and Melody Felzien Read about the exciting features of The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center.

24 Creating a successful support Group Program for Children By Melanie Paticoff

28 Creating a successful Parent support Program By Patricia Hoffman

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

32 La creación de un programa de apoyo para padres exitoso Por Patricia Hoffman

36 auditory Learning in Preschoolers: tips for Professionals By Lynda Berkowitz, M.S., CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd

12

Let’s make it easier – together! For a copy of a new comparative study showing improvement in speech perception in children with hearing loss when using Amigo FM, contact [email protected]. And to see how we can helpyou solve other Pediatric challenges, visit www.making-it-easierusa.com.

Real Life Challenges

How can you make sure he is hearing what she’s saying?

The most e�cient way to help children overcome noise and distance and focus in classrooms is by providing good quality instruments and FM solutions. But what constitutes good? If a child has wide-bandwidth instruments, and the FM system cannot exploit this bandwidth, precious high frequency sounds may be lost.

While some systems use valuable bandwidth on transmitting data rather than speech, Oticon Amigo transmitters focus their power on capturing and delivering vital high-frequency details. So you needn’t be in any doubt as to which system provides more speech cues.

Oticon Amigo FM – wider bandwidth for more speech

A di�erence in sound quality“With the new digital hearing aids, the frequency response is going out so much farther. Being able to hear your ‘s’ and ‘t’ is so important for speech. When we add the FM to it,

we don’t want it to interfere with the good way the hearing aids have been �t. Now the FM systems are going out to a higher frequency that’s just been wonderful.”

Sandy Waters, MA, CCC-A Educational AudiologistTX

V O l T A

VOICESAdvocating 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

AlexAnder GrAhAm BellAssociAtion for the DeAf

AnD hArD of heAring

3417 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007www.agbell.org | voice 202.337.5220

tty 202.337.5221 | fax 202.337.8314

Volta Voices Staff

EditorMelody Felzien

Advertising, Exhibit and Sponsorship Sales The Townsend Group

Director of Communications and MarketingSusan Boswell, CAE

Design and LayoutEEI Communications

AG Bell Board of Directors

PresidentKathleen S. Treni (NJ)

President-ElectDonald M. Goldberg, Ph.D.,

LSLS Cert. AVT (OH)

Secretary-TreasurerMeredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH)

Immediate Past PresidentJohn R. “Jay” Wyant (MN)

Executive Director/CEOAlexander T. Graham (VA)

Corrine Altman (NV)Christine Anthony, M.B.A. (IL)

Rachel Arfa, Esq. (IL) 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)

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 ©2012 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 $115 domestic and $135 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

V O l T A

VOICESLetters 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 KitVisit www.agbell.org and select “About AG Bell”

for advertising information.

Want to Write for 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.

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.

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

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).

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

Want to Write for Volta Voices?

On the cover: The AG Bell Board of Directors is comprised of professionals with expertise in listening and spoken language outcomes, parents of children with hearing loss, and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing. Board members act in the broad interest of the association, not as representatives of specific constituencies. (Not pictured: Corrine Altman.) Credit: Darren Higgins Photography.

VOLTA VOICES • MAY/JUNE 2012 3

VOICES FROM AG BELL

At a time when many assumed that children with hearing loss would never learn to listen, talk or thrive in the

educational mainstream, Helen Beebe thought otherwise – even in the face of criticism and skepticism – and pioneered a method that changed the lives of many children, their families and a multitude of professionals.

Aff ectionately known as Beebe to all those who knew her, Beebe’s career demonstrated the power of mentoring – a critical foundation in the area of listening and spoken language and an infl uence that she would pay forward many times over. Beebe worked briefl y as a teacher of the deaf for several diff erent programs, but she later sought a career that would allow her to work with children with hearing loss in a diff erent capacity. A fortuitous connection with the famed Austrian physi-cian and speech-language pathologist, Emil Froeschels, was the beginning of a mentoring relationship that would last 25 years and set her on a path to becoming a speech-language pathologist.

Beebe adapted the methods of her mentor to teaching children with hear-ing loss to pioneer the “Unisensory Approach.” Beebe believed that children with hearing loss could make use of whatever residual hearing they had – no matter how little – to develop spoken language with a natural intonation. She began her practice with children with hearing loss out of her home with a single student, Mardie Crannell Younglof, who had a profound, prelingual hearing loss and wore one of the fi rst vacuum-tube hearing aids on the market. As they worked together weekly, Beebe would cover her mouth with her hands as she spoke, requiring her young student to make use of her hearing to process lan-guage. Mardie’s fi rst spontaneous word

was “Hi!” Her parents enrolled her in a mainstream kindergarten, and decades later Mardie received a cochlear implant.

Beebe was a woman of boundless energy who did not possess the word “impossible” in her vocabulary. She off ered hope to parents, teaching them to help their children develop listening and spoken language, even in the face of signifi cant criticism and skepticism in the fi eld. Beebe’s practice grew and moved several times to larger quarters. To make her work available to families worldwide, Beebe opened the Larry Jarrett House in 1975. � is intensive weeklong residence program allowed families from all over the United States and around the world to come and learn how to maximize their child’s residual hearing and develop listening and spoken language. � e entire family would stay in the apartment, using the kitchen to learn strategies for develop-ing language through everyday activities so that they could continue to use these strategies in their home even if services were not available locally. Hundreds of families from all over the United States and numerous foreign countries partici-pated in this program.

In 1978, Beebe donated her practice to the Larry Jarrett Foundation, creating the Helen Beebe Speech and Hearing Center, which blazed the trail for what would become the auditory-verbal therapy approach. Services were off ered on a sliding scale and no family was ever turned away. At its height, the Center employed six therapists and a clini-cal director, and carried a caseload of about 50 clients. � e center trained and infl uenced numerous clinicians over the years who came to observe the program. Practitioners who were employed at the Beebe Center later opened their own practices where they are still practicing and mentoring others today.

In the words of Robert Bush, who served for nine years as a board member and as the last president of the board of directors for the Beebe Center, “Helen Beebe was an accidental celebrity. She was very modest.”

Beebe shared her knowledge through lectures and presentations worldwide and received an honorary doctorate from Lafayette College in 1985. She was the fi rst president of Auditory-Verbal International (the predecessor to the AG

Honoring Helen Beebe

4 volta voices • MaY/JUne 2012

VOICES FROM AG BELL

Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language) and served on the board of AG Bell, which awarded her its highest rec-ognition, the Honors of the Association, in 1987. In its later history, the Beebe Center evolved to focus on professional development through funding scholar-ships for those who wanted to become a certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS™) or for professionals who wanted to serve as a mentor. Beebe continued to serve as a clinician, teacher and mentor up until just before her death in 1989 at age 80.

Today, laypeople may believe that auditory-verbal practice started with the advent of cochlear implant technology. In reality, it began more than 70 years ago with two grand dames, Helen Beebe and Doreen Pollack, and their contem-poraries, Daniel Ling, Louise Crawford, Marian Ernst and Ciwa Griffiths, among others. They believed that children with hearing loss could listen and talk – and they achieved incredible outcomes even

with the limited technology available at the time.

Over the years, Helen Beebe influenced thousands of professionals in the field, parents of children with hearing loss and adults who were once the recipients of her clinical talents. As I finish my term as president, I am excited to see the legacy of Helen Beebe continue at this critical junc-ture in the history of AG Bell. The Helen Beebe Speech and Hearing Center has partnered with AG Bell through a generous $300,000 grant to fund the development of The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center, which will become a resource for parents all over the world who need information about listening and spoken language and who hope that their children will be able to listen, talk and learn in the mainstream. The Knowledge Center will also be a vital resource for professionals seeking new strategies for service delivery and a connection with a mentor that can guide them along the path to becoming a certified LSLS.

The Knowledge Center will have a special section devoted to the history and memory of Helen Beebe. If you have been influenced by this pioneer in our field and would like to contribute to The Knowledge Center by sharing your memories of Helen Beebe, please contact [email protected].

Sincerely,

Kathleen TreniPresident

At St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf (SJI), we believe that children with hearing

loss deserve the opportunity to listen, read and speak.

As international leaders in listening and spoken language (LSL) based education, our highly

oral language without the use of sign language. SJI is the only school for the deaf to be fully accredited by the prestigious Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

www.sjid.org

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf

Indianapolis Campus Kansas City Campus St. Louis Campus9192 Waldemar Rd.

Indianpolis, IN 46268

(317) 471-8560

8835 Monrovia

Lenexa, KS 66215

(913) 383-3535

1809 Clarkson Rd

St. Louis, MO 63017

(636) 532-3211

AGBELLAD.indd 1 3/7/2012 11:47:48 AM

QUeSTIOnS? COmmenTS? COnCernS?

Write to us: ag bell 3417 volta place, nwwashington, dc20007

Or email us: [email protected]

Or online:www.agbell.org/voltavoices

volta voices • MaY/JUne 2012 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

This edition of Volta Voices signi-fies the transition of leadership on the AG Bell board of direc-tors, and highlights important

aspects of collaboration between parents, professionals and children.

First, “Donald M. Goldberg: A Teacher, Mentor, Clinician” provides an in-depth glimpse into the career and legacy of AG Bell’s incoming president, Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, LSLS Cert. AVT. Learn about Goldberg’s career and goals for AG Bell during the next two years, and how his career path and mentors have shaped his outlook on the next generation of professionals. In keeping with a leader-ship theme, we also provide a look into the career of past AG Bell president Karen Youdelman, the 2012 recipient of the Honors of the Association award. Learn more about her amazing contribu-tions to expanding listening and spoken language opportunities for children with hearing loss. In addition, current AG Bell President Kathleen Treni’s final column

provides a tribute to Helen Beebe, a pioneer in the field of listening and spoken language communication whose life work has helped fund the launch of AG Bell’s newest online initiative, The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center.

Finally, we have also provided an exciting look at The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center. Read about the exciting features now available, and what’s in store over the coming months. Don’t miss your chance to experience the new resource for yourself. Visit the exhibit hall at the AG Bell 2012 Convention for a guided tour and daily prizes.

On the collaboration front, we have included a pair of articles on the Hearts for Hearing program at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Mo. This innovative program provides both parent and child support programs that run simultaneously. Learn tips and strategies from the program facilitators for developing similar programs of your own. In addition, “Auditory Learning in Preschoolers” provides techniques that

teachers can use to facilitate language development in preschool-aged children with hearing loss, and how to compliment efforts in the home.

Finally, two regular columns return. “Tips for Parents” provides the perspec-tive of a single mother who learned how to accept her child’s strengths in order to help her increase her language develop-ment. And “Hear Our Voices” is the story of one teen’s experience interviewing for and then working at Six Flags theme park. It is sure to spark conversation between you and your children.

Thank you for reading. If you are interested in contributing, please email me at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions.

Best regards,

Melody FelzienEditor, Volta [email protected]

Leadership and Collaboration

THEY can learn…YOU can teach them.

Let us show you how.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

On-site training offered IMSLEC accredited Graduate credit and

CEUs available

Check out upcoming courses at www.usm.edu/dubard.

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VOICES cONTriBuTOrs

Lynda Berkowitz, M.S., CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, author of “Auditory Learning in Preschoolers: Tips for Professionals,” is a certified Listening and

Spoken Language Specialist in auditory-verbal education. She serves as co-principal and pre-K department coordinator at Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Mo. Berkowitz received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from the University of Illinois and her master’s degree in deaf education from Washington University in St. Louis. With over 20 years experience in the field, Berkowitz presents at a variety of workshops and serves on the faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences.

Susan Boswell, CAE, author of “Donald M. Goldberg: A Teacher, Mentor, Clinician,” is the director of communica-tions 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 [email protected].

Patricia Hoffman, author of “Creating a Successful Parent Support Program,” is the early childhood educator in the preschool program at Central

Institute for the Deaf (CID) in St. Louis, Mo. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and will graduate in August with a master’s degree in counseling from Missouri Baptist University. Hoffman designed and developed the Hearing from the Heart parent support program at CID and continues to facilitate the program. She can be reached at [email protected].

Kate Moran, author of “Tips for Parents,” works in a variety of media, includ-ing sculpture, photography, drawing, and painting. She received her B.A. at

Antioch College in Ohio, a Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and her MFA at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Since 1998 she has been a seminar instructor and critic for the MFA Program at the Pennsylvania Academy. Her work can be found in numerous public and private collections. She is the mother to a 7-year-old with moderate-severe hearing loss who listens and talks.

Melanie Paticoff, author of “Creating a Successful Support Group Program for Children,” is currently earning a Master of Science in deaf education at

Washington University School of Medicine Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences. She is the author of the award-winning picture book, “Sophie’s Tales: Learning to Listen,” about a character with hearing loss. Patifcoff facilitates programming for children with hearing loss and their siblings for the Hearing from the Heart family support group at Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Mo. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Elizabeth Reed-Martinez, co-author of “What IS a Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center,” is The Knowledge Center director for AG

Bell. Before joining AG Bell in 2009, Reed-Martinez was responsible for developing and implementing e-learning programs for the Society of Human Resource Management. She holds a B.S. in business administration from Bay Path College and an M.A. in human resource development and training from The George Washington University.

“After doing the research and seeing Cochlear’s track record, there was no other choice.

My child’s future is bright because she was given the gift of sound.”

You should talk to your physician to see if you are a candidate for cochlear implantation or a Baha® System, and to understand the associated risks and benefits, and CDC recommendations for vaccination. Implantation with a cochlear implant or Baha System is a surgical procedure, and carries with it the risks typical for surgery, and outcomes cannot be guaranteed. For additional information please refer to the applicable package insert available at www.CochlearAmericas.com/NucleusIndications or www.CochlearAmericas.com/BahaIndications.

