An A to Z Guide to a Career in Listening and Spoken Language

Transcription

VOICES
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November/December 2009
An A to Z Guide to a Career in
Listening and Spoken Language
W W W. AGBELL .ORG • VOL 16, ISSUE 6
VV Nov.-Dec. 09 Cover.indd Sec2:6
10/16/09 1:14:50 PM
NOVE
NOVEMBER /DECEMBER 2009
VO LU M E 16
ISSUE 6
VOICES
V
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Features
16
From A-Z: Getting Started in Listening
and Spoken Language
By Susan Lenihan, Ph.D., CED
This article is a guide to the education and background knowledge necessary for those considering a career as a listening and spoken language
specialist.
In Every Issue
2
6
46
56
Want to Write for VV?
voices Contributors
Directory of Services
List of Advertisers
Departments
Voices from AG Bell
3 | Why Choose a Career in
Listening and Spoken Language?
36 | Tips for Parents:
What Works at Home?
20
Identifying Qualities of Successful
Graduate Students
By Henry Teller, Ed.D., CED; Anne Sullivan, M.S.,
CED; and Christina Perigoe, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
LSLS Cert. AVT, CED
Using data gathered from programs across the
country, the authors explain the personal characteristics to look for in graduate students pursuing
a career in the field of hearing loss and spoken
language.
22
Leveraging Professional Development
Opportunities
By Melody Felzien and Judy Harrison, M.A.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
38 | Consejos para los padres:
¿Qué funciona en casa?
40 | Conversations With
Alex Graham
42 | Psychosocial Potential
Maximization: Attributes of Desire
in this issue
4 | Professional Preparation and
Development
8 | Soundbites
14 | AG Bell 2009 Symposium
Wrap-Up
44 | Around the World
This article provides an overview of the continuing education opportunities available to all
professionals in the field and how best to tailor
them to your own professional development.
26
Take the Next Step: Seeking LSLS
Certification
By Donald Goldberg Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, FAAA,
LSLS Cert. AVT; and Judy Harrison, M.A.
Going from professional to certified specialist,
learn about the background and process of the
AG Bell Academy’s listening and spoken language specialist certification program.
30
Effective IEPs: Tips for Educational
Administrators
By Christine Evans, M.S., CCC, SLP; Julia Harper,
B.A., CED; and Debbie Pfeiffer, Ed.D., CED
The final article of a three-part series explores
the role of the administrator in the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) process.
32
Auditory Access in Higher Education
Classrooms
By Cheryl Winston, M.Ed. and Stan Clawson
A review of how one university program utilized existing technology to improve access to class discussion
for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
34
How to Prepare a Research Article for
Publication
By Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D.
Learn how to prepare your work or research for
peer review and publication.
Alex ander Graham Bell
A ssocia t ion f or t h e D ea f and Hard o f Hearin g
3417 volta pl ace, nw, was hington, dc 20 0 07 • w w w. agbell .org
V
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T
A
VOICES
Advocating Independence
through Listening and Talking
— Adopted by the Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Board of Directors, November 8, 1998
Ale x ander Gr aham Bell
Association for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing
3417 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.agbell.org | voice 202.337.5220
tty 202.337.5221 | fax 202.337.8314
Volta Voices Staff
Production and Editing Manager
Melody Felzien
Director of Communications and
Public Affairs
Catherine Murphy
Manager of Advertising and Exhibit Sales
Garrett W. Yates
Design and Layout
Alix Shutello and Jake Needham
EEI Communications
AG Bell Board of Directors
President
John R. “Jay” Wyant (MN)
President-Elect
Kathleen S. Treni (NJ)
Secretary-Treasurer
Christine Anthony, M.B.A., M.E.M. (IL)
Immediate Past President
Karen Youdelman, Ed.D. (NY)
Executive Director
Alexander T. Graham (VA)
Meredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH)
Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D. (OH)
Michael A. Novak, M.D. (IL)
Peter S. Steyger, Ph.D. (OR)
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Volta Voices welcomes submissions from
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The magazine is published six times
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who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents
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hearing loss (audiology, speech-language
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need not be the focal point of the article.
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VOICES FROM AG BELL
Why Choose a Career
in Listening and Spoken
Language?
T
his edition of Volta Voices
highlights professional preparation and development in
the field of facilitating listening and spoken language for individuals with hearing loss. It takes a special
individual to choose to work with
children with unique needs – someone
who must have a true passion for the
field. But why choose listening and
spoken language over a host of other
specializations?
We talk time and time again about
how the landscape for children with
hearing loss is changing dramatically thanks to early intervention and
advanced hearing technology. It is
rather appealing to have the opportunity to be a frontline witness to
history as well as a personal testament
to the field’s evolution. But I’d like to
touch on a different perspective for a
moment – that is, the perspective of
the professional rewards of choosing
this profession versus the personal
satisfaction. For this column, I’m going
to highlight the material benefits of
choosing a career in listening and spoken language.
First, job security. According to
the U.S. Department of Labor, job
prospects in listening and spoken
language-related fields, such as speechlanguage pathology and special education, are projected to be “excellent”
with an estimated 11 and 15 percent
growth in those fields by 2016, respectively. This dramatic growth is due to
increased demand for intervention
services because of early identification, expanding educational access for
students with disabilities, and higher
survival rates of infants and children
from trauma or premature births. For
listening and spoken language specialists in particular, we expect growth
in this field because of the dramatic
increase in the number of families who
choose a listening and spoken language
outcome for a child with hearing loss –
nearly 90 percent of all cases in some
areas of the country.
Second, earning potential. In 2006,
median annual earnings of special education teachers was around $46,000
per year with the top 10 percent making upwards of $78,000 per year, plus
comprehensive benefits negotiated
through teachers’ unions. For speechlanguage pathologists, the median
annual earnings was almost $58,000
with the highest 10 percent making
more than $90,000. We would expect
these salaries to rise as the number
of qualified professionals comes into
greater and greater demand.
Finally, professional challenge and
growth opportunities. The listening
and spoken language field is constantly
evolving. As we saw at the AG Bell
2009 Listening & Spoken Language
Symposium, the need for professionals
to understand how the brain “learns
how to learn” and the role of hearing in
cognitive development affords professionals the opportunity for career-long
growth and education. If I’ve learned
one thing during my presidency at
AG Bell, it is that the professionals in
this field are not the type who prefer
to sit and gather moss – their natural
curiosity and high intellect demands
constant learning and allows for openness to new ideas and approaches. The
cutting-edge research and advancements in the field of deafness guaran-
VOLTA VOICES • NOVEMBER/DECE MBER 2009
tee that a professional will never be
bored or feel stagnant doing the same
thing year after year.
It is my hope that professionals
who know of potential Listening and
Spoken Language Specialists will share
this edition of Volta Voices with them
and encourage them to explore this
field for the great personal satisfaction
and rewards that come with helping a
child who is deaf learn to listen, speak
and thrive. However, there is nothing
wrong with being motivated by the
material rewards as well. I think I can
speak for all individuals who are deaf
and hard of hearing, and who learned
to listen and talk, when I say it is passionate and dedicated professionals
just like you who deserve our thanks
for helping make our accomplishments
possible. There isn’t enough money or
fame in the world to properly show our
appreciation to each and every one of
you who helped us on the way.
Sincerely,
Jay Wyant
President
QUESTIONS?
C O MMEN T S ?
C O N C ERN S ?
Write to us:
AG Bell
3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC
20007
Or email us:
[email protected]
3
EDITOR’S NOTE
Professional Preparation
and Development
I
am very pleased to present this
special issue of Volta Voices,
focused entirely on professional
preparation and development, as a
prelude to a special professional development monograph issue of The Volta
Review, due to be published in summer
2010. My hope is that you will take this
issue of Volta Voices and share it with
all your colleagues, especially those
who express an interest in helping children who are deaf and hard of hearing
learn to listen, talk and thrive.
This issue starts off with “From
A-Z: Getting Started in Listening and
Spoken Language,” which offers a
review of the courses, degree programs and steps you need to take
to begin your career in the field of
hearing loss and spoken language.
This comprehensive overview can
help provide a strong base for anyone seeking a career in this field.
“Identifying Qualities of Successful
Graduate Students” reviews the
characteristics and qualifications
program directors from across the
country view as vital to success in this
field and contains helpful information
to determine whether someone will
be successful in their academic and
professional pursuits.
While education is an important
first step, continuing education
is equally important. “Leveraging
Professional Development
Opportunities” provides an overview
of continuing education opportunities and offers advice on what to
expect from specific types of professional development programming.
“Take the Next Steps: Seeking LSLS
Certification” reviews the process of
becoming a certified Listening and
Spoken Language Specialist, the highest honor a professional in this field
can attain.
4
As more and more individuals who
have hearing loss are entering this
field, their access needs remain of
vital importance. “Auditory Access in
Higher Education Classrooms” offers
advice on how to adapt a college or
university’s technological systems
to improve participation of students
with hearing loss in classroom discussions. In “How to Prepare a Research
Paper for Publication,” Dr. Kathryn
Schmitz, the senior associate editor of
The Volta Review, provides an outline
for anyone seeking to prepare their
work for peer review and publication,
particularly new professionals and
clinicians. Finally, “Effective IEPs:
Tips for Edvcational Administrators,”
concludes a three-article series about
the Individualized Education Program
(IEP) with a discussion of the role that
administrators play in developing
the IEP.
This issue’s columns also offer interesting insights. In “Conversations,” AG
Bell Executive Director Alex Graham
interviews long-time AG Bell member
Phyllis Feibelman, who contributes
some thought-provoking discussion
about where AG Bell has been his-
torically and where it is going. “Tips for
Parents” provides advice on how parents
can facilitate language development in
the home. Dr. Paul Jacobs continues his
series on maximizing the potential of
individuals with hearing loss with a column called “Attributes of Desire.” Don’t
forget to check out the online discussion
forum for his column at www.agbell.org.
Finally, this iteration of “Around the
World” introduces you to Kaylee Jensen,
an 8-year-old who was diagnosed with
auditory-neuropathy and has thrived
communicating with spoken language.
Thank you for reading. As always, if
you have a story idea or would like to
submit an article for publication, please
contact me at [email protected] with
your comments and suggestions.
Best regards,
Melody Felzien
Editor, Volta Voices
VOLTA VOICES • NOVEM BER/DECE M BER 2009