Cochlear, Nucleus, Hear now. And always and the elliptical logo are trademarks of Cochlear Limited. Baha is a registered trademark of Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. © 2011 Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions. All rights reserved.

www.CochlearAmericas.comRequest information on the Cochlear Nucleus System or Baha System, or learn about upgrades

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Hear now. And always — This is the Cochlear™ promise to you. As the global leader in hearing solutions, Cochlear is dedicated to bringing the gift of sound to people all over the world. With our

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For the person with hearing loss receiving any one of the Cochlear hearing solutions, our commitment is that for the rest of your life we will be here to support you...


N E W s B i T E s

SOUNDAG Bell Position Statement on Qualified ProvidersAG Bell has issued a position state-ment recognizing Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS™) as qualified providers for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and who are pursuing listening and spoken language. The statement clarifies what qualifies an individual to be a LSLS, including certification as a LSLS Cert. AVT or LSLS Cert. AVEd by the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Additional details are included on what kind of skills and background are necessary to be a LSLS certified professional. Visit the AG Bell website to read the full state-ment. AG Bell thanks its Public Affairs Council and Arlene Stredler Brown, CCC-SLP, CED, for their work in drafting the statement.

AG Bell Advocates for hearing Aids in Affordable Care ActAG Bell is supporting the inclusion of hearing aids as part of the Essential Health Benefits package, which is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), by signing on to a letter along with 18 other organiza-tions representing consumers who are deaf and hard of hearing. The letter advocates for the inclusion of hearing aids and (re)habilitation services in the benefit package being developed by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of President Obama’s compre-hensive health care reform legisla-tion. “Every human has the right to

hear if they so wish. Not everyone can afford hearing aids and no one should be prevented from hearing.” said Janice Schacter, chair of the Hearing Access Program, which led the development of the letter.

AG Bell exhibits at ehdI ConferenceAG Bell exhibited at the 2012 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Meeting on March 5-6 in St. Louis, Mo. AG Bell President Kathleen Treni responded to attendee questions related to state-wide service delivery programs and educational programming, and AG Bell presented information about its acclaimed Parent Advocacy Training (P.A.T.) and family support programs, which generated interest among the parent representatives at the meeting.

Analysis of the 2011 IdeA Part C regulationsIn January, AG Bell published an article that outlines the 2011 changes to IDEA Part C regulations

(which replaced the previous set of regulations distributed in 1999) as part of its professional-focused e-newsletter, the LSL Leading Edge. This analysis is now avail-able to the general public. Visit the AG Bell website to read the article from author Arlene Stredler Brown, MA, CCC-SLP, CED, who provides an incisive analysis of key changes to the regulations that may affect services to infants and toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.

YouTube makes Captioning more Accessible for ViewersRecently, YouTube announced new options that make user-uploaded videos more accessible for those who rely on closed captioning, including new language options, search options and settings for video text. YouTube now supports automatic captions in Japanese, Korean and English, and captions can be added in 155 languages and dialects. New settings can also change the caption color — not an aesthetic choice, but rather to make the captions easier to read against the background of videos where the colors may blend in. Videos uploaded with broadcast caption support, which positions text near the char-acter speaking, are now visible on YouTube in the same format. It’s also easier to upload videos that already have captions embedded in them. Visit http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2012/02/captions-for-all-more-options-for-your.html to view all the new captioning features available.

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AG Bell President Kathleen Treni visits with conference participants to discuss AG Bell’s programs.


BITESCOMPILED BY:

MELOdy FELziEN

Applications Available for Fulbright ScholarshipsApplications for the Fulbright Scholar Program are now being accepted. The program is designed to give participants the opportunity to pursue teaching, research or a combination of the two for the 2013-2014 academic year. In addition to awards designed for university faculty and administra-tors, there are awards available for

other professions including artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers and independent scholars. The awards span 45 academic disciplines as well as 167 general awards open to applicants of all disciplines. For more information, please visit the Fulbright Scholar Program website at www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards. The application deadline for most awards is August 1, 2012.

Improved Quality of life with Sequential Bilateral Cochlear ImplantsA study published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery showed that over time, children who received sequential bilateral cochlear implants were less prone to disease affecting their quality of than children with unilateral cochlear implants. Results showed that while generic quality-of-life measures seemed to be the same for both groups, disease-specific measurements showed a significant difference between the groups. Visit http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/138/2/134 to view the whole article.

Special Offer on learn to Talk Around the ClockGet your copy of “Learn to Talk Around the Clock,” the essential early interven-tion program offered through the AG Bell Bookstore, now only $175 for AG Bell members (a 30% discount off the member price). The toolkit is a valuable resource for professionals who work with families of young children who are deaf and hard of hearing, providing the tools to create a rich environment for listening and spoken language

acquisition in the comfort of a child’s own home. By encouraging interaction during every day activities, “Learn to Talk Around the

The Georgia Chapter of AG Bell is supporting an initiative called “Let Georgia Hear,” which seeks to pass legislation to mandate hearing aid insurance coverage for children with hearing loss. The Chapter asks all interested parties to consider visiting www.letgeorgiahear.org and sign a petition in support of this legislation. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact Chapter President Sara Kogon at [email protected].

Hear Indiana, the Indiana Chapter of AG Bell, will host its annual leadership camp June 24-29, 2012, at Bradford Woods in Martinsville, Ind. Last year, nearly 50 campers with hearing loss who primarily used spoken language to commu-nicate attended. This year, campers will participate in dialogue and outdoor activities specifically designed to enhance leadership skills and build self-confi-dence. In 2011, researchers at Indiana University found that Hear Indiana’s camp significantly increased campers’ sense of feeling socially accepted. Registration and additional information is available at www.HearIndiana.org/Camp.

The Michigan Chapter of AG Bell is looking for a few good people with enthusiasm who would like to volunteer! The Chapter has five new standing committees: Membership, Activities, Fundraising, Summer Camp and Fall Conference, and is already busily planning its 2012 activities! While the leaders of these committees are board members, the Chapter welcomes participa-tion from general members who would like to get involved in some capacity. Upcoming activities include the 2nd Annual Summer Splash Picnic July 15, 2012, at Kensington MetroPark in Brighton, Mich.; Summer Camp, July 15-27, 2012, at the YMCA Storer Camp near Jackson, Mich. – there are opportunities for students in the fields of speech-language pathology, audiology and educa-tion of the deaf and hard of hearing to participate; and a Fall Family Conference at Bear Lake Camp in Lapeer, Mich., on Oct. 27. These activities are intended to enable professional and student members to grow, to enrich the lives of members who are deaf and hard of hearing, to support parents and to provide children with hearing loss the tools and opportunities to be all that they can be. Please join with us in our efforts to make this happen! Contact Chapter President Shon Halacka at [email protected] to volunteer.

cHAPTErs


SOUND BITESClock” helps professionals maximize a child’s language development. Visit www.agbell.org/bookstore to order today. (You must log-in to the AG Bell website to receive the member discount. The non-member price is $205.88.)

Free Genetic home reference WebsiteProfessionals can help fami-lies access up‐to‐date, reliable, consumer‐friendly information about a genetic condition and the basics of genetic science by referring them to Genetics Home Reference, a free, patient‐friendly website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) available at http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov. Genetics Home

Reference includes over 500 topics on genetic conditions and related genes and features a richly illustrated tutorial that explains the basics of genetics,

from the cellular level on up, and a glossary of genetics terms. The site is regularly updated by scientific staff and reviewed by external experts.

AG Bell President-Elect Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT, and AG Bell Member Stephanie Lim, LSLS Cert. AVT, were recently featured in the Winter 2012 edition of the College of Wooster alumni magazine. The article, “The Power of Mentorship,” discusses the unique cycle of mentorship and may be an inspiration for professionals considering becoming a mentor or those seeking one. Visit http://woosteralumni.org to access the full article.

AG Bell member Jeff Campagna, who is deaf and uses a cochlear implant, was recently featured in the Charlotte Observer. Campagna, who works for MED-EL Corporation, recently starred in a theater presentation of “Treasure Island.” Visit www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/02/29/3056744/ jeff-campagna.html to read the full interview.

PEOPLE iN THE NEWs

volta voices • MaY/JUne 2012 1 1

SOUND BITESmed-el launches Its Smallest and lightest Audio Processor To dateOn Feb. 29, 2012, MED-EL introduced the OPUS 2XS, the smallest and lightest audio processor available. As the newest addition to the OPUS 2 family, it provides up to 30 percent better hearing performance in real life listening situations compared to competitor processors and is particularly robust. The OPUS 2XS is an optimal choice for any implant user who needs or wants the smallest ear-level processor avail-able, particularly children. A hearing implant system has to keep up with a busy lifestyle, especially for children who are active with sports, at school or playing with friends. The OPUS 2XS

has enhanced insulation that makes it extra resistant to dirt, dust and sweat. Developed for small ears, the OPUS 2XS is 10mm shorter and 25 percent lighter than the OPUS 2 with a standard battery pack, so that it fits children’s ears comfortably and safely. Adults can also appreciate a hearing solution small enough to be worn discreetly. Visit www.medel.com to learn more.

Variant of Usher Syndrome Gene Preserves Vision and BalanceUsher syndrome, an inherited, reces-sive disorder that causes deafness and blindness (“deaf-blindness”) as well as balance problems, can result from a mutant copy of any one of

several different genes. But surpris-ingly, some mutations of the same genes that cause Usher syndrome can cause hearing loss alone, without any accompanying blindness or balance problems. A team of researchers have found that an alteration of an Usher gene that causes only hearing loss can preserve sight and balance when in combination with another alteration of the same gene that causes Usher syndrome. This has important impli-cations for genetic counselors and may open new prospects for future therapies for vision loss. Their study appears in the November 2011 issue of Journal of Medical Genetics. For more information on Usher syndrome, visit: www.ushersyndrome.nih.gov.

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Donald M. Goldberg:

By Susan Boswell, CAE

During the AG Bell 2012 Convention, Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, LSLS Cert. AVT,

will officially assume the role of president of AG Bell. Goldberg, a clinical audi-ologist, came to the profession almost through happenstance. As an under-graduate at Lafayette College in Easton, Penn., in the 1970s, Goldberg planned to become a veterinarian – a career path in those days that was even more competi-tive than medical school. But he hedged his bets by pursuing an education minor. His first practicum while a sophomore was at the nearby March School, where he met Robert, a young boy with boxes

on his chest in a harness who changed the course of Goldberg’s life. “He was this smart, verbal kid – the best in his class – and he happened to be deaf !” Robert was also one of the students at the Helen Beebe Speech and Hearing Center, where Goldberg volunteered throughout the remainder of his under-graduate years.

Goldberg followed the path of his mentor, Helen Beebe, and entered gradu-ate school to become a speech-language pathologist. He thought that all students with hearing loss had listening and speaking skills, but it wasn’t until he entered graduate school that he learned that “Beebe kids” were truly the excep-

tion. After completing graduate school, Goldberg returned to the Beebe Center briefly as an intern before attending the University of Florida to pursue a doctoral degree in rehabilitative audiol-ogy. He held academic positions at the University of Montana and the University of Connecticut before returning to the Beebe Center as the director of audiology in June 1989. However, he would never be able to work with his mentor, who died in February 1989. Helen Beebe was hospitalized in December 1988 and on Christmas Eve when Goldberg last visited her, she knew that he planned to return to the Beebe Center. A sticky note, which he saved, indicated that Beebe was pleased

A Teacher, Mentor, Clinician


Donald M. Goldberg:

with his plans. “To say Beebe is thrilled is an understatement!” the note said.

Goldberg is currently a professor of communication at the College of Wooster in Ohio and a consultant on the profes-sional staff for the Hearing Implant Program at the Cleveland Clinic’s Head and Neck Institute. Over the years, Goldberg has held leadership roles in Auditory-Verbal International, the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology, as past president of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language, and has served as AG Bell representative to the Council on the Education of the Deaf. He has lectured and presented worldwide. Goldberg has mentored hundreds of

students – at one point he advised 20 inde-pendent study or thesis students in a single semester – and professionals, yet, at every stage of his journey, he has been a clinician who considers parents his most important teachers and mentors.

Volta Voices: You’ve demonstrated the power of mentoring. Most of those who mentor have been well mentored. Tell us about your own mentors.

Donald Goldberg: I like to think that I have mentored young clinicians. However, my mentors are the parents of the children I have worked with. Doreen Pollack said, “We give back to parents their natural role as their first and most important teacher.” I believe parents are more important than the therapist. I aim to help parents help their children, but at the same time I am learning from parents even after 30 years of experience.

Nothing gives me more pleasure than having the moms and dads I’ve worked with be better therapists and spoken lan-guage stimulators than I am. If I do my job well, the parents will really be the ones who make the most difference in their child’s life. The children can think back to our lessons together and remember I was kind and a fun “play date.” Little do they know I had goals and objectives at every lesson!

V.V.: There has been tremendous growth in the number of professionals who hold the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS™) credential. What do you see on the horizon?

D.G.: It wasn’t that long ago that the age of identification approached 3 years of age for a child with bilateral profound hearing loss. It was late. Now, children are beginning intervention younger than ever and the landscape of deafness has changed in that we have better technology. I have now seen patients when they are 2 or 3 months old, before their eligibility for cochlear implants. Some of these patients have later received simultaneous bilateral CIs and are ready to be dismissed from therapy that is weekly or every other week by the time they are 3 or 4 years old. I use the mantra that the “sky’s the limit” for most children.

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The Moog Center For Deaf Education

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There is a real commitment among families about pursuing listening and spoken language. I also believe there will be an increase in the number of LSLS – and families will request that their children be served by a certified LSLS professional. Training programs are

evolving as well and in the future, there will be more academic programs in deaf education programs that will focus on listening and spoken language; however, we are not there yet.

V.V.: You’ve served the field in many volunteer leader positions. How have these experiences prepared you for your tenure as president of AG Bell?

D.G.: Kathleen Treni has been the model of leadership – kind, full of grace, smart and a quiet leader who shows by example that anything is possible for persons with hearing loss. She is a most admirable leader and an excellent listener. As president-elect, I have had the good fortune to be mentored by a wonderful role model.