AG Bell awards thousands
of dollars in scholarships to
exceptional undergraduate
and graduate level students
who have a bilateral hearing
loss. Qualified applicants
must be full-time students,
have a moderate-toprofound hearing loss and
must use spoken language
as their primary mode of
communication. Scholarships
are awarded toward
attendance in a mainstream
and accredited college
or university.
Motivated.
Independent.
Eager to Learn.
To learn more about
the program, visit
www.agbell.org.
Information about
eligibility criteria,
deadlines and a downloadable application
will be available after
December 15, 2009.
George H. Nofer Scholarship for Law and Public Policy
This scholarship is for students entering post-graduate school for law,
public policy or public policy administration. Specific criteria include:
� Rising first-, second- and third-year students in an accredited
law school or graduate program in public policy or public
administration.
� Moderate-to-profound hearing loss diagnosed prior to acquiring
spoken language.
� Use spoken language as the primary mode of communication.
TEL 202.337.5220 • TTY 202.337.5221 • WWW.AGBELL.ORG
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Voices contributors
Elizabeth
Boschini, author of
“AG Bell Listening
& Spoken Language
Symposium
Wrap-Up,” has a
bachelor’s degree
in communication
sciences and disorders from Texas Christian University.
She is a graduate student at Fontbonne
University studying speech-language
pathology with an emphasis on listening
and spoken language for children with
hearing loss. Boschini has authored two
children’s books featuring characters
with cochlear implants, “Ellie’s Ears”
and “Happy Birthday to My Ears.” She
also writes for Cochlear Implant Online
(www.cochlearimplantonline.com) and
is co-founder and moderator of Deaf
Village (www.deafvillage.com).
Dipika Chawla,
author of
“SoundBites,” is an
editorial assistant at AG Bell.
She is a senior
in Georgetown
University’s School
of Foreign Service
and is working toward a degree in
international culture and politics with a
focus on social sciences.
Stan Clawson,
co-author of
“Auditory Access in
Higher Education
Classrooms,” is
the supervisor
of campus video
services and
teaches video production at the University of Utah. As
an individual with paralysis, Stan is
involved with the Christopher and
Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation
and is on the executive board of
T.R.A.I.L.S. (Therapeutic Recreation
and Independent Lifestyles), a pro-
6
gram that specializes in recreation
and active living for individuals with
paralysis.
Christine Evans,
M.S., CCC-SLP,
co-author of
“Effective IEPs: Tips
for Educational
Administrators,” is
a speech-language
pathologist and
owner of Evans
Family Speech & Hearing, LLC, in
Charlottesville and Richmond, Va. Her
practice provides aural rehabilitation
services, parent-to-parent support,
outreach and school consultative services for individuals with hearing loss
throughout Virginia. Evans has a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Texas Christian University
and is working toward her LSLS certification. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
Alexander
T. Graham,
author of
“Conversations,”
is the executive
director of AG
Bell. He has a
bachelor’s degree
from Lynchburg
College in Lynchburg, Va., and
master’s degrees in organizational
effectiveness and business administration from Marymount University
in Arlington, Va. His late mother had
a hearing loss as a result of a childhood illness. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
Donald Goldberg,
Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A,
FAAA, LSLS Cert.
AVT, co-author
of “Take the Next
Step: Seeking LSLS
Certification,”
is the current
president of the AG Bell Academy for
Listening and Spoken Language and
co-director of the Cleveland Clinic’s
Head and Neck Institute’s Hearing
Implant Program. Goldberg is an
internationally recognized expert in
the assessment of and (re)habilitation
of children and adults who are deaf or
hard of hearing who have unilateral
or bilateral cochlear implants.
Julia P. Harper,
B.A., CED, co-author of “Effective
IEPs: Tips for
Educational
Administrators,”
is an itinerant
teacher of the
deaf and hard of
hearing and coordinator of Goochland
Instructional Support Teams for
Goochland County Public Schools in
Virginia. Harper was trained as an
interpreter at the Rochester School for
the Deaf and the National Technical
Institute for the Deaf. Harper has
taught students who are deaf and
hard of hearing for more than
28 years. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
Judy Harrison,
M.A., co-author
of “Leveraging
Professional
Development
Opportunities”
and “Take the
Next Step:
Seeking LSLS
Certification,” is the director of
programs at AG Bell. She is an experienced teacher of students who are
deaf and an early interventionist
specializing in cochlear implants.
She currently represents AG Bell
on the Joint Committee on Infant
Hearing and is the president of the
Council on Education of the Deaf.
She can be contacted at
[email protected].
VOLTA VOICES • NOVEM BER/ DECE M BER 2009
Paul Gordon
Jacobs, Ph.D.,
author of
“Psychosocial
Potential
Maximization:
Attributes of
Desire,” works
for the Institute
of Social Participation at La Trobe
University in Australia. Profoundly deaf
since age 5, Dr. Jacobs is the author
of “Neither-Nor: A Young Australian’s
Experience with Deafness” (available
from Gallaudet University Press). Please
visit Dr. Jacobs’ blog at www.agbell.org.
Susan Lenihan,
Ph.D., CED, author
of “From A-Z;
Getting Started
in Listening and
Spoken Language,”
is professor and
director of deaf
education at
Fontbonne University. Dr. Lenihan has
an undergraduate degree in deaf education, a master’s degree in education with
an emphasis in learning disabilities and
educational diagnosis, and a doctoral
degree in curriculum and instruction.
She is currently the co-director of an
Office of Special Education Programs–
funded project preparing speechlanguage pathologists to serve children
using cochlear implants in inclusive
education programs. Dr. Lenihan can be
contacted at [email protected].
Christina
Perigoe, Ph.D.,
CCC-SLP, LSLS
Cert. AVT, CED,
co-author of
“Identifying
Qualities of
Successful
Graduate Students,”
is coordinator of the early oral intervention graduate program in speech and
hearing sciences at the University of
Southern Mississippi. She is a certified
teacher, teacher of students who are
deaf, speech-language pathologist and
auditory-verbal therapist. She can be
Debbie Pfeiffer,
Ed.D., CED,
co-author of
“Effective IEPs: Tips
for Educational
Administrators,”
has worked with
children and adults
who are deaf or
hard of hearing for 29 years as a teacher,
interpreter, case manager, speechlanguage pathologist and administrator.
Dr. Pfeiffer has a bachelor’s degree in
speech pathology and audiology from
Syracuse University, a master’s degree
in education of the deaf from Gallaudet
University and a doctorate in education
administration and policy studies from
George Washington University. She
currently provides training, technical
assistance and policy guidance in the
area of deafness and deaf-blindness.
Joey Lynn
Resciniti,
author of “Tips
for Parents,” is a
stay-at-home mom
and part-time
freelance writer.
Since discovering her daughter
Julia’s hearing loss, Joey has completed
the John Tracy Clinic’s distance learning parent education class and attended
various workshops for parents of
children with hearing loss. She can be
Kathryn
Schmitz, Ph.D.,
author of “How
to Prepare a
Research Article
for Publication,” is
associate professor and interim
chairperson of
the department of liberal studies at the
National Technical Institute for the
Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology.
She is a two-time Elsie Bell Grosvenor
scholarship recipient, former John
Tracy Clinic student, current AG Bell
deaf and hard of hearing shared interest
group member and the senior associate
editor of The Volta Review. She holds a
bachelor’s degree in English from Duke
University and a doctorate in English
education from the State University of
New York at Buffalo.
Anne Sullivan
M.S., CED,
co-author of
“Identifying
Qualities of
Successful
Graduate
Students,” is
the executive
director of Magnolia Speech School
in Jackson, Miss. She is an adjunct
instructor in the department of
speech and hearing sciences at the
University of Southern Mississippi
and currently serves as
the president of OPTION Schools,
Inc. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
Henry Teller,
Ed.D., CED, co-author of “Identifying
Qualities of
Successful
Graduate
Students,” is professor and director of
the education of
the deaf programs at the University of
Southern Mississippi. He can be reached
at [email protected].
Cheryl Winston,
M.Ed., co-author
of “Auditory
Access in Higher
Education
Classrooms,” is a
clinical instructor with the
University of Utah
Department of Special Education.
She is a former president of the Utah
Chapter of AG Bell and currently
serves as education liaison on the AG
Bell Board of Directors. Winston holds
a bachelor’s degree in communication
disorders from Queens College in New
York and a master’s degree in special
education from the University of
Utah. She can be reached at
[email protected].
7
SOUND
NEWS BITES
Photo Credit: Washington Speakers Bureau
Lee Woodruff Named
Keynote Speaker for
AG Bell 2010 Biennial
Convention
“Mrs. Woodruff’s experiences as
a mother of a child with hearing
loss enable her to relate with all our
members,” said AG Bell President
John R. “Jay” Wyant. “Her experiences
overcoming the challenges related
to her husband’s critical injury add
impact to her message. Lee Woodruff
has a remarkable gift to take the challenges of her life and share her experiences with others in a thoughtful and
humorous way to remind us that we
are each unique and to persevere no
matter what the circumstance.”
Woodruff will speak at the convention on
Saturday, June 26, 2010. A book-signing
will follow in the convention Exhibition
Hall. Please visit www.agbell.org for
more information about the AG Bell 2010
Biennial Convention.
Oticon Foundation
Funds AG Bell’s Parent
Advocacy Training
Program
On October 1, 2009, AG Bell
announced that it has been awarded
a 3-year, $150,000 grant from the
Oticon Foundation (William Demants
og Hustra Ida Emilies Fond) to
support the revision, strengthening
and expansion of AG Bell’s acclaimed
Parent Advocacy Training (PAT)
program. PAT equips families with
the skills to advocate effectively for a
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
AG Bell has named best-selling author
and contributing editor to ABC’s “Good
Morning America,” Lee Woodruff, as
its keynote speaker for the AG Bell
2010 Biennial Convention, June 25–28,
at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in
Orlando, Fla.
Lee Woodruff is the co-author of the
best-selling book, “In an Instant,”
an account of her family’s journey
to recovery after her husband, ABC
news anchor Bob Woodruff, suffered
a traumatic brain injury caused by a
roadside bomb while covering the war
in Iraq. The Woodruffs are parents to
four children, including Nora, who has
severe hearing loss and listens and
talks. Woodruff recently released her
second book, “Perfectly Imperfect—A
Life in Progress,” a sensitive and often
humorous account of navigating life’s
rougher pavement, imperfections, trials
and triumphs.
8
6/25-28 2010
Join friends, colleagues, advocates and families in Orlando, Fla., June
25–28, 2010, for the AG Bell 2010 Biennial Convention. Advance your
knowledge and skills, learn about the latest products and services,
and expand your network of people committed to listening and spoken
language for all children with hearing loss. For updated information, visit
http://nc.agbell.org/netcommunity/2010Convention.
BITES
child with hearing loss who communicates through listening and spoken
language.
PAT was developed by parents and
attorneys to help participants gain a
general understanding of federal special
education law and use that knowledge
when advocating for their child. As in the
past, PAT will help parents work collaboratively with the public early intervention and K–12 school systems to ensure
the best outcome for their child. The
expansion of the program will include
online individual learning and the ability
to facilitate discussions at the local level
through AG Bell Chapters. Stay tuned to
AG Bell Update for further information.
U.S. House Approves
Bill That Would Reduce
Exposure to Noise in
Classrooms
On September 22, 2009, the U.S.
House of Representatives passed
H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2009. The
legislation seeks to boost Pell Grant
scholarships, keep interest rates on
federal loans affordable, and create
a more reliable and effective financial
aid system. It also provides funding
for school construction, modernization and renovation projects, and
includes a provision aimed at reducing
classroom noise and improving the
acoustical environment. The bill now
Compiled by:
Dipika Chawla and Melody Felzien
goes to the Senate for further consideration. Subscribe to AG Bell Update
at www.agbell.org/DesktopDefault.
aspx?p=Newsletter to follow this story
as it develops.
AG Bell Academy
Announces New Board
Members
On September 1, 2009, the AG Bell
Academy for Listening and Spoken
Language announced the appointment of president-elect Cheryl L.
Dickson, M.Ed., LSLS Cert. AVT,
9
SOUND BITES
U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Second Circuit Rules in
Hospital Interpreting Case
As previously reported in AG Bell Update
and Volta Voices, last year AG Bell
teamed with other advocacy groups in
filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court
of Appeals, Second Circuit, in the case
of Loeffler v. Staten Island University
Hospital. The case involved a plaintiff
who was deaf who requested, but was
denied, an interpreter during treatment
at a hospital with the reasoning that the
patient’s young son could serve as a
qualified interpreter.
On October 6, 2009, the Second
Circuit Court of Appeals held that
a hospital’s failure to provide sign
language interpreters amounted to
“deliberate indifference” and can result
in an award of monetary damages. The
Court agreed with many of the arguments advanced in the amicus brief.
And while the issue has been decided
favorably in several trial courts in the
past, the Loeffler decision probably
represents the first time such a ruling
has been rendered at the Court of
Appeals level. AG Bell Public Affairs
Council Chair John Stanton noted, “My
hope is this decision will go a long way
toward convincing hospitals to start
taking patient interpretation obligations seriously.” Visit www.agbell.org
to access a link to the complete ruling.
10
The new statue depicts Helen Keller as a
girl at a water pump at the moment she
first understands the word “water.”
Helen Keller Statue
Unveiled at U.S. Capitol
On October 7, 2009, a long-awaited
statue of Helen Keller was unveiled
in a congressional tribute at the
U.S. Capitol. The statue will be
on permanent display in the U.S.
Capitol Visitors Center. Remarks
were made by both House and
Senate leadership, the governor of
Alabama, and the president and
CEO of the American Foundation for
the Blind. AG Bell was represented
by Executive Director Alexander T.
Graham, Director of Communications
and Public Affairs Catherine Murphy,
and Production and Editing Manager
Melody Felzien, as well as numerous
AG Bell members.
Deafness Research
Foundation Announces
2009–2010 Grant
Recipients
The Deafness Research Foundation
(DRF) has awarded 17 research grants
of up to $25,000 and one Centurion
Clinical Research Award of $50,000
to outstanding young scientists
investigating new avenues of hearing
and balance science. The grants
will support research in the areas
of fundamental auditory research,
hearing and balance restoration,
hearing loss, vestibular and balance
disorders, tinnitus and hyperacusis.
Since 1958, DRF has awarded more
than $24 million in research grants,
which have led to important technological advancements in the field of
hearing improvement and restoration. The grant recipients, who come
from all over the country, are spearheading a wide variety of innovations
that could dramatically improve the
quality of life for the deaf and hard
of hearing. Visit www.drf.org for
more information.
Photo Credit: AG Bell
Helen Keller and Dr. Alexander
Graham Bell had a very long and
close friendship. She dedicated a
chapter to him in her autobiography
“Midstream” (Crowell Publishing
Company, 1929) titled “My Oldest
Friend,” as she had met Bell even
before she knew Anne Sullivan. She
was a frequent guest at the Bell
family homes in both Washington,
D.C., and Beinn Bhreagh, Nova
Scotia, Canada. In 1893, Keller dug
the first shovel at the groundbreaking
of what is today AG Bell’s national
headquarters, The Volta Bureau. Of
Dr. Bell, Keller recounted, “When I
was a little girl, just learning to talk,
my teacher [Anne Sullivan] and I
used to go with him to conventions to
further the teaching of speech to the
deaf...I am indeed rich in memories
of Dr. Bell.”
for the 2010–2012 term. Dickson, a
resident of New South Wales, Australia,
and the first professional in Southeast
Asia to be certified as an auditoryverbal therapist, runs a private practice in listening and spoken language
therapy in Sydney. The Academy also
announced the appointment of Ellen
Estes, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVEd, and
the reappointment of Lyn Robertson,
Ph.D., to the AG Bell Academy Board of
Directors for the 2009–2011 term. Visit
www.agbellacademy.org/news.htm
for more information.
new Cooperative
Agreement: Program to
enhance the health and
development of Infants
and Children
The American Academy of Pediatrics
Division of Children with Special Needs
announced a new five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention called
the Program to Enhance the Health and
Development of Infants and Children.
PEHDIC will support children with
disabilities by linking the physician
community at the national, state and
local levels to activities including health
promotion and disease prevention for
newborns and infants, early hearing
detection and intervention, prevention
of secondary conditions in children with
chApTErs
On September 24–26, 2009, the Florida Chapter of AG Bell helped plan
and participated in the Florida Summit on Childhood Deafness held in St.
Augustine, Fla. The summit was attended by more than 360 audiologists,
speech language pathologists and early intervention providers, who participated in an inclusive forum for the exchange of information, closer collaborations and opportunities for building shared support systems for Florida’s
children with hearing loss and their families.
On August 22, 2009, the nevada Chapter of AG Bell drew a record
crowd of 200 AG Bell members to thank Representative Dina Titus (D-NV)
for co-sponsoring the federal Hearing Aid Tax Credit (H.R. 1646), which
would provide a $500 tax credit per device for children and people over age
55 with hearing loss. Rep. Titus, who also voted in favor of the Early Hearing
Detection and Intervention Act (H.R. 1246) earlier this year, acknowledged
the sometimes insurmountable cost of hearing aids for families, especially
in the current economic climate, and pledged continuing support for the
Hearing Aid Tax Credit as it moves through Congress and for private and
group health insurance mandates to cover hearing aids for children.
Wherever Your Roots...
St. Joseph Institute Helps you Grow!
Each year more than 200 children from around the country and around the world
turn to St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf for a remarkable range of services including:
• Auditory-Oral Education
• Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation
• On-site Adult & Pediatric Audiology Clinic*
• PK-8 Academic Programs
• Mainstream Consultancy Service
• Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluations*
• Summer Programming*
• Early Intervention Parent/Infant Programs
*Additional service available at the St. Louis Campus
For over 170 years St. Joseph Institute has led the way internationally
with innovative programs for the deaf and hard of hearing. For more
information please contact one of our four campuses:
ST. LOUIS CAMPUS • 636-532-3211 (VOICE/TDD)
KANSAS CITY CAMPUS • 913-383-3535
INDIANAPOLIS CAMPUS • 317-471-8560
v o lta v o ices • n ove Mbe r/de c e Mbe r 2009
www.sjid.org
11
SOUND BITES
People in the News
SHARED INTEREST GROUPS
Two New SIGs Available!
AG Bell is pleased to offer two new Shared Interest Groups, available to all
current AG Bell members:
Photo Credit: AG Bell
CI Users – The purpose of this SIG is to share common experiences of
cochlear implant (CI) users and assist those seeking information about how
to navigate the process of receiving an implant and those learning to interpret
their environment. This SIG is led by a dynamic and successful CI user who
received her implant at age 30.
AG Bell and the AG Bell Academy
welcome Jennifer “Jenn”
Smith as their new manager
of certification and professional
programs. Smith will manage the
AG Bell Academy’s professional
certification programs for Listening
and Spoken Language Specialists
and AG Bell’s educational program
development. Prior to joining AG
Bell, Smith, who has a B.A. in
psychology from the University
of South Florida, worked for the
250,000-member Society for
Human Resource Management
managing certification preparation and professional development
programs. She can be reached at
[email protected].
disabilities, health promotion for children with disabilities and transition to
adult life. In the first year, PEHDIC will
focus on early hearing detection and
intervention, fetal alcohol spectrum
disorders, birth defects (specifically
congenital heart defects), newborn
screening and flu recommendations
for children with special health care
needs. To learn more about PEHDIC,
visit www.medicalhomeinfo.org/about/
PEHDIC.html.
AG Bell Financial Aid and
Scholarship Programs
Experience Dramatic
Increase in Applications
In July 2009, AG Bell distributed
approximately $175,000 in financial aid
and scholarships to support children,
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LSLS Students and New Professionals – The purpose of this
SIG is to unite graduate students and new practicing professionals in the
field of listening and spoken language. Participants can make connections,
network, share experiences and best practices, assist others in preparing for
the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist exams and finding mentors,
and encourage the next generation of professionals in listening and spoken
language fields. This SIG brings together graduate students and new professionals in speech-language pathology, deaf education, audiology and related
fields. The goal is to support the next generation of professionals and create
strong advocates for every child with hearing loss to listen and talk!
To participate in these SIGs, please log in to Virtual Voices at www.agbell.org.
Once logged in, look for the “My SIGs” link to access both groups.
As AG Bell launches its SIG effort, it is putting out a “call for leaders” to
encourage volunteer leadership participation in our online networking community. AG Bell’s volunteers are the heart and soul of the AG Bell community. Visit
http://nc.agbell.org/netcommunity/aboutsigs to learn more or to suggest a new
SIG for the AG Bell community. Still have questions? Please contact Elizabeth
Reed-Martinez, AG Bell director of association relations and administration, at
[email protected].
teens and young adults who are deaf
or hard of hearing who listen and talk,
with some programs seeing up to a
52 percent increase in submissions.
“Applications significantly increased
this year, likely due to economic conditions,” said Wendy Will, AG Bell youth
and family programs manager. The AG
Bell College Scholarship Program gave
awards totaling $80,000 to 20 collegebound students. The AG Bell School
Age Financial Aid Program, benefiting
students with hearing loss who listen
and talk in private or public mainstream
settings, awarded a total of $69,750
to 78 children, while the AG Bell Arts
& Sciences Awards Program awarded
$25,000 to 25 children who participate
in specific programs focused on an
art or science. For more information
about all of AG Bell’s Financial Aid and
Scholarship Awards, visit
www.agbell.org.
New Site Serves as
Master Guide for Hearing
Aid Patients
A new Web site managed by audiologists and hearing health care specialists, www.AdviceOnHearingAids.com,
provides comprehensive information
on all major brands of hearing aids
to help consumers decide which
device will best suit their needs.
The site features a comprehensive
rating system and reviews of different
brands of hearing aids. A hearing
aid forum and news section and an
expert advice page allow patients and
professionals to interact and discuss
concerns as varied as basic care of
hearing aids, the difference between
digital and analog models, and symptoms of hearing loss. The site does not
sell or endorse any product, but rather
serves as an educational resource for
practitioners and patients. Visit
www.adviceonhearingaids.com to
learn more.
Researchers Make New
Advances in Genetics and
Hearing Loss
In the August 21, 2009, issue of PLoS
Genetics, researchers at Kansas
State University and the University
of Iowa announced the discovery of
a deafness-causing mutation in the
claudin-9 gene in mice that has led to
the identification of a new protein that
protects sensory cells in the ear. The
team of researchers is now screening
people with hearing loss to identify the
claudin-9 mutation in humans.
The September 3, 2009, online issue
of the American Journal of Human
Genetics published the findings
of a team at the Scripps Research
Institute that linked a previously
uncharacterized gene called Loxhd1
to deafness, identified first in mice
and then confirmed in humans.
Mutations in Loxhd1 lead to degradation of hair cells in the inner ear
and disruption of the process that
enables hearing. This is the third
hearing-related gene discovered by
the team, and team leader Ulrich
Mueller is optimistic about its prospects for providing “more information
on the genetic underpinnings of this
condition.”
New ECHO Building Opens
in Central Illinois
On August 12, 2009, a $6.25 million
Expanding Children’s Hearing
Opportunities (ECHO) building, whose
new 15,500-square-foot facilities will
house the Pediatric Hearing Center
and the Carle Auditory Oral School
Carle Foundation Hospital, opened
at the University of Illinois College
of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign.
ECHO, noted for its cochlear implant
program, was founded by AG Bell
Board of Directors member Michael
Novak, M.D., in 1987. The Pediatric
Hearing Center is an outpatient
services center where children are
tested for hearing loss and provided
with hearing aids or cochlear implants.
The primary goal of the Pediatric
Hearing Center is to help children with
hearing loss develop their communication skills to their fullest potential
while involving parents in the assessment and decision-making process.
The Carle Auditory School teaches
children with hearing loss to develop
listening and spoken language and
also serves as a primary teaching site
for University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Illinois State University
and Eastern Illinois University students
of audiology, speech pathology and
deaf education. For more information
about ECHO, visit www.carle.org/
Services/additional-services/echo/
index.aspx.
United Healthcare
Announces Coverage
of Bilateral Cochlear
Implants
In July 2009, at the urging of AG Bell
and other consumer groups that
advocate for individuals with hearing
loss, United Healthcare reviewed
clinical evidence supporting the use
of cochlear implants and changed its
policy to cover bilateral implantation for
children and for adults with postlingual
hearing loss. Research has shown that
bilateral cochlear implants can have
a profoundly positive impact on the
quality of life for individuals who are
deaf and hard of hearing. The additional
coverage was implemented in August
2009. Visit www.uhc.com for more
information.
TECHNOLOGY WATCH
FDA Approves Cochlear
Nucleus 5 System
Cochlear Americas has announced
Food and Drug Administration approval
of the Nucleus 5 System, Cochlear’s
newest technology in cochlear implantation for children and adults with
severe to profound hearing loss. The
Nucleus 5 System is designed to
provide access to sound for individuals
who are deaf and hard of hearing and
deliver the best listening options for
phone use, communication in noisy
environments and music enjoyment.
This system features a small, waterresistant sound processor, thin titanium
cochlear implant, two-way remote
assistant, Smart Sound 2 technology
and AutoPhone capability. The new
implant is also significantly smaller than
previous models to provide a more
natural fit for users. To learn more about
the Nucleus 5 System, visit
www.cochlearamericas.com.
New Internet-Based
Captioned Telephone
Developed by Ultratec, Inc.
At the New Mexico Conference on
Aging, August 25–27, 2009, the new
Captioned Telephone (CapTel 800i)
was introduced by Hamilton CapTel,
a service of Hamilton Relay
(www.hamiltonrelay.com). The CapTel
800i uses existing phone service
(analog or digital) for the voice portion
of the call and a high-speed Internet
connection to provide easy-to-read
captions of the conversation. Captions
are generated through a captioning
center, where a specially trained
operator uses advanced voice recognition technology to create nearly
instantaneous captions. For those
without a high-speed Internet connection, a landline version is also available
through Hamilton Relay. Visit
www.captel.com for more
information.
13
SOUND BITES
AG Bell 2009 Listening &
Spoken Language Symposium
Wrap-Up
By Elizabeth Boschini
14
was to facilitate this understanding while
identifying real-life applications.
Speaker Presentations
In Friday’s keynote session, Dr.
Kimberly Andrews Espy, associate vice
chancellor for research and professor of
psychology at University of NebraskaLincoln, presented her research on the
development of executive control in
preschool children. Dr. Espy summarized EF as, “How we learn to learn,”
and noted that preschoolers develop EF
skills, such as organization, attention,
inhibition and working memory, long
before they learn to read or do algebra.
These skills lay the foundation for
learning throughout the child’s life.
Dr. Espy hypothesized that the assessments given to children, such as language,
intelligence and cognitive batteries, test
both content as well as EF skills. She and
her team designed elegant mathematical
models to draw out the different components of many different tests to reach
conclusions about the EF of preschoolers.
Drawing from the subjects’ scores on
these tests, Dr. Espy and her team were
able to discern the EF skills targeted by
each assessment and determine the relationships, if any, that exist between factors
in these preschoolers’ environments, their
abilities and their development of EF skills.
Some relationships Dr. Espy highlighted
include the following:
yy Although the term “executive function” encompasses a variety of skills,
the development of these skills
appears to be bound together in
preschoolers, developing in concert
rather than at different rates.
Photo Credit: Kimberly Andrews Espy
F
rom July 23 to 25, 2009, AG
Bell hosted 300 teachers of the
deaf, speech language pathologists, Listening and Spoken Language
Specialists, audiologists, researchers and
clinicians from across the United States
as well as from nine other countries for
its 2009 Listening & Spoken Language
Symposium in St. Louis, Mo. The symposium’s focus, Executive Function (EF),
is one of the most discussed topics in
psychology today. Also called executive
control, EF encompasses a broad spectrum of psychological
processes defined as, “Higher-order, regulatory, goal-directed cognition or behavior.”
EF skills include regulation, inhibition,
organization and prioritization of thoughts
and actions. They are the “building blocks”
for higher order tasks, such as language
and auditory processing — crucial skills for
children with hearing loss who are learning
to listen and speak. EF processes are
thought to occur in the prefrontal cortex of
the brain, an area that grows and develops
well into the second decade of a person’s
life. This long-growth trajectory represents
both promise and peril for professionals
in the listening and spoken language
field. With a longer time of maturation, the
prefrontal cortex has a prolonged period of
vulnerability to neurological insult, but this
long growth period also offers the possibility for change with proper intervention.
Understanding EF can help listening
and spoken language professionals gain
insight into the cognitive development of
children with hearing loss and provide
new avenues for targeting the growth
and development of listening and spoken
language skills. The goal of the symposium
Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy
yy Girls returned higher scores on EF
measures and were more able to draw
on these skills to help them function in
everyday environments.
yy Children from families with large, strong
social networks have higher EF skills.
yy Premature babies, even “low-risk”
infants who do not stay long in neonatal
intensive care units, have approximately 20 percent greater likelihood
of experiencing EF dysfunction later in
childhood.
Dr. Espy and her team hypothesize
that EF skills have a genetic or biological
component, but the exact gene or mechanism for EF is not yet known. In the panel
discussion following Dr. Espy’s speech,
other professionals in the field of EF added
their insights to Dr. Espy’s research. Panel
members emphasized the continual,
ongoing nature of EF development in
preschoolers and school-age children and
noted that, although EF skills are thought
to originate in the frontal lobe, the sections
of the brain do not exist in isolation; injury
or dysfunction in other parts of the brain
may affect EF as well.
Dr. David Pisoni, chancellors’ professor
of psychology and cognitive science
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practices to increase our abilities to benefit
the children with hearing loss and families
we serve.
15
6 /,4! 6 /)# % 3 s - ! 2 # (! 0 2 ) , Listening And
spoken
Language
By Susan Lenihan, Ph.D., CED
C
hoosing a career is one of life’s
most important decisions. Most
people want to participate in
meaningful and rewarding
work, and becoming a professional working with children with hearing loss meets
a critical need in our society. If this is
your career choice, it is important that
you choose a program that will help you
develop the knowledge and skills needed
to be effective in the lives of the children
you will serve. Often, this path will lead
to becoming a certified listening and
spoken language specialist (LSLS).
The requirements for becoming a
certified auditory-verbal educator
or therapist LSLS are defined clearly
by the AG Bell Academy at
www.agbellacademy.org, but the path
one takes while on this professional
development journey certainly varies.
Choosing the right
degrees and Programs
For high school students and college
undergraduate students who are interested
in careers that help children with hearing
loss develop listening and spoken
16
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
— Lao Tzu
language (LSL) a number of steps can provide a strong start on the path to becoming
an LSLS. Use the following questions to
help you determine which path to pursue
in becoming a successful LSLS.
1. What professional discipline –
teacher of the deaf, speech-language
pathologist, audiologist – most interests you and which universities offer
this discipline?
While the professional goals of these
careers may overlap and each professional
is important in the process of children
developing LSL, the daily experiences on
the job and the education requirements
for each discipline are different. Most
teachers of the deaf work in schools, either
as classroom teachers or as itinerant
teachers. Speech-language pathologists
usually work one on one or with small
groups of children, providing therapy
focused on speech, language and listening.
Audiologists focus on evaluating and treating hearing loss. All of these professions
may offer services in early intervention to
infants, toddlers and their families.
To determine the right path for you, you
may want to spend some time shadow-
ing these professionals to see what their
day-to-day activities are like. You should
also view the “Make a Difference” video
at www.oraldeafed.org for an overview of
some of the professional roles available in
deaf education. Another option is to look
for a program that offers a collaborative,
interdisciplinary education model in which
professionals from two or three of these
disciplines take classes and work together
in practicum settings. This collaborative
model increases the interaction among
professionals and provides excellent experiences for the developing professional.
Some states require a master’s degree for
certification as a teacher of students who
are deaf, but most states offer initial certification to individuals who have completed
an undergraduate program in deaf education. To be licensed as a speech-language
pathologist requires a master’s degree
and to work as an audiologist requires a
doctorate (AuD). The master’s degree for
speech-language pathology requires two to
three years of graduate study and the AuD
requires a 4-year program of study, including one year of internship.
The requirements to be a certified
teacher of the deaf are determined by each
v olta v oic e s • nov e M be r / d ec eM b er 2009
photo
hoto credit: Funtup productions
from a to Z: Getting
started in
state, and a number of deaf education
teacher preparation programs are approved
by the Council on Education of the Deaf.
A full list of programs, including contact
information and program philosophy,
is available at www.deafed.net. Many of
the programs describe their philosophy
as comprehensive, but it is important
to determine whether the curriculum
includes sufficient content and experience
related to LSL development.
The Table provides a list of professional
preparation programs that specialize in
LSL preparation. Currently, the AG Bell
Academy requires that professionals have
at least three years of work experience in
an LSL setting before applying to take the
certification examination. At this time, the
Academy is not evaluating or accrediting
professional preparation programs.
2. What undergraduate degree will
best prepare me for advanced studies
in speech-language pathology, audiology or teaching?
Students have a number of choices
to make regarding undergraduate
Table: professional programs Focusing on LsL preparation
Deaf Education programs*
California Lutheran University
Fontbonne University
Smith College
University of Hartford
University of Nebraska-Omaha
University of San Diego/John
Tracy Clinic
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Texas Health
Sciences Center in San Antonio
Utah State University
Vanderbilt University
Washington University in St. Louis
speech-Language pathology programs with an Emphasis in
childhood Deafness
Fontbonne University
LaSalle University
University of Akron
AuD programs closely Affiliated with Deaf Education programs
University of Akron
Washington University in St. Louis
*Members of the Consortium of Teacher Preparation Programs for Children with
Hearing Loss Using LSL.
studies. An undergraduate degree in
deaf education provides an excellent
foundation for a master’s degree in early
intervention, speech-language pathology or audiology; however, only a few
undergraduate deaf education programs
focus on LSL. An advantage to pursuing
a degree in deaf education is that you
may have two professional disciplines
and licensure or certification, and the
17
From A-Z: Getting Started in
Profiles in Learning
Jenny Regnery Reeder and Amanda Tocko are graduates of Fontbonne University. The following are their stories of educational
and professional development to becoming certified LSLS.
I became interested in working
with children with hearing loss
while volunteering at The Moog
Center for Deaf Education in
St. Louis, Mo. I was extremely
fortunate to receive a scholarship focusing on deafness
within the speech-language
(L-R) Jenny Regnery Reeder,
pathology graduate program
Claudia Alegria Magno and
at Fontbonne University. This Hannia Acosta participate
was an extraordinary opporin a therapy session at the