V.V.: AG Bell is at an exciting juncture in serving families and children with hearing loss as well as professionals with the launch of The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center.

What is your perspective on this initiative?

D.G.: The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center will be a resource for anyone who is connected to the Internet – anywhere, at any time of day. As professionals, we have observed that families often turn to the Internet to learn about illnesses and issues. They come to appointments with information – which is sometimes completely or at least partially inaccurate. The Knowledge Center is a one-stop resource for families and will have cutting-edge information about listening and spoken language for parents and professionals. The Knowledge Center can not only inform, but one of the strongest messages it can demonstrate is to show by example children who are deaf and who are listening and talking. In addition, The Knowledge Center will also help honor and preserve the legacy of Helen Hulick Beebe and the Beebe Speech and Hearing Center by serving as a virtual resource for parents and professionals all

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Goldberg’s goals as president include ex-panding The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center to better serve children with hearing loss.

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over the world seeking more information about listening and spoken language.

V.V.: What are your goals for AG Bell during your tenure as president? What role do you think AG Bell can pay in advancing the field of listening and spoken language?

D.G.: I plan to serve as an AG Bell ambassador through my personal travels and via upcoming presentations in New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Brussels and Holland, as well as visiting AG Bell chapters, private school programs focused on listening and spoken language, and public school programs. My goal is to increase awareness of The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center among parents and professionals, and to increase the number of LSLSs to meet the needs of children with hearing loss. I also plan to increase communication and collaboration with other professional and consumers groups involved in the field of hearing loss. Ultimately, when parents

learn that their child has hearing loss, I hope their next thought will be, “my child is going to be great!”

V.V.: Is there anything else that you’d like to tell us about yourself that will help AG Bell members know you bet-ter? What about your life outside of work?

D.G.: My greatest joy in life is family. I enjoy spending time with my wife and my granddaughter, Sarah Jaelle, who is now almost 3 years old. My stepson, Nicholas, and his wife Adrienne will soon have their second child. I like to swim laps to clear my head and try to stay fit, and I enjoy attend-ing church with my wife while continuing to celebrate my faith.

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Donald Goldberg credits the children and families he works with as his mentors and inspiration.


Honors of the Association 2012 Recipient

Karen Youdelman

On Saturday, June 30, as part of the AG Bell 2012 Convention, AG Bell President Kathleen Treni

will present Karen Youdelman, Ed.D., with the 2012 Honors of the Association award. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated dedication to, and sustained efforts toward, the mis-sion of AG Bell. Past recipients include former AG Bell president Kathleen Sussman, Mildred Oberkotter, Dr. Stephen Epstein, Helen Beebe, Doreen Pollack, Bruce A. Goldstein, Esq., Ken Levinson and Inez Janger, among others.

Youdelman is a past AG Bell presi-dent and board member, and has been

a member of AG Bell for over 30 years. During her time as president, Youdelman led AG Bell through a period of great transition, reorganized the association’s leadership and man-agement structure, and supported the launch of the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLSTM) certifica-tion through AG Bell’s subsidiary, the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language.

Throughout her career, Youdelman has tremendously influenced the field of listening and spoken language develop-ment while serving in diverse capacities: as a speech-auditory training teacher at the Lexington School for the Deaf in

New York City, adjunct assistant profes-sor at Columbia University, educational consultant with the Cochlear Implant Program of Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, and senior research associate evaluating advanced speech training technology for Matsushita (Panasonic) Corporation. She co-authored the Fundamental Speech Skills Test (FSST) and the “Guidebook for Voice Pitch Remediation in Hearing-Impaired Speakers,” critical tools used by professionals in the field. At the begin-ning of her varied career, she worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil where she organized a hospital-based speech and hearing clinic and trained profes-

By Melody Felzien


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Honors of the Association 2012 Recipient

Karen Youdelman

sional staff engaged in teaching children with profound hearing losses.

“Karen was selected to join this group of distinguished honorees because of her outstanding efforts on behalf of children and adults with hearing loss, and her stead-fast leadership at AG Bell,” said Treni. “She was at the helm of AG Bell during a period of great transition and helped lead AG Bell into a period of growth and resurgence.”

Volta Voices had the pleasure of inter-viewing Youdelman about her tremen-dous commitment to AG Bell.

Volta Voices: What motivated you to become involved in AG Bell? Who were some of your mentors?

Karen Youdelman: Eleanor Vorce, who taught the course “Teaching Speech to the Deaf ” in the combined Columbia University/Lexington School for the Deaf teacher training program, was instrumental in introducing me to AG Bell. At our first session in 1965, she announced to the class: “If you are going to be a professional in the field of deafness then you WILL join AG Bell,” and subsequently handed each of us a student membership form. Eleanor was indeed one of my first mentors. Dr. Ann Mulholland, coordinator of the teacher training program at Columbia University, was a firm believer in the ability of children who are profoundly deaf to acquire spoken language through listening and speaking, even when it was not “fashionable” to do so. She not only instilled this belief in me, but encouraged me to go beyond my two master’s degrees to pursue a doctorate in special education.

For my first student teaching assign-ment at the Lexington School, I had the luck of being placed in a kindergarten classroom with Janet Head Donaldson, a true master teacher. Janet was not the usual purveyor of knowledge, but had an incredible understanding of “teacher as facilitator” and masterfully crafted each learning experience/lesson to facilitate the process of discovery within young children. Dr. Harry Levitt, a distin-guished scientist and researcher, first introduced me to the notion of “teacher as researcher” and taught me the value of using sensory aids (from visual and tactile devices to electropalatography) to facilitate the development of spoken language in children with profound hearing loss.

V.V.: What accomplishments are you most proud of during your tenure as president of the AG Bell board?

K.Y.: I am proud of many of the pro-grams and initiatives completed under my purview. Specifically, with the help

of other AG Bell leaders (most notably Inez Janger and Jay Wyant), stabilizing and guiding the organization during a difficult period of transition, including the hiring of a new executive director (a terrific choice who is now in his 5th year at AG Bell). Another is the launch of the LSLS certification program through the AG Bell Academy, which introduced a new certification track for educators (LSLS Cert. AVEd). Finally, in conjunc-tion with the governance/organizational task force, we introduced a new gov-ernance model that aligned with best practices in association management and supported a growing need to be more efficient in decision-making processes. I believe this has led the way for a stronger association today.

V.V.: How do you think that experience influenced your career?

K.Y.: First and foremost, my experience as president forced me to uncover skills and abilities that I never knew I had…in addition to acquiring many new skills, particularly in financial management! It was an incredible growth experience on a personal level. But, fortunately, I had a great set of mentors at AG Bell who were always there to help.

The experience also taught me the value of working collaboratively to forge new paths. No matter what the task is, you can’t do it alone. Success in any career is an outgrowth of your relationship with others. At AG Bell, there is an incredible support system – staff, board of directors, volunteers, professionals, parents, students, allied organizations, donors, etc. Each con-stituency has a valuable contribution to make in strengthening the organization as a whole. The key is to recognize and engage these important resources.

V.V.: What advice do you have for the next generation of professionals work-ing with children with hearing loss?

Throughout her career, Youdelman has tremendously influenced the field of listening and spoken language development while serving in diverse capacities.


K.Y.: First, expand your knowledge base and skills to fields beyond a focus on hearing loss. Go beyond your com-fort level and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to your work. We are in the midst of a huge knowledge explosion, facilitated by advanced technology and widespread Internet access. Current research in brain imaging, cognitive processing, learning styles, and cultural and linguistic diversity, among oth-ers, all have relevance to children with hearing loss.

Second, be aware of both the posi-tives and pitfalls of technology. The use of computers, tablets and smartphones should be used, when appropriate, to supplement good teaching, not supplant it. Make sure that the use of technol-ogy enhances your teaching goals and objectives rather than being a goal in and of itself.

Third, learn a second language! Become culturally competent. Given the shift-ing U.S. demographics, there will be an increasing number of families in the United States for whom English is not the first or primary language. Professionals providing school-based services will need to be prepared to work with students with hearing loss from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups.

Finally, “we’ve come a long way, baby!” with the advent of cochlear implants and digital hearing aids. However, not all children who are deaf

are candidates for cochlear implants and not all families choose a spoken language outcome for their child with hearing loss. As professionals we must respect the right of parents to choose what’s best for their child. The next gen-eration of professionals must be knowl-edgeable about all available options and possess the requisite skills to work with all types of children with hearing loss.

V.V.: What do you see is the future role of AG Bell in expanding opportuni-ties for children with hearing loss to acquire listening and spoken language?

K.Y.: Expanding opportunities involves both increasing the number of profes-sionals specifically trained in spoken language development as well as increas-ing the number of public (and private) school programs designed to foster and enhance listening and speaking. As more and more children with hearing loss enter the mainstream at younger and younger ages, the responsibility for spoken language development shifts from specialized early intervention to general education in the child’s home school district. A future role of AG Bell will be to offer professional training opportunities through The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center for educators and other professionals in mainstream and clinic settings who work with children with hearing loss. The availability of online information and resources becomes even more crucial in the current climate of tight budgets and reduced funding for offsite profes-sional development programs.

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School for Exceptional Children in rural Brazil, where Youdelman worked during her time in the Peace Corps.


AG Bell’s Knowledge Center has the potential for providing outreach, net-working and learning opportunities – not only for professionals within the United States, but for professionals abroad as well. I recently returned from visiting a small, rural program for children who are deaf in Ajijic, Mexico. The program has a highly dedicated staff with little or no opportunities for professional develop-ment. They are hungry for information. With the launch of The Knowledge Center, the possibilities are endless!

The AG Bell Academy has many oppor-tunities for growth as LSLS and other professionals begin serving families from culturally diverse ethnic and/or linguistic backgrounds, both at home and globally. The expansion of the LSLS certification

to include languages other than English will increase opportunities for all children with hearing loss to acquire listening and spoken language. Our time is now! I look forward to being a part of this “new age” for AG Bell.

Youdelman is currently a speech-language consultant with the Cuyahoga County Board of Education working with the Mayfield City Schools in Cleveland, Ohio, and president of the Ohio Chapter of AG Bell. Youdelman obtained bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology and audiol-ogy from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and her M.A., M.Ed., and Ed.D. degrees in Special Education for the Hearing Impaired from Columbia University in New York.

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Youdelman has enjoyed a very rich career as an educator, clinician and researcher.

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The expansion of the LSLS certification to include languages other than English will increase opportunities for all children with hearing loss to acquire listening and spoken language.

20 VOLTAVOICES•MAY/JUNE2012

Over the last several months you have heard a lot about The Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge

Center, AG Bell’s largest initiative to date. And you may be wondering how the online resource will actually function. As the first phase of The Knowledge Center launches in May, we would like to preview what you can expect now, and what’s on the horizon as The Knowledge Center continues to build and expand.

Ages & Stages – The Knowledge Center is being built around an Ages & Stages model of content delivery. Our goal is that once a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, parents are guided to

The Knowledge Center by professionals and other parents to find information about hearing loss and communication options. As their children with hear-ing loss grow, parents/caregivers will be directed to information specific to their child’s age and stage of language development.

The Knowledge Center will launch with a focus on the 0-4 age range, providing a guided approach to making decisions for children with hearing loss under the age of 4. This experience will include tips and strategies, download-able checklists and tools, information about hearing loss and spoken language communication, and captioned videos and support letters from real parents

and children discussing their jour-ney. As The Knowledge Center grows, content will expand to focus on the subsequent ages and stages: preschool, elementary, middle and high school, and college/career.

Innovative Design – The Knowledge Center will have a com-pletely new and fresh look from the current AG Bell website. The new design is clean and organized, making it easier for you to find the information you want in a much easier and simple process. Features of the new design include information organized by age, stage and topic, a robust search engine, and highly interactive content. The KC will be a smart website – the more

What IS a Listening and Spoken Knowledge Center?By Elizabeth Reed-Martinez and Melody Felzien

VOLTAVOICES•MAY/JUNE2012 21

you experience and select information to access, the more the site will feature similar types of content suggestions upon each visit. The Knowledge Center will provide you with a completely per-sonalized and unique experience.

Tools You Can Use – For profes-sionals, the same high level of content and material will be available but in a much more user-friendly format. We are refreshing a lot of the existing informa-tion, and presenting it in an interactive and usable way. Checklists, interactive guides and step-by-step strategies will add a level of value to help guide new professionals and provide new tools for existing ones. You can expect a site

that speaks to your specific needs and careers, and content targeted towards your preferences and area of focus.

FREE Member Preview – At the launch of The Knowledge Center, there will be no member-only firewalls. All content will be available to everyone. The Knowledge Center is being built as an interactive, improved resource. Much of the existing content will be expanded and we want everyone to have an opportunity to experience this new delivery model

Two Sites in One – The current AG Bell website will still be avail-able, and will redirect as appropri-ate to The Knowledge Center at

www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org. The current URL, www.agbell.org, will not disappear and AG Bell will continue to advocate, support and publish mate-rial on listening and spoken language outcomes. However, you may need to update your browser bookmarks as many pages are being updated and transitioning to the new site structure. The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language, a subsidiary of AG Bell, and the Academy website will also be housed within the structure of The Knowledge Center, providing you with a seamless transition if the content being sought is available through the Academy’s materials.

The Knowledge Center will provide you with a completely personalized and unique experience.

Interactive features will engage users and provide detailed information for managing hearing loss.


AG Bell 2012 ConventionThe Knowledge Center will be a popular attraction in the exhibit hall of the AG Bell 2012 Convention. Attendees will be offered a tour of the new site at the Internet café kiosks, and different prizes will be given away every day for those who register as new users of the Knowledge Center. In addition, we will highlight the winners of our “Why I Love Hearing Technology” video contest, adding an interactive element to your experi-ence. If you’re attending the Convention, June 28-July 2 in Scottsdale, Ariz., you won’t want to miss this chance to experience The Knowledge Center for yourself.