tunity many speech-language John Tracy Clinic.
pathologists do not receive.
I had excellent professors and additional coursework that
focused on hearing loss issues, and I participated in graduate intern programs emphasizing deaf education.
Following the completion of my graduate degree in speechlanguage pathology, I began my clinical fellowship year at
the House Ear Institute, CARE Center, in Los Angeles, Calif.,
where I was part of the cochlear implant team. My primary
responsibilities included regular consultation with a multidisciplinary team, comprehensive cochlear implant pre- and
postevaluations, therapy using auditory-verbal techniques
and principles, and consultation regarding educational and
therapeutic intervention.
In June 2006, I began working at the John Tracy Clinic where
I was mentored by two LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapists (LSLS Cert. AVTs). I continued my professional
development by providing family-centered therapy with a
strong auditory base using auditory-verbal techniques; comprehensive formal and informal evaluations regarding speech,
language, auditory and cognitive skills; consultation with a
multidisciplinary team; and continuing education to families
during parent workshops.
In May of 2008, I began Speech Bananas
(www.speechbananas.com), a private practice in Los Angeles.
Speech Bananas is committed to providing individual and
family therapy based on the principles of auditory-verbal
therapy, as well as guidelines and principles for speech-language pathologists.
Over the past four years, my education in the areas of auditory-verbal therapy, speech, language, audition and cognition
has been furthered through in-service training, workshops,
attendance at conferences and my work with families with
children or young adults with hearing loss. In October 2008,
I fulfilled the eligibility requirements and passed the certifica-
18
tion exam to become an LSLS Cert. AVT. Working with families and their children with hearing loss has been an inspiring,
challenging and rewarding career. The experiences I had early
on in my training served as the strong platform from which I
have built my career, and I truly hope future graduate students
will have the same opportunities I did.
Amanda Tocko, M.A., LSLS Cert. AVEd
My experiences going to an
audiologist and a speechlanguage pathologist when
I was younger and having
friends in my life who have a
hearing loss sparked my interest in pursuing an undergraduAmanda Tocko works with
ate degree in communicative
Jameson Williams at Northern
disorders. During my last year Voices in Roseville, Minn.
as an undergraduate student,
I found some specialized programs in which you could teach
children who are deaf and hard of hearing how to listen and
talk. I was drawn to the early intervention in deaf education
master’s program at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Mo., for
a variety of reasons. Fontbonne University was located in the
Midwest where I was from (Minneapolis), it had a small program of only 10 students, I could complete my master’s degree
in 14 months, and it was located in the city that housed three
prestigious oral-deaf schools where I could gain experience
learning from highly qualified and experienced professionals in
the field. Before making the choice to pursue a career in deaf
education, I toured Northern Voices, an auditory-oral school
in Roseville, Minn. After seeing children with hearing loss who
had gained the ability to listen and use spoken language, I
knew in my heart that this was the job for me.
Throughout my education at Fontbonne University and during
my first few years of teaching, I have realized that I will always
be learning and growing in my expertise as a professional
because the field of deaf education is always evolving. When
I first started working at Northern Voices in 2003, most of our
kids received cochlear implants between 1 ½ and 2 years of
age. Only a couple of our kids were bilingual and we didn’t
have any kids with bilateral cochlear implants. Over the past
six years, all of this has changed, leading me to pursue certification as an LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator (LSLS
Cert. AVEd). As a wonderful mentor in my life once told me,
“the day you are done learning in the field of deaf education
is the day you should walk out the door.” As a professional
in deaf education, you always need to be asking yourself the
question, “What can I do each day to enrich my skills and
knowledge so that I can best serve children with a hearing
loss and their families?”
Photo Credit: Northern Voices
Photo Credit: Greg Wilson
Jenny Regnery Reeder, M.S., CCC-SLP,
LSLS Cert. AVT
experience in deaf education provides a
depth of knowledge for future studies.
An undergraduate degree in communication disorders and sciences
also provides a strong foundation for
advanced studies in deaf education,
speech-language pathology or audiology. Other undergraduate majors that
may incorporate relevant content for
a future LSLS include early childhood, elementary education, special
education or child and family development. Although these areas of
study provide valuable knowledge
and skill development, it is important
to know that advanced study in deaf
education, speech-language pathology or audiology may require a year
of additional coursework. You may be
able to major in one of these related
fields as an undergraduate and minor
in communication disorders, or take
the prerequisites as electives. Talking
with program directors and advisors
can help you make course choices
that will best prepare you for your
graduate degree pursuits.
3. Do the courses in the program
align with the nine domains of LSL
identified by the Academy, and are
the faculty members experienced in
LSL settings or certified LSLS?
Ask the program director if the program’s curriculum addresses the content
knowledge needed for an LSLS. You may
use the nine domains as a guide. Review
the course descriptions provided in the
program catalog to determine whether
the program focuses on LSL. The program director can also tell you whether
faculty members in the program have
experience working with children developing LSL, and whether they are active
in research and professional presentations related to LSL.
profound effect on your development
as a professional. Be sure that the
preparation program offers clinical
experiences with LSL settings. A
number of programs have professional development partnerships
with schools that have many professionals who are certified LSLS or who
are seeking certification.
5. Do graduates of the program
feel that the education they
received properly prepared them
to become LSLS in the future?
Talk with graduates and current
students in the program to learn more
about their experiences. Join the LSL
Students and New Professionals Shared
Interest Group (SIG) of AG Bell to interact with students and new professionals. Find out where program graduates
are working and ask how many of the
graduates are LSLS.
6. Does the program offer a special focus or certain opportunities
that appeal to you?
Some programs feature special areas
of interest, including study abroad,
urban settings, practicum experiences in other cities, itinerant work,
English Language Learners, multiple disabilities, early intervention,
hospital programs, inclusive settings,
cochlear implants or mild-moderate
hearing losses. If you know you are
interested in a particular area, you
can choose a program that offers
that opportunity.
Choosing the right professional
preparation program is an important
first step. While you are in the program, be sure to work with your advisor to get the experiences you need to
best prepare for your future career.
You should get involved with AG Bell
and join the SIG for students and new
professionals to start networking and
gathering practical advice.
Making Postgraduation
Decisions
After earning the degrees required to
become a teacher of the deaf, speechlanguage pathologist or audiologist,
the journey to becoming a LSLS
continues as you make the important
decision regarding your first job.
Look for a program that will provide
you with the experiences you need,
including mentoring, so that you
can prepare to become an LSLS by
cultivating the knowledge and skills
necessary to complete the certification exam.
It is important to note that
although your classroom education
is complete, your learning should
never stop. “Leveraging Professional
Development Opportunities” on page
22 discusses ways to continue your
professional development. Those
who work with children who are deaf
or hard of hearing should remain
active with professional organizations that will support professional
development.
4. Are clinical practicum and student teaching experiences provided
in LSL settings and are they composed of sufficient number of hours,
variety of ages and qualified cooperating professionals?
It is critical that course content
addresses the knowledge base needed
by an LSLS, but the practicum and
student teaching experiences have a
V O LTA V O ICES • N OVE MBE R/DE CE MBE R 2009
19
successful
Graduate students
By Henry Teller, Ed.D., CED; Anne Sullivan, M.S., CED; and
Christina Perigoe, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, CED
T
he key to succeeding in a graduate degree program does not
solely rely on the quality of
teaching or curricular content.
Success also relies on the characteristics
of individuals pursuing their master’s
degree or doctorate.
In the fall of 2006, the University of
Southern Mississippi received a grant to
develop a new graduate degree program
focused on early oral intervention. The
university created the program to fill the
enormous need for more trained professionals to provide listening and spoken
language intervention to young children
who are deaf or hard of hearing and their
families. Course developers met with
representatives of notable programs that
deliver services to infants and young
children with hearing loss, distinguished
university programs that train professionals to provide listening and spoken
language services during early intervention, and institutions in Mississippi that
provide therapeutic services to young
children with hearing loss to learn best
practices and skills students would need
to have upon graduation.
The purpose of these interviews,
observations and discussion was to create a modern, state-of-the-art program,
but the following desirable qualities of
graduate students in early intervention
also were identified.
Passion
Every program interviewed stated
(often repeatedly) that, to be successful,
20
persons entering this field must have a
passion for working with children who
are deaf and hard of hearing and who
are developing listening and spoken language. One university program director
said, “If I see a person with passion and
other abilities, I will admit them without
the coursework prerequisites,” adding
that these students can complete any
program prerequisites while pursuing
the degree-required coursework.
Faculty members in deaf education
graduate programs want to recruit
students who will get satisfaction from
helping others succeed. This passion for
helping children who are deaf or hard
of hearing develop listening and spoken
language skills is evident in students
who express enthusiasm, excitement
and a love for this work. Graduate students gain a sense of accomplishment by
helping young children develop listening, spoken language and academic
skills at typical rates, which is essential
if these children are to thrive in mainstream education programs.
Commitment
Program interview results indicated that
successful graduate students should be
able to grasp the “big picture.” Students
should know that the work of early
intervention requires a good rapport
with the child and the family. A graduate student who goes on to become an
early interventionist will most likely
work with a child and his or her parents
for months or even years, sharing in the
child’s achievements and trials. Students
should recognize that being an early
interventionist focused on listening and
spoken language involves an ongoing
personal commitment. This can be more
intense than the relationships families
develop with professionals who may offer
only periodic audiological or speech services. One program director mentioned,
“Anyone who views this work as a 9-to-5
job would not be a good candidate.”
Preparation
Although faculty did not have a clear
consensus on what single course of
study was best before entering a graduate degree program in early oral intervention, they did have a number of
suggestions. Several faculty members
emphasized that coursework in child
development was essential and felt it was
important for graduate students to have
an understanding of typical development
when working with children who are deaf
and hard of hearing.
In addition, some faculty suggested
that graduate students have a background in deafness, either through a deaf
education teacher preparation program or
through coursework in speech, language
and audiology. Practical experience working with young children with hearing
loss and their families emerged as an
important prerequisite. Another area of
study mentioned as good preparation was
early childhood education or elementary
education. One program director stated,
“Just give me a good camp counselor.” In
photo credit:
redit: ablestock
identifying Qualities of
other words, she wanted someone who
could relate to young children.
Admission Criteria
Based on background research, devel
developers of the University of Southern
Mississippi program developed a list
of desirable prerequisite courses to use
as admission criteria. These included
courses on infant and child develop
development, language development, introduc
introduction to audiology, speech or phonetics,
and anatomy and physiology of speech
and hearing. Because the program
has a rigorous graduate curriculum,
grade point average (especially on the
last 60 credit hours of undergraduate
coursework), scores on the Graduate
Record Examination (GRE), letters of
recommendation from faculty or other
qualified professionals and a letter of
application are considered useful indicators of potential success.
Other indicators that can be used to
identify potential successful applicants
include a review of a student’s written
communication skills as demonstrated
through e-mail and written correspondence, and the quality of their spoken
communication skills through telephone
conversations. Finally, much can be
learned about a student by the research
he or she conducted before the application process. For example, did the
student take the initiative to research
the graduate program by reading all
the information about early intervention and listening and spoken language
posted on the university’s Web site? Or
did the student visit recommended Web
sites, such as www.agbell.org and
www.oraldeafed.org?
The early oral intervention faculty at
the University of Southern Mississippi
invite students who meet the admission
criteria to an interview. During this
interview, faculty assess the student’s
attitude and professional demeanor
along with the applicant’s commitment
to listening and spoken language for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The interview process assesses how
well candidates are likely to relate to the
children, their parents and other
family members, and their motivation
for choosing this program over others.
Summary
Many factors should be considered in
selecting students for graduate study in
early intervention focused on listening and spoken language. Traditional
criteria, such as a high grade point
average in undergraduate studies, GRE
scores and letters of recommendation,
should certainly be factors. A number of
other elements, however, are worthy of
consideration when selecting students
for study in this field. These factors
include the ability to develop a rapport
with young children and their families,
good oral and written language skills,
a commitment to teaching listening
and spoken language, the ability to be a
self-starter, a commitment to a rigorous
course of study and a passion for working in early intervention. After all, these
are the same qualities students will
need to bring to their professional life
when they begin their careers as listening and spoken language specialists.
21
By Melody Felzien and Judy Harrison, M.A.
P
rofessionals who successfully
help children who are deaf or
hard of hearing attain listening and spoken language (LSL)
engage in continuous professional development. Whether you are just starting out
as a teacher of students who are deaf or
have been a certified listening and spoken
language specialist (LSLS) for more than
25 years, the best way to meet the needs
of the children and families you work
with and achieve the desired language
outcomes is to stay knowledgeable about
best practices and evolving techniques
and strategies.
What Does “Professional
Development” Mean?
When you hear the term “professional
development,” you typically think about
lectures, workshops or conferences. And
while those are avenues to continuous
professional development, and a way to
achieve continuing education credit, they
alone do not provide ongoing improvement of one’s skills. For professionals who
work with children who are developing
LSL, this is especially important. With the
rapid increase of children learning LSL and
the changing environments in which these
children are being educated, maintaining a wide range of knowledge can be
increasingly difficult.
A professional can expand his or her
knowledge and be ready to work in any
situation, such as a principal, administrator, manager, coach, therapist and teacher,
22
through professional development. You
may not become an expert in all of these
avenues, but having knowledge about
each of them can help increase or prepare
you for future employment opportunities.
Hone the Practice of
Evaluation
A key and overlooked aspect of professional development is evaluation.
Through evaluation, professionals can
learn more about the areas in which they
need additional education than through
any other method of professional development. Ideally, professionals working
with children who are deaf or hard of
hearing should demonstrate knowledge
in the nine domains of LSL, as identified
by the AG Bell Academy for Listening
and Spoken Language (see Table). These
domains are designed to test professionals on the knowledge necessary to successfully achieve LSL outcomes and should be
used as a guide in evaluation practices.
Professionals should practice two types
of evaluation. First, conduct regular selfevaluations. Self-assessment is critical.
The nine domains of LSL can be used as
a guide; review the nine domains and
consider the areas in which you feel most
confident and identify your strengths and
weaknesses. Don’t assume that you know
what is necessary for LSL development.
Look at where your practice is focused
and where you need to heighten your
skills. For example, an audiologist who
works primarily with toddlers who receive
cochlear implants should seek out ways to
test babies and work with people who use
hearing aids.
The second type of evaluation is peer
or supervisor evaluation. Professionals
should always have their practice
observed, whether by a peer, supervisor,
mentor or new graduate just entering the
field. All of these individuals are removed
and can provide objective feedback about
your skills and areas for improvement.
You may consider evaluation by someone
outside the field of deafness. An outside
perspective can give you a fresh look into
your practice. If you have a mentor or
friend who lives far away, consider taping
yourself during a live session or televising
your class over a Web cam (through an
online video chat service, such as Skype).
Feedback can be scary, but impartial
observation can help you determine what
professional development opportunities
you should seek.
Find the Right
Professional
Development Program
Once you identify the areas in which
you want to improve, you can fill the
knowledge gaps in a variety of ways.
Reading research, attending live
lectures, attending online webinars,
reading books, returning to school and
applying feedback from evaluations
are all ways to achieve professional
development. The big question is where
do you start?
V OLTA V OIC E S • NOV E M BE R /D EC EM B ER 2009
Photo Credit: FunTup Productions
Leveraging
Professional
Development
Opportunities
Any avenue you pursue should not
only address one or more of the nine LSL
domains, but also include information
relevant to all children, not just children
with hearing loss. For example, attendees
to the 2009 AG Bell Listening & Spoken
Language Symposium received a mixture
of information about hearing loss specifically, as well as child development in
general. Professionals should seek development programs that discuss a child’s entire
development, not just remediation of the
hearing loss. For instance, if you are trying
to improve your knowledge about literacy,
consider reading articles or books that
focus on increasing reading levels for all
children. The same is true for conferences,
programs and workshops. Take advantage
of presentations outside the field of hearing loss to increase your knowledge of a
child’s entire development.
Several different types of professional
development programs are available,
and you may be attracted to one type of
programming over another. Consider your
time, financial resources and knowledge
needs when choosing a professional devel-
opment program. The following is a list of
the most common types of programs:
Presentation/Lecture. This type of
program will passively distribute knowledge and help you if it is the first time you
are being exposed to specialized information about a subject or theory, or will
provide more advanced information on a
topic with which you are already familiar.
Professionals will receive an overview of
the main points about a subject, although
you do not have to demonstrate whether
you received knowledge or put it into application. These programs can enhance your
own work and allow you to hear about new
theories. Professionals should use discretion when choosing a lecture and attend
presentations on subjects they do not know
much about. Try not to attend a lecture
on a subject on which you are an expert.
Hearing new and fresh information will
help you attain a wide body of knowledge.
Hands-on Workshops/Institutes.
Combining presentation and practical
application, this type of program often
integrates lecture with a video or live
observation of a therapy session in which
attendees discuss what they observed.
Several institutes provide this type of
program, such as the Carolina Summer
Institute in Auditory-Verbal Therapy,
Alabama Ear Institute in Auditory-Verbal
Therapy and the TCU Listening and Spoken
Language Summer Institute. Participants
attend a series of lectures and “classroom”
learning, and then receive stringent observations in therapy sessions in which their
work is critiqued. This type of programming is available to anyone, regardless
of level or type of professional. Primarily
because of the cost and time commitment,
however, professionals most likely to
participate are those in the introductory
and intermediate phase of their careers
and those who are seeking certification as a
LSLS Cert. AVEd or AVT.
Online Courses/Webinars. This type
of program provides an excellent opportunity to hear from experts without the
expense or time commitment of travel to
another city or state. Online learning is
becoming increasingly popular because
it is hard for today’s professionals to get
away from their classrooms or case loads,
23
Leveraging Professional Development
Opportunities
Table: Nine Domains of Listening and Spoken Language
Domain 1
Hearing and Hearing
Technology
Physiology of hearing, acoustics, type of hearing loss, audiologic
assessments, and assistive listening technology and devices.
Domain 2
Auditory Functioning
Auditory skill development and functional listening skill assessments and
evaluation.
Domain 3
Spoken Language
Communication
Physiology, development and instruction of speech and the
acquisition and assessment of language.
Domain 4
Child Development
Sequence of and influences on typical child development and how
hearing loss affects this dynamic.
Domain 5
Parent Guidance, Education
and Support
Family counseling, coaching and guidance techniques and impact of
external factors.
Domain 6
Strategies for Listening
and Spoken Language
Development
Language facilitation, prompting and acoustic highlighting techniques,
spoken language modeling, natural language instruction and “learning to
listen” strategies.
Domain 7
History, Philosophy and
Professional Issues
History of education and communication strategies of the deaf and hard
of hearing and professional development and practice.
Domain 8
Education
The development and expansion of the auditory and language skills that
underlie and support the child’s progress in the general
education curriculum.
Domain 9
Emergent Literacy
The development of the auditory and language skills that underlie and
support the acquisition and advancement of literacy.
Note: For more information and a full description of each domain, please visit www.agbellacademy.org/CoreCompetencies.pdf.
and the programs ease financial burdens. Often, it is easier to learn online
than to meet in person. Professionals
should know that it is hard to get the
full benefits of shared learning from an
online environment. Unless you have the
opportunity to ask lots of questions and
participate in discussion, online courses
and webinars should not make up the
entirety of your continuing education.
Listservs/Discussion Forums. While
not a source for continuing education
credit, online listservs and discussion
forums offer professionals an opportunity to engage with peers. Most listservs
and forums revolve around case study
discussion. Learning through case studies
improves practice and the ability to make
appropriate referrals. Even if you do not
face the same challenge as the person
presenting the case, those who are actively
engaged can learn tactics that may apply
to their practice later. This form of programming allows you to engage in critical
thinking; do not take the information
provided as fact, but evaluate the advice
24
with multiple sources. Another benefit is
that if you work alone, you can create a
collaborative online group that is mutually beneficial. Such groups can study
together (if you are all seeking certification) or discuss research and its implications in your practice. For instance, AG
Bell offers an online Shared Interest
Group for LSL students and new professionals. This group provides collaboration,
advice and opportunities to network with
the next generation of LSL professionals.
To learn more, visit www.agbell.org.
National /Regional Conferences. This
type of program is an absolute must for any
professional working with children who
have hearing loss. Most national groups,
such as AG Bell, American Academy
of Audiology and American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association, post
their conference dates two to three years
ahead of time, allowing you to mark your
calendar and plan financially in advance.
These conferences provide an opportunity
for networking, and nothing can replace
face-to-face conversation during which
you feed off one another’s ideas. Look for
conferences that allow you to advance your
own knowledge and skills, as well as offer
sessions about something new. The AG
Bell 2010 Biennial Convention, which will
take place June 25–28 in Orlando, Fla., is
a good example. The convention meets the
educational needs of parents, educators,
speech-language pathologists, auditoryverbal educators and therapists, audiologists and individuals with hearing loss.
Because of its diversity, you will meet a lot
of new people and be exposed to topics you
typically would not have an opportunity
to learn about or topics you might pursue
outside of a trade conference.
Conclusion
Those who enjoy the most success are
lifelong learners who continually challenge themselves. The key to successful
professional development is to ensure
that the programs you attend teach you
something new or advance a knowledge
deficiency revealed by your peer and selfevaluations.
R.I.T
Competitions for
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
Win cash and prizes valued at up to $650!
Students in 6th – 12th grade can compete
individually or with a team. The fair takes
place at RIT in the spring.
Deadline to enter: January 15, 2010
For details, visit: www.rit.edu/NTID/ScienceFairAB
Students in 10th and 11th grade can enter their work.
Awards ceremony takes place at RIT in the summer.
Deadline to enter: March 15, 2010
For details, visit: www.rit.edu/NTID/WritingContestAB
High school students can enter graphic media, Web
design, 3-D animation, film, interactive media and photo
imaging categories. Awards ceremony takes place at RIT
in the spring.
Deadline to enter: January 15, 2010
For details, visit: www.rit.edu/NTID/ArtsAB
Questions? Call 585-475-7695 (voice/TTY)
Enter today!
Rochester Institute of Technology s National Technical Institute for the Deaf s Rochester, New York
25
seeking LsLs
certification
By Donald Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, FAAA,
LSLS Cert. AVT; and Judy Harrison, M.A.
T
he AG Bell Academy for
Listening and Spoken
Language offers an
expanded certification
program for professionals interested in becoming a Listening
and Spoken Language Specialist
Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator
or Therapist. The certification
program capitalizes on the similarities of auditory-verbal educators and therapists and offers two
designations to distinguish between
the professional settings of each
group. By providing a benchmark
for excellence, the Academy ensures
that parents seeking a listening and
spoken language outcome for their
child with hearing loss will have a
standard by which to measure the
professionals with whom they work.
rationale for Seeking
Certification
Advances in hearing technology and
early identification through universal newborn hearing screening have
greatly improved the opportunity for
children who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen and talk. But these children can master listening and spoken
language only with the assistance of a
qualified professional.
Infants, toddlers and children
learn language most efficiently
through consistent and continual
auditory interactions in a support-
26
ive, language-rich environment with
their caretakers. Therefore, it is
crucial that once a child is identified
as having a hearing loss, the use of
appropriate amplification and stimulation of hearing occurs as early as
possible for a child to benefit from
the “critical periods” of neurological and linguistic development.
Current information about typical
language development provides the
framework and justification for the
structure of auditory-verbal practice
in the development of listening and
spoken language. A highly qualified
listening and spoken language specialist is required to support, guide
and coach the family during these
critical early years.
Currently, there are more than
500 certified listening and spoken
language specialists in the world – a
great start, but far less than what
is needed to meet the increasing
demand for spoken language outcomes. Only eight percent of the
world’s children who are deaf and
hard of hearing and who would like
to have a spoken language outcome
have access to a qualified professional in the auditory-verbal field.
Only eight percent worldwide. A global
saturation of professionals is desperately needed for those families who
choose listening and spoken language
to communicate and to meet the
needs of generations to come.
By seeking certification, professionals can prove to parents and
potential employers that they have
the skills and qualifications needed
to meet the increasing demand to
help children who are deaf and hard
of hearing learn to listen and talk.
history of the lSlS
Certification Program
Established in 2005, one of the
Academy’s primary goals is to craft
a certification program that prepares professionals and families
for success in listening and spoken
language. Working with the National
Commission for Certifying Agencies
and Prometric, the leading global
provider in testing and assessment
services, the Academy has created a
unique, challenging and rewarding
certification program.
The exam was created after
careful analysis of the job tasks of
anyone who works with or teaches
children who are deaf and hard of
hearing to develop listening and
spoken language. Historically, those
professionals fell into two distinct
approaches: auditory-verbal and
auditory-oral. The findings of the
job task analysis were intriguing
and definitive – today’s approaches
to developing listening and spoken
language are more alike than different. The professional’s work setting
may be different, but the knowledge,
photo credit:
redit: Kurt Forstner
take the next step:
tep:
skill base and goals are similar. The
statistical evidence showed that a
carefully designed test of essential
knowledge could validate competency
for both therapists and educators
seeking certification as auditoryverbal professionals.
As a direct result of these findings,
in July 2007 the Academy announced
its new certification program:
Specialists (LSLS), which encompasses Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapists (LSLS Cert. AVT) and
Certified Auditory-Verbal Educators
(LSLS Cert. AVEd). The program’s
expansion is designed to build an
international network of distinguishable spoken language specialists who
can provide services to families in
their own communities. Thus, the
Academy has set a course of action to
unite listening and spoken language
professionals around the world, with
a focus on increasing the number
of future certified professionals,
and most important, on increasing
the opportunity for more infants,
toddlers, preschoolers and schoolage children to learn to listen and
develop spoken language.
With the help of Prometric, the
Academy convened several groups
of subject matter experts, including certified auditory-verbal therapists, speech-language pathologists,
audiologists and educators, to create
the certification examination for
LSLS Cert. AVT and LSLS Cert. AVEd.
Although the LSLS certification
has two separate designations, the
examination is the same for both.
The official designation (LSLS Cert.
AVEd or LSLS Cert. AVT) will differ
depending on the academic background and professional experience
of the individual. Auditory-verbal
education focuses on teaching listening and talking to various instructional groups to prepare children to
enter mainstream education when
they have the skills to do so successfully. An LSLS Cert. AVEd teaches
children with hearing loss to listen
and talk exclusively though listening and spoken language instruction. The LSLS Cert. AVEd is guided
by the Academy’s 10 Principles of
LSLS Auditory-Verbal Education (see
Side Bar).
Auditory-verbal therapy facilitates
optimal acquisition of spoken language through listening by newborns,
infants, toddlers and young children
who are deaf and hard of hearing.
An LSLS Cert. AVT promotes early
diagnosis, one-on-one therapy and
state-of-the-art audiologic management and technology. Parents and
caregivers actively participate in
one-on-one therapy. The LSLS Cert.
AVT is guided by the Academy’s 10
Principles of LSLS Auditory-Verbal
Therapy (see Side Bar).
Steps Toward
Certification
As a professional in this field, it is
important to focus on increasing
one’s knowledge of the nine core
competencies of listening and spoken
27
Taking the Next Step: Seeking LSLS
Certification
Principles of LSLS Auditory-Verbal Professionals
Principles of LSLS Auditory-Verbal Therapy*
Principles of LSLS Auditory-Verbal Education
1. Promote early diagnosis of hearing loss in newborns,
1. Promote early diagnosis of hearing loss in infants,
infants, toddlers and young children, followed by
immediate audiologic management and auditoryverbal therapy.
2. Recommend immediate assessment and use of
appropriate, state-of-the-art hearing technology to
obtain maximum benefits of auditory stimulation.
3. Guide and coach parents¹ to help their child use hearing as the primary sensory modality in developing
spoken language without the use of sign language or
emphasis on lip-reading.
4. Guide and coach parents to become the primary facilitators of their child’s listening and spoken language
development through active consistent participation in
individualized auditory-verbal therapy.
5. Guide and coach parents to create environments that
support listening for the acquisition of spoken language throughout the child’s daily activities.
6. Guide and coach parents to help their child integrate
listening and spoken language into all aspects of the
child’s life.
7. Guide and coach parents to use natural developmental
patterns of audition, speech, language, cognition and
communication.
8. Guide and coach parents to help their child self-monitor spoken language through listening.
9. Administer ongoing formal and informal diagnostic
assessments to develop individualized auditory-verbal
treatment plans, to monitor progress and to evaluate
the effectiveness of the plans for the child and family.
10. Promote education in regular schools with peers who
have typical hearing and with appropriate services
from early childhood onwards.
toddlers and young children, followed by immediate
audiologic assessment and use of appropriate state
of the art hearing technology to ensure maximum
benefits of auditory stimulation.
2. Promote immediate audiologic management and
spoken language instruction for children to develop
listening and spoken language skills.
3. Create and maintain acoustically controlled environments that support listening and talking for the acquisition of spoken language throughout the child’s daily
activities.
4. Guide and coach parents to become effective facilitators of their child’s listening and spoken language
development in all aspects of the child’s life.
5. Provide effective teaching with families and children in
settings such as homes, classrooms, therapy rooms,
hospitals or clinics.
6. Provide focused and individualized instruction to the
child through lesson plans and classroom activities
while maximizing listening and spoken language.
7. Collaborate with parents and professionals to develop
goals, objectives and strategies for achieving the
natural developmental patterns of audition, speech,
language, cognition and communication.
8. Promote each child’s ability to self-monitor spoken
language through listening.
9. Use diagnostic assessments to develop individualized
objectives, monitor progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching activities.
10. Promote education in regular classrooms with peers
who have typical hearing as early as possible, when
the child has the skills to do so successfully.
*Source: Adapted from the Principles originally developed by Doreen Pollack, 1970.
Note: The term “parents” also includes grandparents, relatives, guardians and any caregivers who interact with the child.
language and how to effectively
apply them with infants, children
and families. When that is the focus
over the course of several years under
the guidance of a skilled mentor,
exam preparation primarily includes
review of the facts, principles and
application of intervention and
education strategies.
During the eligibility period, professionals seeking certification are
encouraged to participate in activities, such as study groups; to read and
share research articles; to observe
and be observed by peers, followed by
28
honest critiques; and to participate
in online and live lectures or workshops. Check the AG Bell Academy’s
Web site and AG Bell’s calendar of
events to find professional development opportunities that have been
approved by the Academy to provide continuing education opportunities for LSLS who are seeking
recertification and those in their
eligibility period.
Anyone seeking certification should
contact the Academy with questions or comments about eligibility
requirements, or to request an appli-
cation packet. The Academy is interested in hearing from established
professionals willing to serve as mentors to those seeking certification.
More information about certification,
eligibility requirements and mentorship opportunities can be found at
www.agbellacademy.org.
Editor’s Note: Portions of this article
were adapted from “AG Bell and AG Bell
Academy Introduce New Certification
Program” by Carol Flexer, Ph.D., CCC-A,
LSLS Cert. AVT, published in the March/
April 2008 issue of Volta Voices.