On the HorizonWhile the initial launch will include a new, interactive design and usable content, The Knowledge Center will continue to expand. Over the coming year, parents can expect additional information within the ages and stages structure, and more guided content as their children grow and develop robust listening and spoken language skills. Professionals can expect more online profes-sional development opportunities and tools to help them work towards certification as a

Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS™). Future features will include mobile apps that focus on language and learning, shared learning opportunities and interactive tools for language development.

So how can you help? Preview The Knowledge Center and send us your feedback. If you see a need or would like information on a specific topic, tell us! The Knowledge Center was created to meet your

needs—your feedback is extremely valuable. Please send your comments about the new website to [email protected].

As we move forward in develop-ing online learning, we hope The Knowledge Center will meet the specific and diverse needs of The AG Bell com-munity. Please visit www.agbell.org today to experience The Knowledge Center and everything it offers.

The AG Bell community is very active in using social media to engage and meet others with similar questions, interests and information to share. Take a look at what people are talking about:

Facebook—www.facebook.com/AGBellCommunity

Twitter—twitter.com/AGBellAssoc

YouTube—www.youtube.com/AGBellAssociation

LinkedIn—www.linkedin.com and search for “AG Bell” to network with other professionals and peers

Pinterest—www.pinterest.com/listenspoken

We look forward to seeing you online!

AG Bell Community Online

Here’s what one family shared with us about their relationship with AG Bell —

“As hearing parents of a child with hearing loss, we are so grateful that organizations like AG Bell exist. You have provided us with informational resources, links to other parents who have children with hearing loss, and much-needed and appreciated financial assistance. All of this has helped make our daughter who she is today. We

cannot thank you enough. You really do make a difference!”

AG Bell Programs for FamiliesAG Bell programs are designed to

provide assistance and support for

families with children who are deaf

and hard of hearing over the course

of the child’s journey to adulthood.

Preschool-Age Financial Aid Program

preschool

Parent-Infant Financial Aid Program

birth to three

• School-Age Financial Aid Program

• Arts & Sciences Financial Award

Program

• Leadership Opportunities for Teens

(LOFT) Program

elementary and high school

• Parent Advocacy Training (P.A.T.)

• AG Bell Biennial Convention

programs to benefit parents and familiesat any point in your child’s development

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Support group programming is often geared towards parents and caregivers of children with hearing loss in need of connec-

tion and shared experiences with other families. However, children with hearing loss and their siblings also need to share experiences and commonalities with oth-ers. In the past, support programming has been offered solely to parents and caregivers with childcare offered for chil-dren. While childcare is an appropriate option for younger children ages birth to 5, this time is seldom seen as an opportu-nity to provide a separate support group for older children ages 5 and up.

Hearing from the Heart is an innovative family support group program at Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Mo., that not only provides a parent support group with childcare for young children, but also provides support programming for older children too. For Hearing from the Heart, children stay after school until their parents and siblings join them for an early dinner, and then the group splits into three: a parent group, a children’s group and birth-5 childcare. Parents focus on their own support group (see page 28) knowing that their children are creating friendships, learning new skills and prac-ticing positive self-expression. This article outlines the specific steps for organizing,

facilitating and maintaining an effective support group for children with hearing loss and their siblings that has proven to be a successful framework for the children’s component of a family support group.

Step 1: Consistent OrganizationBecause a children’s support group pro-gram usually takes place after school and is often in a casual setting, it is essential to follow simple first-day procedures that are key to success. ʶ Create a routine and group rules.

Children respond positively to rou-tine. From the start, explain how each session will transpire. This is done

for ChildrenBy Melanie Paticoff

Creating a Successful Support Group Program


verbally, in writing or through the use of a visual schedule. Though there may be different activities planned each week, the structure generally remains consistent.

ʶ Create a safe and supportive envi-ronment. Children feel most at ease and willing to step outside of their comfort zones when they feel safe and supported. Including the chil-dren when establishing group rules helps them to take ownership for the way they conduct themselves during the sessions. Depending on the age, language levels and behavior of the children, guidelines should be limited to five or less.

ʶ Choose a meeting space. Locate a space conducive to playing, socializing and learning. A classroom staffed by volunteers is appropriate for children under the age of 5, while a separate room for older children is ideal for structured support group activities.

Step 2: effective FacilitationEffective facilitation is a crucial step in helping children to participate, share and benefit from the support group. ʶ Choose a group focus. The Hearing

from the Heart children’s program chooses to focus on music for a pleth-ora of reasons (see Chen et al., 2010, for example). First, music is a group activity that lends itself to collabora-tion and expression. Second, it has the potential for social benefits. Learning current popular songs allows children with hearing loss to share experiences with their peers with typical hear-ing. Third, children learn the skill of teaching themselves new songs. They learn to listen to music while reading the lyrics and pairing hand motions or dances to remember the words. Fourth, music activities can improve rhythm, pitch and auditory percep-tion but need consistent practice to do so, which support group time provides. Finally, music lends itself

to self-expression and discussion. Some songs have fun beats to dance to while others have lyrics that trigger thoughtful responses and stories.

ʶ Choose songs wisely. Because social and emotional benefits drive the music selection choice in a music-focused sup-port group, it is important not to limit music to simple melodies or instruments. Popular music today is complex, but with the help of visual lyrics, appropri-ate language and a focus on the chorus, children with hearing loss can success-fully enjoy and appreciate a range of music selections. When choosing songs, consider the following: complexity of language, reading level required for lyr-ics, popularity of artist/song, motivating topic or genre, simplicity of chorus, ease of memorization, and ability to be con-nected with dance/hand motions.

ʶ Incorporate technology. Incorporating technology into a children’s group, especially one with a focus on music, not only saves time and resources but is also highly motivating for students. In Hearing from the Heart, an iPad is used to watch videos with lyrics on YouTube, learn about artists and explore musi-cal applications. Short videos are captured of the children participating in various activities, and these clips are later presented to the parents at

An aud itory learning curriculum

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Children with hearing loss and their siblings need to share experiences and commonalities with others.


the final session. This not only helps parents see what their children do while they are in sessions of their own, but also builds a sense of pride and accomplishment amongst the children. See the sidebar on p. 27 for recommendations of technology you

can incorporate into a children’s sup-port group.

ʶ Vary the activities. It is important to vary the activities within the group’s focus to reach different learners in the group. While some children love to sing, others may remain resistant to participation. When music is combined with choreography, art, poetry or writ-ing, however, these children often open up and become eager participants. Activities that combine both music

and art therapy techniques, in which children are asked to draw a picture while listening to a song, are particularly successful. The children’s color choice, strokes on the page and content of the picture all provide insight into their responses to the music. A creative activity that exposes children’s interests is making a vision board. Children cut and paste pictures from magazines onto poster board as music plays in the background. Doing this towards the beginning of a program provides an easy and fun way

to learn about the children. Additionally, children who prefer writing to art can write their own songs, modify existing ones or write poetry based on themes of hearing loss.

These variations are especially impor-tant for siblings with typical hearing who often lack opportunities to express their feelings regarding the impact of hearing loss on their own lives. For many of these activities, asking open-ended questions about the children’s work, such as “Tell me about your picture,” will allow the children to share their thoughts without limitations.

Step 3: maintain ParticipationMaintaining participation through adaptations to activities to keep children’s interest ensures that they look forward and return to future meetings.

Be Flexible and Adaptable. When children begin to feel comfortable in the group, self-expression and growth

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Children in the Hearts for Hearing support group engage in creative activities, such as making a vision board or learning songs.


occur. Many of the activities should be designed for children with hearing loss, but often they provide an outlet for their siblings with typical hearing as well. Initially, some of the older siblings may resist participating in activities with the younger children. By giving them special roles in activities, such as choreography assistant or videographer, these children may be more likely to participate and may also share their feelings and fears about the effects of hearing loss on their lives. Welcoming feedback from the children and following their leads helps create useful modifications to activities that still fulfill core values and objectives of the program.

It is important to follow through with activities and avoid becoming discouraged. It takes time for the children to feel comfortable, open up, and improve their social and creative skills. Organizing, facilitating and maintaining an appropriate and

meaningful support group for children with hearing loss and their siblings ensures the success of a complete family support group, providing invaluable rewards to all involved.

referenceChen, J.K., Chuang, A.Y., McMahon, C., Hsieh,

J.C., Tung, T.H., & Li, L.P. (2010). Music training improves pitch perception in prelingually deafened children with cochlear implants. Pediatrics, 125(4), e793-e800.

1. An iPad is motivating for the students, portable for the facilitator, and provides access to thousands of educational and musical applications.

2. The Soulo Karaoke app from the iTunes App Store provides a visual of the song lyrics as the music plays to help children keep the beat of the music while they watch themselves sing on camera.

3. The Freeze Dance app from the iTunes App Store automatically starts and stops music to create an auditory detection dance game.

4. The iMovie app is a simple way to edit clips of the children to present to the parents.

5. A SmartBoard is an engaging tool for educational activities and displaying videos of the children.

recommended Technology Includes:


Parents of children with hearing loss often feel isolated and express a need to connect with other families in similar situations.

Sharing stories and emotions is powerful for families who experience the impact of hearing loss. As David Luterman (2004) states, “It is when a group of parents can meet and share their experiences that validation occurs and the healing process can begin. This is the immense value of a support group.” Yet, designing, facilitat-ing and maintaining an effective parent support group can be difficult due to several factors.

Many parents have demanding work responsibilities and schedules. Often

families have other commitments, such as recreational sports, community clubs and religious activities. Some families are apprehensive about committing to yet another appointment, especially one that draws attention to a sensitive subject like their child’s hearing loss. Additionally, many parents are uncertain about the pur-pose of a support group and feel a sense of vulnerability that may lead them to avoid such situations.

With these obstacles in mind, organiz-ing, facilitating and maintaining a suc-cessful program requires careful planning. Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) in St. Louis currently offers Hearing from the Heart, a family support program that

includes group meetings for parents and caregivers as well as concurrent meetings providing support to children with hearing loss and their siblings. This article outlines the specific steps CID took to organize, facilitate and maintain a parent support program, which has proven to be a success-ful framework for the parent component of a family support group.

Step 1: Logistical Organization The way meetings are organized directly affects participants’ feelings about the meetings and is crucial to their participa-tion. The following are some considerations for organizing meetings:

Parent Support Program

Creating a Successful

By Patricia Hoffman


ʶ Frequency of meetings is dependent upon group needs. Hearing from the Heart began as a series of six consecutive meetings provided once a week for six weeks. This was intentionally planned to build trust and rapport among partici-pants. Meetings are now held monthly to accommodate family schedules.

ʶ Environment is a crucial consideration. A private meeting space, free from dis-tractions and with adult-sized seating, is necessary. A seating arrangement that promotes talking and active listening is also important. Hearing from the Heart parent meetings are held in a private area with ample seating where partici-pants face one another. The time and

length of the meetings is an important consideration. Typically, the most convenient time is after work hours so meetings can end with ample time for parents to carryout nighttime routines. The length of the session is determined by group need. Hearing from the Heart is offered from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

ʶ Childcare between the end of the school day and the start of the session is necessary for many families. Hearing from the Heart offers free afterschool child care.

ʶ Childcare during the family meetings is necessary so parents can openly share and be free from distraction. Hearing from the Heart offers childcare in a preschool classroom with materials available for children of various ages.

Step 2: Effective Facilitation Facilitating a group parent meeting is very different from meeting with individual families. Effective facilitation requires maintaining the purpose of the group while acknowledging the needs of indi-viduals within the group. The following are some techniques for effective facilitation: ʶ Let the families be the decision mak-

ers. Effective facilitation requires that families be the primary decision makers for the agenda items of each meeting. A recurrent routine for each session builds comfort, which in turn increases participation at the meetings. A typical meeting might include asking a guiding question at the start of the meeting with ample time for responses. Additional agenda items include topics that have been determined by families at previous meetings. At the close of the meeting, participants are asked to recap their experience and provide their ideas for the next meeting’s agenda. The first Hearing from the Heart session focuses on getting to know one another and determining agendas for the next meet-ings. Subsequent meetings included parent-determined agenda items, such as keeping current on hearing technol-

ogy, transitioning to the mainstream, talking to a parent panel about their experiences, helping extended family understand hearing loss and accessing community resources. For participants who feel very little control over areas of their child’s life, this deliberate strategy of determining agenda topics is quite empowering.

ʶ Require group-determined guidelines. Participants should be asked to list “pet peeves,” which are then rephrased into guidelines. Facilitators should encour-age participants to adhere to these guidelines, avoid acting as enforcers and coach participants to self-advocate when guidelines are violated. Effective facilitators draw attention to the group’s response to violation while maintaining dignity. For example, if someone who is monopolizing the conversation, the facilitator might comment, “Thank you for sharing. I’m sensing someone else might be ready to share now.”

ʶ Listen for the feelings behind the words. While a parent may appear to be relay-ing information regarding her child’s audiogram, the facilitator may draw attention to the feelings of uncertainty and grief the parent is experiencing. Encouraging participants to listen and respond to one another provides a sense of connection that is critical to the group’s success.

ʶ Identify commonalities among participants. Although diverse topics are discussed, usually parents reveal a common underlying emotion of fear that may be expressed as anxiety, sad-ness, anger or withdrawal. Recognizing similar emotion among participants often provides the support they need to continue their parenting journey.

Step 3: Maintain Participation Parents are more likely to make meetings a priority if incentives are offered. The following are some considerations when offering incentives:

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Effective facilitation requires maintaining the purpose of the group while acknowledging the needs of individuals within the group.


ʶ Offer free family-friendly dinners. Often national chain restaurants will offer a discounted rate for schools. Utilizing local restaurants that offer delivery service is convenient for both the participants and the facilitator.

ʶ Give out attendance prizes. Gift cards to area restaurants, convenience stores or gas stations can generate motivation to attend. Tuition reduction or vouch-ers for school-based activities can also be useful incentives.

ʶ Provide childcare that is fun for the children. Children look forward to the meetings as they interact and social-ize with one another. Parents are more at ease knowing their children are enjoying the time. The Hearing from the Heart program organized child-care volunteers by connecting with university students seeking volunteer opportunities. Alumni or high school students seeking service projects are another source for volunteers as are local community service organizations and businesses.

Parents who participate in support meetings benefit by feeling less isolated and more connected with other families in similar situations. Using these specific steps for organizing, facilitating and maintaining one can create a parent sup-

port program that meets the needs of the families in your program.

ReferenceLuterman, D. (2004). Counseling families of children

with hearing loss and special needs. The Volta Review, 104(4), 215-220.

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Childcare should be provided during parent support group meetings, and should be fun and engaging for the children.

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La creación de un programa de apoyo para padres exitoso

Con frecuencia los padres de niños con problemas de audición se sienten aislados y necesitan mantener cone-

xiones con otras familias que atraviesan situaciones similares. Para las familias que experimentan el impacto de la pérdida de audición es importante compartir historias y emociones. Como manifiesta David Lutermann (2004), «Solo cuando un grupo de padres se puede reunir y compartir experiencias es que se produce esa validación y puede empezar el proceso de sanación. Este es el enorme valor de los grupos de apoyo». Aún así, el diseño, facilitación y mantenimiento de un grupo

de apoyo para padres eficaz puede ser difícil debido a varios factores.

Muchos padres tienen agendas y responsabilidades laborales exigentes. Con frecuencia las familias tienen otros compromisos, como deportes recreativos, clubes comunitarios y actividades religio-sas. A algunas familias les inquieta tener un compromiso más, en especial si es uno que dirige la atención a un tema sensible tal como es la pérdida de audición de sus niños. Asimismo, muchos padres no están muy seguros sobre el objetivo de un grupo de apoyo y la vulnerabilidad que sienten les puede llevar a evitar este tipo de situaciones.

Con estos obstáculos en mente, la orga-nización, facilitación y mantenimiento de un programa exitoso requiere una plani-ficación cuidadosa. El Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) en San Luis, EE.UU., ofrece en la actualidad Hearing from the Heart (Oír desde el corazón), un pro-grama de apoyo para familias que incluye reuniones en grupo para padres y cuida-dores, así como reuniones simultáneas de apoyo para niños con pérdidas de audición y sus hermanos. Este artículo describe los pasos específicos que CID llevó a cabo para organizar, facilitar y mantener un programa de apoyo para padres, que ha probado ser un marco de trabajo exitoso

Por Patricia Hoffman


para el componente de padres de un grupo de apoyo para familias.

Paso 1: Organización logística ʶ La forma en la que se organizan las

reuniones tiene un efecto directo en los sentimientos de los participantes relativos a las reuniones y es vital para su participación. A continuación se pre-sentan algunas cosas que hay que tener en cuenta para organizar las reuniones:

ʶ La frecuencia de las reuniones dependerá de las necesidades del grupo. El programa Hearing from the Heart empezó como una serie de seis reuniones consecutivas que tenían

lugar una vez por semana durante seis semanas. Esto se planificó de esta forma adrede para desarrollar la confianza y compenetración entre los participantes. Ahora las reuniones se llevan a cabo mensualmente para acomodar las agendas familiares.

ʶ El entorno es una consideración crucial. Un espacio privado para las reuniones, libre de distracciones y con asientos para adultos, es necesario. Una disposición de asientos que promueva la comuni-cación y la escucha activa, también es importante. Las reuniones de padres de Hearing from the Heart se llevan a cabo en una zona privada con asientos amplios en los que los participantes se sientan unos frente a otros. La hora y la duración de las reuniones es algo importante que hay que tener en cuenta. Por lo general, la hora más práctica es después del trabajo para que las reuniones puedan terminar con tiempo de sobra para que los padres puedan realizar sus rutinas nocturnas. La duración de la sesión lo determina las necesidades del grupo. Las reuniones de Hearing from the Heart se llevan a cabo de 5:00-7:00 p.m.

ʶ Muchas familias necesitan servicio de guardería entre el final de la jornada escolar y el inicio de la sesión. Hearing from the Heart ofrece servicio de guar-dería gratuito después de clases.

ʶ Es necesario tener servicio de guar-dería durante las reuniones familiares para que los padres puedan compartir con libertad y no tener distracciones. Hearing from the Heart ofrece el servi-cio de guardería en un aula de preesco-lar y cuenta con materiales para niños de diferentes edades.

Paso 2: Facilitación eficaz Facilitar una reunión con un grupo de padres es muy diferente de las reuniones con familias individuales. La facilitación eficaz requiere mantener presente el obje-tivo del grupo a la vez que se reconocen las necesidades de las personas dentro del mismo. A continuación se presentan algu-nas cosas que hay que tener en cuenta para facilitar eficazmente: ʶ Permitir que las familias sean las que

tomen las decisiones. La facilitación

eficaz requiere que las familias sean las que toman las decisiones respecto a los puntos de la agenda de cada reunión. Una rutina constante para cada sesión desarrolla la comodidad, lo que a su vez aumenta la participación en las reuniones. Una reunión típica podría incluir una pregunta guiada al inicio de la reunión con tiempo de sobra para las respuestas. Entre los puntos adiciona-les de la agenda se incluyen los temas que las familias hayan determinado en reuniones anteriores. Al cierre de la reunión, se les pide a los participantes que recapitulen su experiencia y que proporcionen ideas para la agenda de la próxima reunión. La primera sesión de Hearing from the Heart se centra en hacer que todos se conozcan y en determinar las agendas para las próximas reuniones. Las reuniones siguientes incluyen puntos en la agenda determinados por los padres, como mantenerse al corriente de la tecnología de audífonos, pasar a un sistema edu-cativo normal, hablar ante un panel de padres sobre sus experiencias, ayudar a los demás miembros de la familia que entiendan la pérdida de audición y acceder a los recursos de la comunidad. Para los participantes que sienten que tienen muy poco control sobre áreas determinadas de la vida de sus niños, esta estrategia deliberada de determinar los temas de la agenda les hace sentir que están en control.

ʶ Requerir pautas determinadas por el grupo. Se les debe pedir a los par-ticipantes una lista de «cosas que les disgustan», que se reformularán en las pautas. Los facilitadores deben animar a los participantes a respetar estas pautas, evitar actuar como ejecutores y preparar-los para que las defiendan cuando éstas estén siendo incumplidas. Los facilita-dores eficaces dirigen la atención en la respuesta del grupo al incumplimiento a la vez que mantienen la dignidad. Por ejemplo, si alguien está monopolizando la conversación, el facilitador puede comentar, «Gracias por compartir. Tengo la sensación que alguien más está listo para compartir ahora».

ʶ Escuchar los sentimientos detrás de las palabras. Si bien puede parecer que un padre esté reproduciendo la información

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relativa al audiograma de su niña, el facilitador puede dirigir la atención a los sentimientos de incertidumbre y dolor que el padre está experimentando. Animar a los participantes a escuchar y responder a los demás proporciona un sentido de conexión que es fundamen-tal para el éxito del grupo.

ʶ Identificar las cosas en común que tienen los participantes. A pesar de que se habla de varios temas, por lo general, los padres revelan una emoción común subyacente de miedo que pueden expresar como ansiedad, tristeza, ira o retraimiento. Con frecuencia, el reco-nocimiento de las emociones similares entre los participantes les proporciona el apoyo que necesitan para continuar con su camino como padres.

Paso 3: Mantener la participación Es mucho más probable que los padres les den prioridad a las reuniones si se ofrecen

incentivos. A continuación se presentan algunas cosas que hay que tener en cuenta para ofrecer incentivos: ʶ Ofrecer cenas gratuitas pensadas en las

familias. Con frecuencia los restau-rantes de cadenas nacionales ofrecerán descuentos a las escuelas. Utilizar los restaurantes locales que tengan servicio de entrega es práctico tanto para los participantes como para el facilitador.

ʶ Entregar premios por asistencia. Tarjetas regalo para los restaurantes locales, comercios y gasolineras pueden generar motivaciones para asistir. La reducción en la cuota o vales para las actividades extraescolares pueden servir como incentivos.

ʶ Ofrecer un servicio de guardería que sea divertido para los niños. Los niños esperan con ansiedad las reuniones ya que pueden interactuar y socializarse con los demás niños. Los padres están más tranquilos si saben que sus niños están disfru-

tando. El programa Hearing from the Heart organizó voluntarios para el servicio de guardería poniéndose en contacto con estudiantes univer-sitarios que buscaban oportunidades de voluntariado. Antiguos alumnos o estudiantes de instituto que bus-can proyectos de servicio son otra fuente de voluntarios al igual que las organizaciones y empresas locales de servicio comunitario. Los padres que participan en las

reuniones de apoyo se benefician de no sentirse tan aislados y más conectados con otras familias en situaciones similares. Usar estos pasos específicos para organizar, facilitar y mantener una puede ayudar a crear un programa de apoyo para padres que cumpla las necesidades de las familias dentro de su programa.

ReferenciaLuterman, D. (2004). Counseling families of children

with hearing loss and special needs. The Volta Review, 104(4), 215-220.

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W hen it comes to audi-tory development, hear-ing and listening are not the same. Hearing

is simply the act of perceiving sound. Listening is what the brain does with that sound. Listening requires attention and effortful processing, a much more demanding task than perception (Cole & Flexer, 2011). Advances in hearing technology have led to improved access to sound for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Although this access to sound is the foundation for auditory development, the goal is to achieve audi-tory learning, the ability to gain new information through listening alone. Children, especially preschoolers, learn

much of what they need to know about their world through listening. They learn to negotiate play, make requests, gain new information, and have their needs and desires met by listening to the adults and peers around them. While much of what preschoolers learn is spoken directly to them, they also learn from what they overhear.

Typically, we learn to listen and talk if our brains have access to sound and if they have thousands of hours of listen-ing experience in the first 5 years of life (Dehaene, 2009). But how do we help children who are deaf or hard of hearing learn to listen as early as possible so that they can learn new information through listening? What does it take to help

them learn to listen – not just hear? This article describes three factors that must be present in order for preschool-ers who are deaf or hard of hearing to acquire these critical auditory learning skills: audiologic management, auditory training and naturally-occurring oppor-tunities for listening.

Audiologic ManagementA monumental achievement in the life of a child with hearing loss is to prog-ress from being a new hearing aid or cochlear implant user to attaining the ability to learn by listening. Auditory perceptual development – the process of engaging the brain to listen to and think about sounds – requires guidance

By Lynda Berkowitz, M.S., CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd

Auditory Learning in Preschoolers:Tips for Professionals


from professionals highly qualified in the development of listening and spo-ken language.

First, pediatric audiologists must ensure appropriate individualized hearing technology for young chil-dren. Digital hearing aids and cochlear implants provide high quality acous-tic access to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Listening and spoken language professionals must work closely with audiologists to provide daily checks of these devices. Without appropriate and adequately maintained devices, auditory development can-not proceed. In addition, preschool teachers must maintain as acoustically appropriate a learning environment as

possible for executing structured audi-tory development tasks. This includes providing classroom acoustic treatments (such as carpet, drapes and other soft wall treatments), limiting background noise by closing doors and eliminating fans, and monitoring students’ hearing status through daily listening checks (Estes, 2010).

Auditory TrainingListening skills need to build on one another from the simplest skill (detecting the absence or presence of sound) to the most complex (gaining new information through listening). These skills are established through daily auditory training – highly struc-tured teacher-directed listening activi-ties that follow a prescribed curriculum. Auditory training tasks are based on a hierarchy of auditory skill development that begins with detection (Was there a sound?), proceeds to discrimination (Is this sound different from another sound ?), continues to recognition/iden-tification (What made this sound?), and culminates in comprehension (Is there meaning to this sound?) (Hirsch, 1970; Pollack et al., 1997; Sindrey, 2002). Daily auditory training tasks must be practiced in an environment with minimal background noise.

An auditory training curricu-lum, such as the Speech Perception Instructional Curriculum and Evaluation (SPICE), provides profes-sionals with an assessment tool for determining present listening levels as well as a hierarchical, step-by-step curriculum useful for setting auditory goals, planning lesson objectives, track-ing students’ progress and reporting to parents (Biedenstein et al., 1995). Lessons using SPICE consist of inten-sive instruction toward specific, selected auditory objectives.

For example, within the objective of identifying among three stimuli differ-ing in duration, stress and/or intona-tion, the teacher uses a set of illustrated word cards. Using an acoustic hoop, the teacher labels the cards as they are placed in front of the child in sets of three. The acoustic hoop, included in the SPICE kit, allows the teacher to face

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the child and control the materials while ensuring the child has access to only the auditory cue without visual cues. The child is expected to point to the card named. Because the words in this set must differ in duration, stress and/or intonation, the set might include awww, nose and tee-hee-hee.

In another example, within the objective of discriminating among words differing in consonants, the child is expected to point to the word card named in a set of up to six. This set could include cheese, leaf, sheep, feet, bean and knee. SPICE is appropriate for preschoolers who, with appropri-ate technology and after learning the difficult task of distinguishing slight differences in speech sounds, often move through the curriculum in as little as one school year. Through this type of auditory training, teachers can help their students build the foundational skills necessary for more advanced auditory development.

Naturally-Occurring Opportunities In addition to skills developed through auditory training, children must acquire the ability to listen in naturally-occur-ring situations. Teachers, in partnership with families, need to be the bridge between the very structured tasks of auditory training and the ability to learn new information in a natural environ-ment through listening. Throughout the school day during small and large group language activities, teachers can carry over parents’ home efforts by using naturally-occurring situations as excellent opportunities to teach children how to listen to important information. Asking a child routinely, “Did you hear what your friend said?” challenges pre-schoolers to focus their auditory atten-tion to information that is important but not directed right to them. When a child “misses” what was said, the teacher can interject and direct the child to listen while the speaker repeats.