The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language offers
an expanded certification program for professionals interested in
becoming a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified
Auditory-Verbal Educator or Therapist (LSLS Cert. AVEd or LSLS
Cert. AVT).
The demand for Listening and Spoken Language Specialists
has never been higher. Due to advances in hearing technology and
early hearing detection and intervention legislation, there is a critical
need for credentialed professionals to help the increasing
numbers of families who are choosing listening and spoken language
for their children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Propel your career by expanding the skills, expertise and
education critical to your professional success and to the
ever-changing needs of the LSLS profession.
• Demonstrate to families and employers that you have met the
highest level of qualifications available in the field.
• Join the community of your certified peers on our registry of
credentialed professionals allowing employers and families to
contact you directly.
NEW!
Continuing
Education Credits


  
   
 
  
  


    

 
   
  
  


 
“I encourage all professionals in the fields of speech-language pathology, audiology and
education of children with hearing loss to pursue this important certification. LSLS is the standard
parents of children with hearing loss look for when selecting spoken language specialists.”
  
Advance Your Career. Pursue LSLS Certification Today.
To Learn More: www.agbellacademy.org
iEps: Tips
for Educational
Administrators
By Christine Evans, M.S., CCC-SLP; Julia Harper, B.A.,
CED; and Debbie Pfeiffer, Ed.D., CED
A
t Virginia’s summer conference for professionals serving
students who are deaf or hard
of hearing, Christine Evans, a
speech-language pathologist (SLP), and
Julia Harper, a teacher of the deaf and
hard of hearing (TODHH), presented an
interesting session. They focused on the
roles of teachers, related service providers and parents of students who are deaf
or hard of hearing in the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) process, and
the collaborative effort necessary among
them to assist a student in achieving the
goals written on his or her IEP.
Many important components must be
included in an IEP (see http://idea.ed.gov
for details). The following components
may warrant special attention by administrators for students who are deaf or
hard of hearing and developing listening
and spoken language skills.
Consider Special
Factors
The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act of 2004
requires that the IEP team consider the
30
full range of communication needs of a
student who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Typically, students who are deaf or hard
of hearing may have limited daily access
to speech and language and, for this
reason, communication and linguistic
needs should be given primary consideration when developing the IEP.
Implementation Tip: The
administrator may recommend
that the IEP team use a tool called a
“communication plan” to help determine what strategies, services, accommodations or modifications may be
necessary to support language development and access to the general education curriculum. (For an example, see
the state of Virginia’s sample communication plan at www.doe.virginia.gov/
VDOE/Instruction/Sped/guidelines_
working_with_deaf.pdf, Appendix F.)
IEP team members should be trained
on the use of the communication plan
before the IEP meeting; the administrator may consider planning time for
the team to get together and develop
the communication plan before the
IEP meeting.