In addition, teachers must take advan-tage of typical preschool environments, such as centers time, outdoor play and gross motor activity time. These settings are generally most representative of the listening environments experienced by preschoolers with typical hearing. They are noisy, active and usually include a large number of children and adults. Teachers must take every opportunity to direct students to listen to incidental information and facilitate communicative interactions.

For example, when a child in a dra-matic play center guides a play scenario by giving a directive, “I’m gonna be the mom and you be the dad,” the teacher observes the response of the other child. If there is no indication that the other child has heard, the teacher can facilitate an interac-tion in a number of ways. She might ask, “Johnny, did you hear what Sarah said? Sarah, can you tell that to Johnny again? I don’t think he heard you.” Or, the teacher might repeat the directive, “Oh Sarah, you want to be the mom now and you want


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Johnny to be the dad. What do you think about that Johnny?” Alternately, the teacher can direct Sarah to repeat more deliber-ately, “Sarah, Johnny wasn’t listening. Get his attention and tell him again.” As stu-dents increase in their ability to overhear, they will recognize that what they hear around them is usually worth listening to.

Many naturally-occurring listening situ-ations arise in interactions with peers who have typical hearing. These are important and should be encouraged when possible. Peers with typical hearing are natural con-versation models and are often quite good at the give-and-take necessary for success-ful communication; however, it is crucial that highly qualified listening and spoken language professionals facilitate these inter-actions, just as parents facilitate these types of interactions in the home environment. Teachers should direct children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and respond to their peers with typical hearing, highlighting the importance of focusing their auditory attention and guiding them to take conver-

sational turns. With ongoing and consistent opportunities to recognize the value of listening, the ability to overhear develops.

SummaryIt is a huge leap for a child to progress from identifying beet vs. beep to asking his mom to take him to a movie because he overheard one of his friends talking about it. Yet, children with typical hearing achieve “learning through overhearing” by the time they are 18 months old (Floor & Akhtar, 2006). Most preschoolers who are deaf or hard of hearing require a great deal of listening guidance and practice to make the jump from auditory training to auditory learning. Educational profes-sionals working with these preschoolers must provide a continuum of auditory development services including audiologic management, auditory training and guid-ance in naturally-occurring opportunities for listening. Auditory training tasks build important foundational skills, but it is the continuous naturally-occurring opportuni-

ties to practice these listening skills that lead to the ability to overhear incidental language and learn from it.

ReferencesBiedenstien, J.J., Davidson, L.S., & Moog,

J.S. (1995). Speech Perception Instructional Curriculum and Evaluation (SPICE). St. Louis, MO: Central Institute for the Deaf.

Cole, E.B., & Flexer, C. (2011). Children with hearing loss: Developing listening and talking. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing.

Dehaene, S. (2009). Reading in the brain: The science and evolution of a human invention. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Estes, E. (2010). Listening, language, and learning: Skills of highly qualified listening and spoken language specialists in educational settings. Volta Review, 110, 169–178.

Floor, P., & Akhtar, N. (2006). Can 18-month-old infants learn words by listening in on conversations? Infancy, 9, 327–329.

Hirsch, I. (1970). Auditory training. In H. Davis & S. Silverman (Eds.). Hearing and deafness (pp. 346–359). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Wilson.

Pollack, D., Goldberg, D., & Caleffe-Schenk, N. (1997). Educational audiology for the limited-hearing infant and preschooler: An auditory-verbal program. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Sindrey, D. (2002). Listening games for littles (2nd

ed.). London, Canada: WordPlay Publications.


TIPS for parents

Raising a child who is hard of hearing produces a kind of urgency and anxiety that are difficult to reconcile. I

wanted to write something that would be helpful to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing – something that may ring true to some of their own experiences. I am the single parent of a child from Guatemala whom I adopted when she was 8 months old. An artist by profession, I teach MFA students for a modest salary as an adjunct profes-sor in Philadelphia, Penn. My daughter, Sofia, who is now 7 years old and in first grade, attends a small, progressive private school in suburban Philadelphia. She was diagnosed with a moderate-severe hearing loss and received hearing aids at about 3 years old.

Faced with Sofia’s needs and her options, I chose to pursue a listening and spoken language education and enrolled her for three years of preschool at Clarke School for Hearing and Speech in Bryn Mawr, Penn. The individual attention she received there, the professionalism of Clarke’s staff and the opportunity for Sofia to be with children who have similar chal-lenges were invaluable to her development at this critical stage.

Moving Sofia from Clarke to a main-stream kindergarten required difficult choices. I had to choose between my local city school or a small private school. After visiting both, I concluded, in spite of the financial burden, that she would be better “taken care of” in a school where class sizes were smaller and the teachers could be more attentive to each child’s indi-vidual needs. Giving up the availability of publicly provided and mandated services (such as an Individualized Education

Program [IEP]) was the trade off. This was not an easy choice, and was complicated by the fact that we live in one county and Sofia’s school, though not that far away, is in another.

I find that there is a lot of emphasis on preparing your child for mainstream-ing, but parents need preparation as well.

I have met many parents who have had a difficult time with this, either by not get-ting the services they believed their child needs or by having trouble deciding what school is best for their child.

With persistence I’ve learned that I do have some options to help Sofia succeed in the mainstream environment—not

The Value of Acceptance and UnderstandingBy Kate Moran

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Sofia thrives playing the piano and enjoys reading as much as she can.


rights, it seems, but options. In Sofia’s kindergarten year, I paid for a teacher of the deaf (TOD) to visit her school once a week to provide push-in/pull-out inter-vention. Mainstream teachers, though conscientious and well meaning, are often not attuned to the challenges fac-ing a child who is hard of hearing among a larger group of children, each with their individual needs. Having a quali-fied ally speak to the teacher and make recommendations was extremely helpful. As a focused advocate, the TOD was able to monitor Sofia’s comprehension and provide guidance for the classroom teacher, encouraging techniques that included maintaining a quiet environ-ment, insisting on hand raising, rephras-ing questions to ensure comprehension, waiting before calling on a student so that Sofia and the other students who needed more time could process infor-mation, repeating each child’s answer, and reinforcing the importance of always using the FM microphone.

With Sofia now in first grade, I have been able to secure at no charge, through the Equitable Participation services for private school education available through Pennsylvania’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/equitable_participation/7469), a TOD to visit Sofia’s school for assessments, advise her teachers and supply an additional microphone that can be passed around when the students are participating in group discussions. This teacher is not, however, allowed to work with Sofia directly, except to check her equipment. To counterbalance this, I often encour-age the practice of pre-teaching. Pre-teaching (and post-teaching) is really important and helpful if the instruction is specific to the subject and provided on a weekly basis, even if the class is work-ing on the same concepts over a longer period of time.

I find it requires energy, patience and purposefulness to be Sofia’s full-time advocate, her mom, and hold a job, which is an economic necessity. While I find it necessary to advocate for Sofia’s needs, I find it equally important to take the focus off of her hearing loss. Piano lessons have been a great release and inspira-

tion for Sofia, and thanks to an Arts and Sciences award from AG Bell I am able to enroll Sofia in lessons. She’s good at it, and it’s something that doesn’t focus on her hearing loss. She has had two recitals thus far and I’m very proud that she is able to get up and perform in front of an audience. Playing the piano has opened doors for her that I hadn’t anticipated. For example, she wants to know about composers, listen to classical music, and watch pianists.

Social experiences in mainstream set-tings have been a challenge for Sofia, and I think other parents may have similar experiences. Making friends doesn’t come easily to Sofia. I’m assuming some of this is due to her hearing loss, because she may not hear casual conversation and may miss the nuances in language that are so purposeful. Predictably, misun-derstandings arise. As a parent you may not be prepared for how much missing the subtleties of language can affect your child’s social life.

At first I encouraged activities for Sofia that would expose her to peers with typical hearing, but I’ve moderated this to follow her inclinations. She’s not the most outgoing child, and it’s not useful to make her do what I always feel would best encourage socialization. Sofia likes to read and that is something that can consume her attention for longer periods of time. She loves to draw and is good at this as well. In the social sphere, sports are an outlet in which “mainstreaming” is inevitable. I believe if Sofia were to pick one sport, she would choose swimming.

Given that she can’t wear her hearing aids when she swims, this might not have been my first choice, but I also imagine there’s a freedom in this that she loves.

I’m learning to accept the ways in which Sofia is different, and always prob-ably will be, because this is a process. It’s just the two of us, and as a working single mother it’s important to maintain some perspective. Otherwise, maintaining a focus on Sofia’s “special needs” could consume the both of us. I clearly have limitations as a parent who doesn’t have a partner or family to help me out. As dif-ficult as it is to accept these limitations, I have to explain to her that although I have to work, I’m always there for her.

There is no easy way to get your child to accept the fact that her hearing loss is permanent. I know how it feels when your child asks, “Will I always have to wear hearing aids?” and you have to answer yes (if you want to hear) and see the profound disappointment on her face. In spite of all of the challenges, and all of the questions that can never be fully resolved, there are many occasions when Sofia and I both forget that she is hard of hearing. These are moments of quiet and clarity. These are usually intimate moments when it’s just the two of us doing an activity, reading or having a conversation at dinner. She’s not self-conscious in these moments, and I’m not thinking about whether or not she is keeping up with her peers. These are happy times, and when I stop to think about it I cherish the moment and the good fortune of my life with Sofia.

3518 Je�erson Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062

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.

—


HEAR OUR Voices

I applied to work as a sweeper for the Six Flags Theme Park in Agawam, Mass., through www.sixflags.com. I was 14 when I applied for that job. My two

older brothers work there; my oldest brother told me that I have to go to a job fair for an interview. He told the lady who interviewed me that I am deaf and she should find a quiet room so that I can hear her voice.

I was very nervous that day. I saw a lot of people who were wearing casual clothes and some who were very dressed up. I felt weird when I got in the building but I tried to stay calm. During the interview I could hear the girl who was interviewing me because we were in a quiet space. I smiled during the whole job interview because that’s the job that we have – to smile for the guests. They need to see a happy person, not a sad person. It’s not that hard to smile. I really enjoyed the job interview because I don’t think it’s hard to answer questions.

There was one question where I didn’t understand my interviewer, but I said yes. She got up and said, “I will be right back.” I had no clue what was going on and I got very nervous. She was walking back with my brother. My brother asked me, “Are you sure that you want to work in admis-sions instead of sweeping?” I said, “Yeah. I think it’s a better job,” although I had no clue what admissions was at first.

The interviewer gave me a paper that had all math problems. She walked away to get a drink and I did the math prob-lems and said to myself, “This can’t be too hard for me. I can get everything right, no problem.” I finished the math problems before she came back. She asked me, “Was math hard for you?” I said, “Oh, no.” She smiled bigger. She corrected the paper and I got all of the math problems right. I was pretty surprised about it.

At the end, the interviewer said some-thing that I misunderstood and she shook my hand. I thought she was saying thanks

for coming and saying good bye. As she was writing stuff on the paper I asked her nicely if I got the job. She said, “Yeah I told you already.” I apologized for misun-derstanding her and she said, “Oh that’s fine.” I was happy that I got a job.

I had to go for two job training sessions in March, which was one month after my

interview. I didn’t use my FM system when I was at the job interview because I didn’t think I needed it. But I used the FM during training so I could understand the trainer. Before I went into that big room, I was sitting down and there were people around me. I heard two conversations at once and I thought it was amazing my cochlear

My Six Flags ExperienceBy Nick Bialka

NickB

ialka

Nick Bialka shares his experience applying to and working at Six Flags Theme Park.


implants could pick up the noise. I heard a group talking about high school and I heard those three people talking about being ner-vous for the job. I was happy that I was able to hear the conversation around me.

I met a boy, Aaron, who sat next to me with his hot coffee. He applied for park service (sweeping) and was showing me his six flags credit card. We started talking a lot until the trainer came and said it was time to begin.

For the second training, I was there for about seven hours. The trainer was show-ing us how to use the cash register and the language was pretty hard for me to under-stand; there was also so much informa-tion. I tried my best to read and study for the quizzes during and after the training session. I passed the quizzes, although the vocabulary was very difficult. There was one quiz that was very tricky for me. It was about the buttons that we had to fol-low to use the credit cards. My trainer told me that I had to take that quiz again and I felt nervous that I would fail again. I must have passed because I didn’t have to take

it again. I really like communicating with people that I don’t know. I just feel that I am very happy to meet new people. I did not like when there were no closed cap-tions when the trainer showed us a couple of videos about rules and safety. I felt like I had I to listen to the video harder.

After I started, during the summer, I was walking to the park and I saw this kid in front of me sweeping. I saw his earmold in his ear and noticed that he was deaf and used hearing aids. I didn’t say anything to him because I had to rush but I wished I could have. Later, during the fall, some new people got hired to admissions. I talked to some of the new workers. I told them that I am deaf. They didn’t believe me so I showed them my cochlear implant processors. They were surprised about it. They told me that they knew another per-son who is deaf and works at Six Flags. I said, “Is that a kid who has hearing aids?” They said, “Yeah, but he only uses sign language.” A few days later, they brought me to meet him. That was fun to talk to another person with hearing loss at work.

It’s kind of hard to talk to people who have typical hearing because I am so used to talking to people who are deaf and who like using a lot of expressions. I don’t like using expression but I have to because I want them to understand me easier and I don’t have to repeat a lot. I wish I was in public school now but Clarke school is important to me because I think I get a better education. I need to get used to talking to people when they either talk very fast or mumble.

I am better talking to the guests because I mostly talk to guests with typical hearing. What I like the most is that a lot of my co-workers talk to me, I solve problems and I enjoy the day-to-day duties of my job. What I don’t like is when I work on slow days, guest mumbling, and waiting for a ride home. I really love my job!

Nick Bialka is a 16-year-old student at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in Northampton, Mass. He lost his hearing at 9 months old due to meningitis. He received his first cochlear implant at age 3 and his second at age 14.

Every Child Deserves a Chanceto Listen, Talk and Thrive

Advances in newborn hearing screening and early hearing detection and intervention are giving more children with hearing loss the opportunity to learn to listen, talk and thrive alongwith their peers who have typical hearing. That’s why AG Bell offers programs designed tosupport children and youth with hearing loss who are pursuing spoken language education.

TEL 202.337.5220 • www.agbell.org

Eligibility criteria, program deadlines andapplications are available at www.agbell.org.

PRESCHOOL-AGE FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMOPEN: JUNE 4, 2012DEADLINE: JULY 30, 2012

FinAidAd_HALF PG_April2012:1 4/11/12 10:33 AM Page 1


DIRECTORY OF sErVicEs

nAlabama

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.

nArizona

Desert Voices, 3426 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85028 • 602-224-0598 (voice) • 602-224-2460 (fax) • [email protected] (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.

nCalifornia

Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623 Emerson Bend, Tustin, CA 92782. 714-573-2143 (voice) - [email protected] (email). Karen Rothwell-Vivian, M.S.Ed., M.A., CCC-A, LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal 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 Horizon School, 3430 McManus Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232 • 310-838-2442 (voice) • 310-838-0479 (fax) • 310-202-7201 (tty) • www.oraldeafed.org/schools/echo/index.html • www.echohorizon.org • 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) • [email protected] (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) • [email protected] (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 Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007 · 213-748-5481 (voice) · 800-522-4582 · [email protected] · www.jtc.org & www.youtube.com/johntracyclinic. Early detection, school readiness and parent empowerment since 1942. Worldwide Parent Distance Education and onsite comprehensive audiological, counseling and educational services for families with children ages birth-5 years old. Intensive Summer Sessions (children ages 2-5 and parents), with sibling program. Online and on-campus options for an 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) • [email protected] (email). 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.

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) • [email protected] (email) • www.oralingua.org (website). South Campus – 1305 Deodar Road, Escondido, CA 92026 – 760-297-6725 (voice) • 562-945-0361 (fax). Where children are listening and talking. An auditory/oral day program serving children from birth to 13 years old. Audiological, Speech/Language, Aural Habilitation, Mainstreaming, Auditory-Verbal Therapy and other related Designated Instructional Services available. Contact Elisa J. Roche, Ph.D., Executive Director.

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.Directory of Services



Training and Advocacy Group (TAG) for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children and Teens, Leah Ilan, Executive Director • 11693 San Vicente Blvd. #559, Los Angeles, CA 90049 • 310-339-7678 • [email protected] • www.tagkids.org. TAG provides exciting social opportunities through community service, field trips, weekly meetings, college prep and pre-employment workshops, guest speakers and parent-only workshops. Meetings are offered both on site at schools as well as off site in the community. Group meetings and events offered to oral D/HoH children in 5th grade through high school seniors.

nColorado

Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Audiology, Speech Pathology and Learning Services, 13123 East 16th Avenue, B030 Aurora, CO 80045 • http://www.childrenscolorado.org (website) • 720-777-6531(voice) • 720-777-6886 (TTY) • [email protected] (email). We provide comprehensive audiology and speech-language services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (ages birth through 21years). 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’s desire for their preference of communication needs. We also provide advanced technology hearing aid fitting and cochlear implant services.

Colorado Oral-Deaf PreSchool, 8081 E. Orchard Road, Suite 280, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 • 303-953-7344 (phone) • 303-953-7346 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • http://www.oraldeafpreschool.org (website). The Colorado Oral-Deaf PreSchool (CO ODPS) provides listening and spoken language intervention in a superior educational setting for young children with hearing loss. The school, located approximately 20 miles south of Denver, serves children who are deaf and hard of hearing from birth to 6 years old and provides support and education for parents and family members. Services at the school include parent infant language intervention, toddler group, preschool group and mainstream support for school age students. Our superior learning environment is characterized by classrooms staffed by master’s-prepared teachers.

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 multi-disciplinary 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.

nConnecticut

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.

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.

We Found Our Voice at DePaul!

DePaul School for Hearing & Speech

, located in Pittsburgh, PA, teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen, to speak and to succeed in the hearing and speaking world without using sign language.

DePaul School serves children from , including children who are late-diagnosed and children transferring from sign language or total-communication programs.

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Research AccessAt Your Fingertips

For over 110 years, The Volta Review has been the preeminent

scholarly research and scientific journal in the field of hearing loss and

listening spoken language. As one professional noted,

,,I look forward to reading and sharing information in The Volta Review with the families with whom I work. I feel assured that theinformation has been reviewed with the scrutiny of peer review andis valid and up-to-date. I view it as a major source of influence andeducation for all professionals and families dealing with or withinterests in issues related to hearing loss.

AG Bell is pleased to offer online access for members to

recent issues of The Volta Review. To access the online archives,

visit www.agbell.org/TheVoltaReview.

Volta Rreview Ad_full pg:Layout 1 4/22/10 5:27 PM Page 1



nFlorida

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/Jacksonville, 9857 St. Augustine Road, Suite 6, Jacksonville, FL 32257 • 904-880-9001(voice/relay). [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Alisa Demico, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT, and Cynthia Robinson, M.Ed., CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, Co-Directors. 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-aged children. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, New York City, and Northampton.

Debbie School, Auditory Oral Education Program, 1601 NW 12th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136 • 305-243-6961 (voice) • [email protected] (email) • http://debbieschool.med.miami.edu (website). Early intervention and primary education services are provided in a nurturing inclusive educational environment where children with hearing loss learn to listen and talk. Classrooms include early preschool, preschool, kindergarten, and primary. Services include early intervention, family education, individualized small group instruction, audiology, and speech-language pathology. Staff consists of credentialed teachers, a credentialed service coordinator, licensed therapists, and a licensed audiologist.

Doctors’ Hearing and Balance Centers of ENT Associates of South Florida, 1601 Clint Moore Road, Suite 215, Boca Raton, FL 33487 • (561) 393-9150 (voice) • [email protected] (email) • www.entsf.com (website) • ENT/Audiology practice serving the hearing impaired from birth to geriatric age. Services include all Ear, Nose and Throat services including specialties in pediatrics and Otoneurology. Audiology services include all comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and fittings, cochlear and Baha/Pronto implantable evaluations and activations. We work closely with auditory-verbal therapists/speech-language pathologists within the community.

University of Miami – Ear Institute, Cochlear Implant Program, 1120 NW 14th Street, Clinical Research Building, 5th floor, Miami, FL 33136 • 1-888-COCHLEAR (voice) • [email protected] • (email) www.ent.med.miami.edu (website). Comprehensive multidisciplinary diagnostic and rehabilitative services provided for infants and children. Services include diagnostic audiology, amplification, cochlear implantation, listening and spoken language therapy, educational support and psychological evaluation. The Barton G Kids Hear Now Cochlear Implant Family Resource Center provides targeted support for families beginning with diagnosis including counseling, training, mentoring programs, advocacy, and support groups. Professionals include Otologists, Audiologists, Listening and Spoken Language Specialists, Speech Pathologists, an Educational Specialist, and a Psychologist.

nGeorgia

Atlanta Speech School – Katherine Hamm Center, 3160 Northside Parkway, NW Atlanta, GA 30327 • 404-233-5332 ext. 3119 (voice/TTY) • 404-266-2175 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • 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 literacy 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. For further information please visit our website: www.atlspsch.org.

Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Atlanta, 1901 Century Boulevard, Suite 20, Atlanta, GA 30345, 404-633-8911 (voice) • 404-633-6403 (fax) • [email protected] (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.

nIdaho

Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind, 1450 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330 • 208 934 4457 (V/TTY) • 208 934 8352 (fax) • [email protected] (e-mail). IESDB serves birth to 21 year old youth with hearing loss through parent-infant, on-site, 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.

nIllinois

Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School (AGBMS) and Alternatives in Education for the Hearing Impaired (AEHI), www.agbms.org (website) • [email protected] (email) • 847-850-5490 (phone) • 847-850-5493 (fax) • 9300 Capitol Drive Wheeling, IL 60090 • AGBMS is a Montessori school educating children ages 15 months-12 who are deaf or hard of hearing or have other communicative challenges in a mainstream environment with hearing peers. Teachers of Deaf/Speech/Language Pathologist/Reading Specialist/Classroom Teachers emphasize language development and literacy utilizing Cued Speech. Early Intervention Services available to children under 3. AEHI, a training center for Cued Speech, assists parents, educators, or advocates in verbal language development for children with language delays or who do not yet substantially benefit from auditory technology.

Child’s Voice School, 180 Hansen Court, Wood Dale, IL 60191 • (630) 595-8200 (voice) • (630) 595-8282 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • 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 parent-infant and toddler classes and home based services offered in Wood Dale and Chicago areas. Parent Support/Education classes provided. Child’s Voice is a Certified Moog Program.

The University of Chicago, Comer Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implant Center, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, DCAM 4H, Chicago, IL 60637 • 773-702-8182. Program Director, Sally Tannenbaum, M.Ed., CED, LSLS Cert. AVT, [email protected]. Dr. Dana Suskind, [email protected]. Website: www.uchicagokidshospital.org/cochlear. The center provides full medical and audiological services for infants, children and adults. Comprehensive services for children with hearing loss and their families are provided from time of diagnosis through schools years. Services include otolaryngology, audiology services including cochlear implants and loaner hearing aids, and listen and spoken language therapy. Mentoring in Listening and Spoken Language, Auditory-Verbal therapy is available for professionals. In addition, the Center is actively involved in research projects including developing an evidenced-based, listening and spoken language curriculum called Project ASPIRE.



nIndiana

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Indianapolis. 9192 Waldemar Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268 • (317) 471-8560 (voice) • (317) 471-8627 (fax) • www.sjid.org; [email protected] (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.)

nKansas

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 • [email protected]. 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.)

nKentucky

Lexington Hearing and Speech Center, 350 Henry Clay Boulevard, Lexington, KY 40502 • 859-268-4545 (Voice) • 859-269-1857 (Fax) • The Lexington Hearing & Speech Center is Kentucky’s only auditory-oral school and has been serving families for over fifty years. LHSC is a private non-profit organization with a mission of teaching children hearing, speech and language delays to listen and talk. The Early Learning Center at LHSC serves children from birth to age 7 with hearing, speech and language impairments, which includes a full-day kindergarten classroom. In addition, LHSC offers audiology, speech-language therapy, aural (re)habilitation and auditory-verbal therapy.

nmaryland

The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Auditory/Oral Center, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215 • (voice) 410-318-6780 • (TTY) 410-318-6758 • (fax) 410-318-6759 • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.hasa.org. Jill Berie, Educational Director, Olga Polites, Clinical Director, Erin Medley, Teacher of the Deaf. Auditory/Oral education and therapy program for infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Self-contained, state-of-the-art classrooms located in the Gateway School approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. Additional services include speech-language therapy, family education and support, pre- and post-cochlear implant habilitation, collaboration and support of inclusion, audiological management and occupational therapy. The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Auditory/Oral preschool program, “Little Ears, Big Voices” is the only Auditory/Oral preschool in Baltimore. In operation for more than five years, it focuses on preparing children who are deaf or hard of hearing to succeed in mainstream elementary schools. Applications for all Auditory/Oral Center programs are accepted year-round. Families are encouraged to apply for scholarships and financial assistance. HASA is a direct service provider, information resource center and advocate for people of all ages who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have speech and language disorders.

nmassachusetts

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/Boston, 1 Whitman Road, Canton, MA 02021 •781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-821-3904 (tty) • [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Barbara Hecht, Ph.D., 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. Services include early intervention, preschool, kindergarten, speech and language services, parent support, cochlear implant 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, Maine 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). [email protected] • 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 residential 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) • [email protected] (e-mail) • Jane E. Driscoll, MED, Director. A comprehensive, non-profit program dedicated to the development of auditory-verbal 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, in-service training, and consultation available.

nmichigan

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.

nminnesota

Northeast Metro #916 Auditory/Oral Program, 3375 Willow Ave., Rm 109, White Bear Lake, Minnesota 55110; 651.415.5546, • email [email protected]. • 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.



nmississippi

DuBard School for Language Disorders, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5215, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601.266.5223 (voice) • [email protected] (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), 601-922-5534 (fax) – [email protected] –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.

nmissouri

CID – Central Institute for the Deaf, 825 S. Taylor Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 314-977-0132 (voice) • 314-977-0037 (tty) • [email protected] (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 • 314-692-7172 (voice) • 314-692-8544 (fax) • www.moogcenter.org (website) • Betsy Moog Brooks, Executive Director, [email protected]. 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 • [email protected] • 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.)

nnew Jersey

HIP and SHIP of Bergen County Special Services - Midland Park School District, 41 E. Center Street, Midland Park, N.J. 07432 • 201-343-8982 (voice) • [email protected] (email) • Kathleen Treni, Principal. An integrated, comprehensive pre-K-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) • 908-231-9091 (fax) • [email protected] (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.

Stephanie Shaeffer, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT • 908-879-0404 • Chester, NJ • [email protected]. Speech and Language Therapy and Communication Evaluations. Auditory-Verbal Therapy, Aural Rehabilitation, Facilitating the Auditory Building Blocks Necessary for Reading. Fluency and Comprehension.

Summit Speech School for the Hearing-Impaired Child, F.M. Kirby Center is an exclusively 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) • [email protected] (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.

nnew 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.

nnew York

Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT, CCC-SLP, 401 Littleworth Lane, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY 11579 • 516-671-9057 (Voice) • [email protected]. Family-centered auditory-verbal speech therapy for infants, children and adults with any level of hearing loss.