Accommodations and
modifications
The IEP team may consider the following
list of accommodations and modifications for students who are deaf or hard
of hearing: assistive listening devices
(e.g., frequency modulation systems and
sound field systems); communication
accommodations (e.g., specialized seating arrangements, frequent checks for
understanding and use of an interpreter
or speech-to-text assistant); physical
environment accommodations (e.g., noise
reduction or flashing fire alarm); instructional accommodations (e.g,. use of visual
supplements, provision of down time
from listening or a note taker); curricular
modifications (e.g., preteach vocabulary
and concepts or provide an alternative
assignment when listening to unfamiliar
speakers is required); and evaluation
accommodations (e.g., high-stakes test
directions read only by a speaker with
whom the student is familiar).
Implementation Tip: To be proactive, an administrator may plan
for in-service sessions at the beginning
of the school year to set expectations and

photo credit: ablestock
effective
help staff members understand strategies used to assist the student in developing listening and spoken language or
literacy goals, and how to maximize use
of equipment. One or more staff should
be designated and trained to check hearing aids, assistive listening devices and
the external components of cochlear
implants on a regular basis throughout
the school year.
Services
The IEP may state that the student is
receiving a specified amount of time for
services from each team member. Often,
time with the TODHH, SLP and general
education teachers is noted. The IEP
may specify time with an interpreter,
notetaker, occupational therapist, physical therapist or audiologist on the team.
Specifying the amount of time services
are provided is less difficult than defining each person’s role and how team
members will collaborate.
For instance, content teachers may
be responsible for sharing upcoming
units and testing schedules, checking
for comprehension in the classroom and
giving feedback to the team. While the
student’s parents 1, SLP and TODHH
may all preteach information across
subjects and document areas of concern,
the TODHH should select the vocabulary and concepts from upcoming units
that need to be pretaught, designate
who will be responsible for reviewing
and preteaching the students and share
teaching strategies with parents and
the SLP. The SLP may use the academically relevant vocabulary for listening and spoken language practice. All
team members may be responsible for
e-mailing or writing in the communication journal specific areas of concern.
administrator can facilitate
collaborative efforts needed by providing common planning time and
checking periodically to ensure that
the team is communicating effectively. He or she can develop a chart
for use at the beginning of the school
year to establish a timeline, who

1
Parents may need additional or special
training to help the student achieve the
IEP goals.
would be responsible and the action
for which they are responsible. This
chart can be modified as needed as
the year progresses.
Measurable Annual
Goals and Progress
Reports
strategies suggested by the TODHH and
SLP. Make efforts to provide an acoustically friendly classroom (i.e., reduce
background noise and reverberation)
and ensure access to peers with typically
developing speech and language.
Transition Services
Ideally, given no additional learning
or language issues, a child who is deaf
or hard of hearing should make one
year of progress for every one year of
time (Johnson, 2009; Wilson, 2005).
Baselines should be established and
included in the present level of performance. Data may be collected so
that progress toward the annual goals
can be monitored carefully. Parents
must be informed about their child’s
progress regularly.
Implementation Tip: If a child is
not making the progress expected,
the team may need to consider adding
support. A communication plan can be
used for this purpose. The administrator
may lead the team in examining whether
or not evidence-based strategies are
being used effectively and consistently
in all environments. Benchmarks may
be added to IEP goals to measure smaller
increments of change.
The IEP team may consider including
goals regarding self-determination
for students who are deaf or hard of
hearing. These students should be
able to describe their communication
needs to others and develop selfadvocacy skills so that if they do not
comprehend the lessons, they will act
to improve the situation.
administrator may encourage the student to lead his or her
IEP meeting. Students can develop
presentations that highlight their
strengths and needs, preferred learning style, interests and goals. See
www.ImDetermined.org for information on the Virginia Department
of Education’s Self-Determination
Project, which has been implemented
with students who are deaf and hard
of hearing with great success.
Least Restrictive
Environment and
Placement
Communication and language goals
should drive the IEP. Collaboration
among all team members, as guided
by the administrator(s), is the key to
ensuring that the IEP is successfully
implemented.

A continuum of placement options
should be available. When discussing
the least restrictive environment for
the student, members of the IEP team
should consider the student’s unique
needs and any potential harmful effect
on the student or on the quality of services that he or she needs when choosing a placement location.
Implementation Tip: Consider
the students’ academic performance and developmental needs.
Special consideration should be given
to the student’s communication and
language abilities. Ideally, if the child
is expected to learn and participate, his
or her vocabulary and language level
should be comparable to other children in the classroom (Wilson, 2005).
Administrators should suggest teachers
who are receptive to having the child
in his or her classroom and to using


Conclusion
References
Cole, E. and Flexer, C. (2007). Children with
hearing loss: Developing listening and
talking birth to six. San Diego, CA: Plural
Publishing.
Johnson, C.D. One year’s growth in one
year, expect no less. Online.
http://www.handsandvoices.org/
articles/education/ed/V9-3_growth.htm.
Accessed August 2009.
Johnson, C.D., Benson, P.V., and Seaton, J.
(1997). Educational audiology handbook.
San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Group,
Inc.
Snell, M. and Janney, R. (2005). Collaborative
teaming (2nd edition). Baltimore, MD: Paul
H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Wilson, K. (2005, November 3–4). The school
years! Hearing-impaired students in the
mainstream. Presentation at Children’s
Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Norfolk,
VA.
31
classrooms
By Cheryl Winston, M.Ed., and Stan Clawson
C
ollege students may take
some courses that are offered
primarily in lecture format,
but this learning model has
been supplemented and often replaced by
strategies that encourage collaborative
learning (Davis 1993), which requires
students to communicate interactively.
Research focusing on the learning
styles of college students who are deaf
or hard of hearing has found a significant correlation between a participative
learning style and higher course grades.
Involvement in the classroom increases
the chances that the student will learn
the course material (Lang 2000).
This article describes a unique auditory
support provided to two postsecondary students with hearing loss, piloted
by the Multi-University Consortium
Teacher Training Program in Sensory
Impairments at the University of Utah.
The university’s Instructional Media
Services (IMS) provided assistance
to address students’ concerns of lessthan-optimal access to conversational
partners during classroom discussion
and interactive activities.
Both students have severe-to-profound hearing loss, and their primary
mode of communication is spoken
language. Student A wears digital
programmable behind-the-ear hearing
32
aids, and Student B wears digital programmable in-the-canal hearing aids.
Their hearing aids, however, could
not meet all of their listening needs.
The students accessed classroom
information through a combination
of accommodations offered through
the university’s Center for Disability
Services, including sign language
interpreters, personal frequency
modulation (FM) systems and the
utilization of notetakers.
One drawback to using a personal FM
system is the limitation of hearing only
the person wearing the transmitter or
microphone. Two possible solutions are
passing the instructor’s microphone
around the class, or purchasing a second
pass-around microphone. However,
passing a microphone can affect the
pace of the class, thus reducing student
excitement and spontaneity, which are
key positive features of the participative
learning style.
Personal Fm Concerns
An enhanced
Classroom Amplification
System
Advances in FM technology include
miniature receivers directly coupled
to or built into a hearing aid. Student
A used an older form of coupling. She
wore a neck loop attached to a bodyworn receiver, which generated a
magnetic field that was picked up by
the telecoil of the hearing aid. Even
with her hearing aid switch turned on
“MT,” Student A reported she could
hear the instructors well but had a
hard time hearing others in class.
Student B had no “T” switch on her
hearing aids. She used a headphone
set placed directly on top of her hearing aids. She reported good access to
the instructor’s voice, but an inability
to hear the other students and fatigue
from wearing the headset.
The teacher training program requested
help from the university’s IMS. The
Multi-University Consortium had
recently received a federally funded personnel preparation grant (H325A00073)
to prepare students to obtain teacher
licensure. A goal of the grant was to
prepare teachers for Utah’s underserved,
rural areas. To facilitate access to
coursework at remote sites, the program
provided distance education through
interactive videoconferencing, a service
contracted with IMS. Students at different sites could see and hear each other
by using video cameras, wall-mounted
television monitors, microphones
and speakers built into the monitors.
photo credit: darren higgins photography
Auditory Access
in higher
Education
A document camera captured and
displayed pictures or documents used
for instruction, and the service was able
to show DVDs, videos and PowerPoint
presentations.
In the physical classroom, a microphone
was in front of every student’s seat and
the instructor was provided with a wireless microphone. Each microphone was
channeled into a sound mixer. A facilitator controlled audio levels, which helped
eliminate distortion and feedback.
To provide auditory access for students
with hearing loss to all classroom discussion and activities, IMS adapted the videoconferencing facility to the classroom.
The output into the room was directly
routed into a speaker with an adjustable
volume control, placed just a few inches
from the two students. No other sites
were involved.
This created an enhanced classroom
amplification system:
y The sound level and quality was monitored continuously.
y Everyone’s voice level could be amplified without affecting the pace of the
discourse.
y Immediate recognition of which class
member was speaking and access
to speech reading was available, as
speakers’ faces could be displayed
clearly on the monitors; students
could choose to look at the monitor or
directly at the speaker.
y This support, paid for by the grant, cost
less than the interpreters provided by
the Center for Disability Services.
expectations and
Outcomes
use this system in a course the following
semester, both students readily agreed.
The enrollment in the next course was
double that of the first course, and the
students with hearing loss found the
support to be just as successful in the
larger class setting.
lessons learned
y Check equipment before class to save
valuable time. Some microphones
needed to be replaced.
y Remind all students to use their
microphones. Because this involved
pressing an on switch, students anxious to speak would sometimes forget.
y Use a portable unit rather than the
wall-mounted monitors when showing a DVD or videotape. The wireless
microphone could easily be placed
close to the portable unit, providing
necessary sound amplification.
y Encourage self-advocacy skills. The
two students were hesitant to interrupt the class to alert the instructor
to equipment failure. Usually, recognition of poor responses prompted
instructor inquiry.
Application to Other
Programs
The use of instructional technology to
support distance and teacher education in real time plays an increasing role
in higher education. More and more
university and college systems maintain
facilities for interactive videoconferencing. Most campuses maintain support
personnel to help monitor the quality of
the audio and visual signal, thus freeing
Before utilizing this system, the two
students were asked what they hoped it
could provide. Their answers included the
anticipation of feeling included in class
discussion, the ability to “jump” into
the conversation and have it be socially
appropriate and elimination of teacher
repetition of student responses. The
class discussed the reasons for using this
accommodation and the requirement for
microphone use in an effort to obtain a
commitment from all students.
The two students’ feedback about the
effect of the support on their class participation was overwhelmingly positive.
When presented with the opportunity to
the teacher from the added responsibility of managing the equipment. During
several blocks of time each day, however,
this videoconferencing equipment is not
in use for distance education. Other programs may want to adapt the technology
as one of the array of accommodation
options offered by disability offices to
students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Such an accommodation would be
constrained by class size (the number of
students the videoconferencing room can
seat) and room availability. Application
of such auditory support could reach
beyond coursework and move into the
social arena, including clubs and student
government. This support has applicability on the secondary and elementary
education levels as well. In Utah, 568
videoconferencing sites are active. These
include postsecondary institutions, high
schools, some elementary schools and
district offices.
Utah’s Multi-University Consortium
recently made a presentation to the
Center for Disability Services on the
university’s campus, and its ideas were
met favorably with participant suggestion that this accommodation could
be applicable to students with other
disabilities who require a more clear and
focused signal.
references
Davis, B.G. Tools for Teaching. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
Lang, H.G. “Higher Education for Deaf
Students: Research Priorities in the New
Millennium.” Journal of Deaf Studies and
Deaf Education 7, no. 4 (2002): 267–280.