Auditory/Oral School of New York, 3321 Avenue “M”, Brooklyn, NY 11234 • 718-531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • [email protected] (email). Pnina Bravmann, Program Director. An Auditory/Oral Early Intervention and Preschool Program serving children with hearing loss and their families. Programs include: Early Intervention (center-based and home-based), preschool, integrated preschool classes with children with normal hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations, parent support, auditory-verbal therapy (individual speech, language and listening therapy), complete audiological services, cochlear implant (re)habilitation, 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) • 917-305-7999 (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; auditory-oral 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). [email protected] • 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 pre-school 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.

Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, 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 parent education and family support that includes listening and spoken language training by a speech therapist and TOD. Audiological services onsite. Auditory-verbal preschool and kindergarten (ages 3-6) program serves students who are deaf or hard of hearing alongside peers with typical hearing. Curriculum addresses NYS standards as it promotes language development through listening in a less restrictive setting. Full time TOD, along with music, art, library, audiological services and therapies that include individual and group speech, occupational, physical and family supports are available onsite.

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) • [email protected] (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.

Founded in 1970, The Shepherd Centre was the first Early Intervention agency to teach Auditory-Verbal Therapy to hearing impaired children in Australia. Today, we are one of the world’s leading Auditory-Verbal Therapy Early Intervention agencies, helping over 260 deaf or hearing impaired children a year to listen and speak, so they may reach their full potential in the world.

For more information, including details about our residential workshops available to overseas families:

Visit: www.shepherdcentre.org.au Phone: +61 2 9351 7888 Sydney | Roseville | Liverpool | Wollongong | Canberra

GivinG deaf kids a voice



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 center- and 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 Early Intervention, Audiology Services, Amplification and FM Evaluation and Dispensing, Cochlear Implants, Auditory/Oral Therapy, Otolaryngology, and Counseling, 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); [email protected], 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 achieve 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.

nnorth 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) – [email protected] (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. CASTLE provides a quality listening and spoken language program for children with hearing loss; empowers parents as primary teachers and advocates; trains and mentors specialists in listening and spoken language. Services include toddler, preschool and early intervention programs; auditory-verbal parent participation sessions; and a training program for professionals and students.

nOhio

Auditory Oral Children’s Center (AOCC), 5475 Brand Road, Dublin, OH 43017 • 614-598-7335 (voice) • [email protected] (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) • 440-995-7305 (fax) • www.mayfieldschools.org • Louis A. Kindervater, Principal. Auditory/oral program with a full 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 45140 • 513-791-1458 (voice) • 513-791-4326 (fax) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.ohiovalleyvoices.org (website). Ohio Valley Voices teaches children who are deaf and hard of hearing how to listen and to speak. The majority of our students utilize cochlear implants to give them access to sound, which in turn, allows them to learn to speak when combined with intensive speech therapy. We offer a birth to age 3 program, a preschool through second grade program, a full array of onsite audiological services, parent education and support resources.

nOklahoma

Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th Street, Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-548-4300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) • Comprehensive hearing health care for children and adults with an emphasis on listening and spoken language outcomes. Our family-centered team includes audiologists, LSLS Cert. AVTs, speech-language pathologists, physicians and educators working closely with families for optimal listening and spoken language outcomes. Services include newborn hearing testing, pediatric and adult audiological evaluations, hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant evaluations and mapping. Auditory-Verbal Therapy as well as cochlear implant habilitation is offered by Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS), as well as an auditory-oral pre-school, parent-toddler group, and a summer enrichment program. Continuing education and consulting available. www.heartsforhearing.com.

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) • [email protected] (email) • www.integris-health.com (website) • Our team includes board-certified and licensed speech-language 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.



nOregon

Tucker-Maxon Oral School, 2860 SE Holgate Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202 • (503) 235-6551 (voice) • (503) 235-1711 (TTY) • [email protected] (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.

nPennsylvania

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) [email protected] (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). [email protected] • 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 Philadelphia. 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) • [email protected] • 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) • [email protected] (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) – [email protected] (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.

nSouth 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, [email protected]. The center provides audiology services, speech-language therapy, adult aural (re)habilitation 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 AV 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 (803-777-1698), Nikki Herrod-Burrows (803-777-2669), Gina Crosby-Quinatoa (803) 777-2671, and Jamy Claire Archer (803-777-1734).



nSouth dakota

South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD), 2001 East Eighth Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 - 605-367-5200, ext 103 (V/TTY) - 605-36705209 (Fax) [email protected] (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 twelfth 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.

nTennessee

Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, 7901 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138 • 901-758-2228 (voice) • 901-531-6735 (fax) • www.mosdkids.org (website) • [email protected] (email). Teresa Schwartz, Executive Director. Services: Family Training Program (birth-age 3), Auditory/Oral Day School (ages 2-6), Audiological Testing, Hearing Aid Programming, Cochlear Implant Mapping and Therapy, Aural (Re)Habilitation, Speech-Language Therapy, Mainstream Service.

Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center - National Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication, Medical Center East South Tower, 1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8718 • 615-936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/VanderbiltBillWilkersonCenter (web). Tamala Bradham, Ph.D., Associate Director in Clinical Services. 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, services 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.

nTexas

Bliss Speech and Hearing Services, Inc., 12700 Hillcrest Rd., Suite 207, Dallas, TX 75230 • 972-387-2824 • 972-387-9097 (fax) • [email protected] (e-mail) • Brenda Weinfeld Bliss, M.S., CCC-SLP/A, LSLS 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) • [email protected] (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) - [email protected] (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, Auditory-Verbal therapy, aural(re) habilitation; family support services. All services offered on sliding fee scale and many services offered in Spanish.

July 19 — 21, 2012ConnectionsCampus

Set yourself up to GRADUATE

from COLLEGE

Campus Connections is a 3-day summer camp for deaf and hard of hearing college-bound teens.

Prepare for the transition to college in an immersive campus experience.

�is event will teach you how to:Navigate the college application systemRequest and receive the services you needLearn about classrom technologies & accommodations Meet successful DHH college studentsExperience life on a real college campus, dorms, & classrooms

Camp is open to 10th – 12th grade deaf and hard of hearing teens from around the country.

All campers are eligible to compete for a $500 college scholarship from the Marion Downs Hearing Center Foundation.

Campus Connections will be hosted on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder Colorado.

For more information visit www.mariondowns.com

www.mariondowns.com

Join the MDHC for

TEL 202.337.5220 • EMAIL [email protected] • WEB WWW.AGBELL.ORG/BOOKSTORE

New Items forListening and Spoken Language

Development

The AG Bell Bookstore

is pleased to introduce

new material for listening

and spoken language

practitioners. These titles

support best practices

in promoting spoken

language acquisition,

literacy skills and social

development in children

and adults who are deaf

and hard of hearing.

Now's the time to

shop and save! Members

receive a 15% discount,

and bulk purchases

are also eligible for a

discount. Visit the

AG Bell Bookstore today

at www.agbell.org.

Pediatric Audiology and Companion CasebookEdited by Jane Madell, Ph.D., CCC-A/SLP, LSLSCert. AVT, and Carol Flexer, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT

Pediatric Audiology and the companion Pediatric

Audiology Casebook are now available in the

AG Bell Bookstore. These books provide practical

"how-to" reference guides for the diagnosis and

technological and educational management of infants

and children with hearing disorders. Master clinicians

provide step-by-step descriptions of testing and treat-

ment protocols, and a DVD included with the text features videos

of the various pediatric behavioral assessments. The casebook is a

compendium of 69 key cases, covering everything from basic and

complex diagnostic cases, to hearing aid technology, vestibular

issues, and the management of auditory development.

Children with Hearing Loss: Developing Listening and Talking, Birth to Six Written by AG Bell members Elizabeth Cole,Ed.D., CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT, and Carol Flexer,Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT

“Children with Hearing Loss: Developing Listening

and Talking” is now available from the AG Bell

Bookstore. This second edition covers the most

current and up-to-date information about hearing,

listening, spoken language development and intervention for young

children with hearing loss who are learning to listen and talk. It is unique

in its scholarly and thoroughly readable style. Numerous illustrations,

charts and graphs illuminate key ideas, including the nine domains of

listening and spoken language outlined by the AG Bell Academy for

Listening and Spoken Language. Visit www.agbell.org/bookstore to

learn more and purchase today.

AGB Bookstore Ad_Update 6-11:Layout 1 6/15/11 3:34 PM Page 1



Denise A. Gage, MA, CCC, LSLS Cert. AVT - Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist - 3111 West Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76016-0378 - 817-460-0378 (voice) - 817-469-1195 (fax) - [email protected] (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-the-art 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 non-public school. For more information visit www.sunshinecottage.org

nUtah

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 • stacy.wentz (email) • Stacy Wentz, M.S., Sound Beginnings Program Coordinator [email protected] (email) • Kristina Blaiser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Listening and Spoken Language Graduate Program. A comprehensive listening and spoken language educational program serving children with hearing loss and their families from birth through age 5; early intervention services include home- and center-based services, parent training, toddler group, pediatric audiology, tele-intervention and individual therapy for children in mainstream settings. The preschool, housed in an innovative lab school, provides classes and research opportunities focused on the development of listening and spoken language for children who are deaf or hard of hearing aged 3 through 5, parent training, and mainstreaming opportunities. The Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education offers the interdisciplinary Listening and Spoken Language graduate training program in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, and Deaf Education that emphasizes listening 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.

nWisconsin

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., CCC-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 ConnectHear, an interactive teletherapy program. Pre- and post-cochlear implant training is provided for adults and communication strategies and speechreading is offered to individuals as well as in small groups.

InTernATIOnAl

nAustralia

The Shepherd Centre, 391-401 Abercrombie Street, Darlington, NSW, Australia 2008 • (voice) +61 2 9351 7888 • (TTY) +61 2 9351 7881 • http://www.shepherdcentre.org.au. Over the last 40 years, The Shepherd Centre has assisted more than 1,500 children who are deaf or hard of hearing to reach their full potential. The organization is recognized as a world leader in the field of Auditory-Verbal Therapy, providing assistance through early intervention and cochlear implant programs for children, birth to 6 years with all levels of hearing loss, to develop spoken language. With a team of Auditory-Verbal Therapists, Audiologists and Child and Family Counselors, our Centre-based services include: one-on-one sessions; preschool and child care visits; home visits; babies, toddler and school readiness group sessions; playgroup; parent information sessions; 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; and intensive workshop programs and distance services for families from regional Australia and overseas.

Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for Children WA (Inc), 36 Dodd Street, Wembley WA 6014, Australia, 61-08-9387-9888 (phone), 61-08-9387-9889 (fax), [email protected] (e-mail), www.tsh.org.au (website). Teaching children with communication disabilities to listen and speak since 1966. Our oral language programs include early intervention and school support services for children with hearing loss and an innovative intervention program for children experiencing speech and language delay. Audiological services include newborn hearing screening, diagnostic testing, cochlear implant program and a network of mobile ear clinics providing free screening services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The Centre employs a team of audiologists, Auditory-Verbal Therapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologist, Early Childhood Teachers and specialist Teachers of the Deaf to ensure families have the highest level of professional assistance and advice.

nCanada

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) • [email protected] (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.

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) • 604-437-0260 (fax) • www.childrenshearing.ca (website) • Janet Weil, Principal and Executive Director, [email protected]. Our auditory-oral program includes: onsite audiology, cochlear implant mapping, parent guidance, auditory-verbal education, preschool, pre-kindergarten and K, Primary 1-3; 1:1 therapy sessions, itinerant services and teletherapy.



VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children, 161 Eglinton Avenue, East, Suite 704, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1J5 • [email protected] • 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 Auditory-Verbal 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.

nengland

The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre – Christopher Place, 1-5 Christopher Place, Chalton Street, Euston, London NW1 1JF, England • 0114-207-383-3834 (voice) • 0114-207-383-3099 (fax) • [email protected] (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.

Advanced Bionics Corporation ........................................... Inside Back Cover

Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc. .......................................................................... 52

CapTel ........................................................................................................... 19

Central Institute for the Deaf ......................................................................... 25

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech ...................................................... 14

Cochlear Americas ......................................................................................... 7

DePaul School for Hearing and Speech ....................................................... 45

Dubard School for Language Disorders ......................................................... 5

Ear Gear ........................................................................................................ 22

Ear Technolgy Corp. (Dry & Store) ................................................................ 11

Harris Communications ................................................................................ 38

House Research Institute.............................................................................. 15

Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf .................................. 41

Marion Downs ............................................................................................... 53

Moog Center for Deaf Education ............................................................ 13, 34

National Cued Speech Association ................................................................ 3

National Technical Institute for the Deaf - RIT .............................................. 10

Oticon .................................................................................. Inside Front Cover

Shepherd Centre ........................................................................................... 50

Sorenson Communications ............................................................................ 6

Sound Aid - Hearing Aid Warranties ............................................................ 39

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf ............................................................... 4, 37

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children ................................................ 27

Tucker-Maxon School for the Deaf ............................................................... 30

AG Bell – 2012 Convention ............................................................ Back Cover

AG Bell – Bookstore ................................................................................ 26, 54

AG Bell – Financial Aid .................................................................................. 43

AG Bell – LSLS Practice Exam ..................................................................... 31

AG Bell – Parent Advocacy Training (P.A.T.) ................................................. 35

AG Bell – Programs for Families ................................................................... 23

AG Bell – The Volta Review ........................................................................... 46

LisT OF AdVErTisErs

“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!”

The largest gathering of families, professionals and adults with hearing lossdedicated to a listening and spoken language outcome.

AG Bell 2012 ConventionJune 28–July 2 • Westin KierlAnd resort • sCottsdAle, ArizonA

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• 70+ 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• Earn up to 23.5 CEU hours from the AG Bell Academy, ASHA and AAA• Exciting southwest desert environment with economical hotel rates–perfect for a family vacation

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

www.agbell.org/Convention

volta voices may-june 2012 magazine

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