SPEAK MIRACLES











www.speakmiracles.org
412-924-1012
33
how to prepare
a research
Article for
photo credit: ag bell
Publication
By Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D.
P
ublishing research findings is an integral aspect of
scholarly work. As a peerreviewed journal, The Volta
Review has long served as a venue
for disseminating research findings
related to deafness and hearing loss.
In particular, the journal promotes
the study and improvement of the
many different paths taken by individuals with hearing loss to achieve
listening and spoken language. The
journal seeks submissions from
scholars and researchers who may
be beginning their academic careers
(such as doctoral candidates or recent
graduates) or who wish to expand
the readership of their contributions.
Clinicians and other practitioners
and professionals who may not have
considered drafting and submitting
research articles are encouraged to
document their work and submit
their findings.
To aid in this endeavor, this
article provides a brief overview for
researchers, scholars and professionals interested in submitting
articles to a peer-reviewed publication, such as The Volta Review.
Typically, submissions are full-length
research articles that comply with a
traditional format. However, sub-
34
missions can include short research
articles that combine discussion with
results and findings. Most research
articles follow a typical structure of
Abstract, Introduction and Review of
Literature, Research Methodology,
Results and Discussion of Findings.
As with any other peer-reviewed journal, the editors of The Volta Review
evaluate submissions for content and
presentation as well as relevance to
the journal’s mission.
Write a good abstract. The
abstract should include a few sentences introducing and describing the
problem studied, state the research
question or hypothesis and present
the methods or techniques used in
the research study. Report the study
results and briefly discuss the interpretation of these findings. Wrap up
the abstract with a summary that
positions the conclusions within a
larger research context fitting with
the mission of journal to which you
are submitting, in this case The Volta
Review. The abstract should be no
more than 250–500 words.
Begin with an introduction and
review of published literature.
The introduction should state the
reasons for conducting the research.
What problem is this study trying to
address? After stating the problem,
the research question(s) should be
clearly structured. A good research
question is specific, focused and
complex, yet attainable. It must
clearly frame an issue or problem not
already addressed in the published
literature that the study is attempting to answer, and it should do so in
a manner that evokes the paradox,
relevance or distinctiveness of the
study. Provide an overview of the
relevant literature to show what
has been studied and where gaps in
knowledge exist. Discuss the variables of the problem investigated
and the methods used to frame the
problem in the study.
Report procedures used to
conduct the research. Describe the
research methodology used, referencing the literature in which it has
been used in the past, and provide
sufficient detail so that the study
can be replicated. Outline the critical
variables, including demographic
information, study conditions and
any elements that were specifically
controlled or observed. If the methods were modified for the study,
describe the modifications so that
replication can be achieved. Be sure
to explain any statistical methods
used and why they are appropriate for
the study.
Present the results of the
research by documenting the
data. In the process of analyzing
the data, explain the experimental
controls used. Demonstrate how and
why the findings are reliable and
valid. When reporting the results of
the study, do so in a descriptive manner that matches the tabular data and
figures. Use sufficient tables and figures to provide information that may
be presented more clearly visually
than in text, especially when showing
trends or patterns in the data.
Present conclusions drawn from
the data in the discussion
section. Common aspects of this section include an explanation of relationships among variables and noted
trends, which should be appropriate
to the scope of the study. The discussion should follow the procedures
used in the study and adequately
describe the significance of the work.
Additional discussion may include
relationships of the study’s findings to previous work conducted in
the field as well as a review of any
aberrant results and explanations for
these. Most important, the implications of the study should be discussed, either from a theoretical or
a practical point of view, to position
the study within a larger research
context relevant to the journal’s
mission. The study should contribute
to current knowledge in an important way, and the discussion section
should explain how it does.
Above all, the entire submission
should be presented clearly and
in a form compatible with current
articles published in the journal. In
most cases, the manuscript should
conform to American Psychological
Association style and all references
should be cited.
The Volta Review has a long history
of publishing submissions from the
empirical research tradition that continues to hold a strong position in the
literature. However, the editors are
also interested in research employing
other epistemological perspectives
that explore sociocultural issues
associated with understanding childhood hearing loss and the effects of
various early intervention strategies.
Such qualitative research presents opportunities to discover and
consider new findings not typically
revealed in the traditional research
paradigm, which relies on statistical
information to support an already
formulated hypothesis. By presenting findings from both qualitative
and quantitative research traditions,
the editors of The Volta Review hope
to lead the way in providing an even
more holistic understanding of what
it means to be a child with hearing
loss learning listening and spoken
language.
Editor’s Note: The Volta Review welcomes all submissions that adhere to its
mission. For more information, visit the
journal online at http://nc.agbell.org/
netcommunity/The_Volta_Review.
35
tips for parents
What Works at Home?
Guiding Your Child’s Speech
Development
By Joey Lynn Resciniti
What Do You Talk
About?
In the beginning, all conversations
with your child are one-sided. For me,
it was difficult to think of what to say. I
never thought of myself as a big talker.
Knowing that I needed to talk so my
daughter could talk caused me a great
deal of anxiety. I remember sitting on
the playroom floor with a set of circusthemed, Fisher-Price Peek-A-Blocks,
begging myself to think of something to
say. Every moment of silence felt heavy
with failure as I tried to force myself
to talk about something. My simple
36
utterances seemed useless and wearing.
I felt exhausted repeating, “up, up, up”
every time she climbed something, only
to say, “down, down, down” when she
reached the other side. Thankfully, the
John Tracy Clinic (www.jtc.org) offers a
free correspondence class that provides
activities and games that help parents
come up with things to say to their
children. The games provide examples
of conversations to carry on with your
child to expand their attempts at speech.
It served a dual purpose for me to know
that I wasn’t alone in struggling with this
concept. Feeling like you’re talking to
yourself can be rough!
Find Comfort in Your
Personal Technique
To ensure success in these critical early
years, it is important to find a comfortable technique that works for you and
your child. If you feel self-conscious
or silly about the way you are talking
to your child, you may be less inclined
to keep doing it. Keep trying different
approaches if you find yourself frequently at a loss for words.
Your personal strategy can range from
casual interactions to highly planned and
regimented activities. I once attended a
workshop during which a young mother
displayed the props she crafted for her
toddler’s bedtime stories. She used
finger plays and fairy tales depicted on
cereal boxes and Popsicle sticks. For me,
I found it was easy to give instructions
about cooking and other household tasks
with Julia on my hip, which also helped
remind me what to do. Keep in mind
Photo Credit: The Resciniti Family
M
y daughter, Julia, was diagnosed at age 3 with a moderate
sensorineural hearing loss.
Finding a reason for her speech delay did
ease some of my worry. But even after
she was fitted with hearing aids, her days
needed to be filled with language-rich
experiences. This was a task I felt illequipped to handle.
Helping your child advance toward
speech goals at home is difficult, especially for parents like me who don’t have
the skills of a trained speech-language
pathologist, auditory-verbal therapist or
certified teacher of the deaf. Still, parents
remain a key component in the effort to
achieve listening and spoken language for
a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. The
following tips are some of the most important ways parents can affect a positive
outcome for their child’s speech development and are based on advice I used from
the professionals we counted on during
Julia’s spoken language development.
Tim, Joey and Julia Resciniti pose for
a family picture. Joey used a variety of
techniques to model speech for Julia as
she was learning to talk.
that nothing is too boring or mundane
to bring to your child’s attention; this is
also your time to share your observations
about the world.
Adjust Daily Practice
Setting aside 15 minutes a day for
dedicated practice has worked for Julia,
but the activities we used needed to
vary. During one phase, we should work
on a “bitey sound” collage for an hour.
This phase was quickly followed by one
of blatant refusal to look at anything
resembling a worksheet. She’s not always
interested in “working,” but she can
be cajoled into practicing sounds by
showing a baby doll the proper way to
say something. It is important to adjust
Repetition of Target
Words and Sounds
For the periods of time during which
organized activities were rejected, Julia’s
hearing teacher provided me with a list
of books, words and songs featuring our
target sound. Amanda Wysocki, M.Ed.,
a teacher of the deaf, told me, “You have
to remember her brain has only been
exposed to this sound correctly for less
than a year. A child with typical hearing
has heard it for three years. It will take
a while for her brain to form the connections needed to say it herself.” That
advice made our work at home easier.
For example, our efforts on the /f/
sound had been futile. Julia just would
not say the sound. I was frustrated and
she was becoming disinterested, so I
stopped trying to get her to say it and
found every way I could to describe
something with an f-sound. Instead of
pretty, I referred to everything as fancy:
“That’s a fancy dress” or “What a fancy
dance you’re doing!”
Her response was fantastic. Just before
I thought I might lose my mind from all
these f-words, she began imitating me.
Months later, the sound was solid and
we moved on to a new list of books and
songs. Currently, everything is “special.”
Maintain Consistent
and Appropriate
Amplification
Through it all, your child must wear his
or her hearing aids or cochlear implant
sound processors during all waking
hours. “Sometimes, parents of children
with mild to moderate hearing losses
are not as strict with wearing hearing
aids. That can really hurt their child’s
ability to hear all of the sounds of
speech, especially the high-frequency
consonants,” says Michelle Parfitt,
M.A., CCC-SLP, the early intervention
coordinator for Pittsburgh’s DePaul
School for Hearing and Speech. Devices
should be checked daily so that your
child hears everything, every day.
for your child’s personality and avoid
frustrations for yourself or your child by
forcing an activity.
Joey and Julia play with their dog on a cool
spring day.
Parents may be stressed to know
that most opportunities for their
child’s speech development happen
at home. But with patience, perseverance, creativity and consistent amplification, you will find what everyday
activities your child will respond to
and you will gain confidence in your
contribution to the child’s speech
and language development. Someday
soon, you’ll join me in my next
challenge, getting your child to
be quiet!
37
tips for parents
¿Qué funciona en casa?
Consejos para el desarrollo del
habla de su hijo
A
mi hija, Julia, cuando tenía 3
años le diagnosticaron pérdida auditiva neurosensorial
moderada. Encontrar una razón que
explicara su retraso en el habla alivió
algunas de mis preocupaciones. Pero
incluso después de llevar audífonos,
necesitó realizar ejercicios diarios
que enriquecieran su habla. Esta fue
una tarea para la que yo no me sentía
preparada.
Ayudar a un hijo a alcanzar sus metas
lingüísticas en casa es difícil, especialmente para padres como yo, que no
poseen las habilidades de los logopedas
especializados en el habla y el lenguaje,
de los profesionales de la terapia auditiva verbal ni de los profesores titulados de personas sordas. Sin embargo,
los padres siguen siendo un elemento
clave a la hora de que sus hijos sordos
o con problemas de audición alcancen
sus metas lingüísticas y auditivas. Los
siguientes consejos son algunas de las
maneras más importantes en que los
padres pueden influir positivamente
en el desarrollo del habla de sus hijos y
están basados en recomendaciones que
recibí de profesionales con los que contamos durante el desarrollo del habla
de Julia.
¿De qué hablar?
Al principio, todas las conversaciones
con un hijo son unilaterales. A mí me
costaba saber qué decir. Nunca me he
considerado una gran conversadora y
pensar que tenía que hablar para que
mi hija pudiera hablar me producía una
gran ansiedad. Todavía me acuerdo de
38
cuando me sentaba en el suelo del cuarto
de juegos con una canasta de circo llena
de cubos Fisher Price y me suplicaba a
mí misma que se me ocurriera algo que
decir. Cada momento de silencio me
parecía un fracaso a la vez que trataba
de forzarme a hablar de algo. Todas mis
palabras parecían inútiles y agotadoras. Estaba exhausta de repetir “arriba,
arriba, arriba” cada vez que Julia se subía
a algo sólo para decir después “abajo,
abajo, abajo”. Afortunadamente, la
Clínica John Tracy (www.jtc.org) ofrece
un curso gratuito por correspondencia
en el que se muestran actividades y
juegos para ayudar a los padres a pensar
en cosas que decir a sus hijos. Los juegos
proporcionan ejemplos de conversaciones que se pueden mantener con un
hijo para ayudarle a ampliar sus experiencias lingüísticas. Para mí tuvo una
doble finalidad saber que no era la única
que tenía dificultades en esta cuestión.
¡Sentirse como si estuvieras hablando
contigo misma puede ser duro!
Encuéntrese cómodo
con su técnica personal
Para asegurar el éxito en estos primeros años críticos, es importante hallar
una técnica cómoda que le funcione a
usted y a su hijo. Si usted se encuentra inseguro o se siente tonto por la
manera en que está hablando a su hijo,
puede que se sienta menos inclinado
a seguir haciéndolo. Siga probando
métodos diferentes si se queda a
menudo sin palabras.
Su estrategia personal puede variar
desde interacciones espontáneas hasta
Por Joey Lynn Resciniti
Tim, Joey and Julia Resciniti posan para
una foto familiar. Joey utilizó diferentes
técnicas para modelar el habla de Julia
cuando estaba aprendiendo a hablar.
actividades sumamente planeadas y
controladas. En una ocasión asistí a un
taller en que una joven madre mostró
la utilería que había fabricado para los
cuentos para dormir de su pequeño. Se
trataba de juegos de dedos y cuentos
de hadas, todos representados en cajas
de cereales y en palillos de polos. En
mi caso, descubrí que me resultaba
fácil dar instrucciones sobre cocina
y otras tareas domésticas con Julia
subida a mi cadera, lo cual también me
ayudaba a recordar qué hacer. Tenga
en cuenta que nada es demasiado
aburrido o mundano a la hora de
atraer la atención de su hijo; y que con
ello también estará compartiendo sus
propias observaciones del mundo.
Adapte los ejercicios
diarios
Repetición de palabras
y sonidos clave
Durante los períodos en que Julia se
negaba a realizar los ejercicios programados, su profesor de audición me
facilitó una lista de libros, palabras y
canciones que contenían el sonido con
el que Julia tenía problemas. Amanda
Wysocki, profesora de personas sordas,
me dijo: “Has de recordar que su cerebro sólo lleva expuesto correctamente a
este sonido menos de un año. Un niño
con audición típica lleva oyéndolo tres
años. Su cerebro tardará un tiempo
hasta establecer las conexiones que le
permitan utilizar dicho sonido”. Este
consejo hizo más fácil nuestro trabajo
en casa.
Por ejemplo, nuestros esfuerzos con el
sonido /f/ habían sido en vano. Julia no
conseguía pronunciarlo. Me sentía frustrada y ella estaba perdiendo el interés,
así que dejé de intentar que lo dijera
y me las ingenié para describir cosas
incluyendo siempre el sonido /f/. En
lugar de bonito, me referí a todo como
fabuloso: “Qué vestido tan fabuloso” o
“¡Qué baile tan fabuloso!”
Su respuesta fue fantástica. Justo
antes de pensar que podía estar
volviéndome loca con tantas palabras
con f, Julia empezó a imitarme. Meses
más tarde, el sonido fue consistente y
pasamos a una lista nueva de libros y
canciones. En la actualidad, todo es
“especial”.
Dedicar quince minutos al día a
ejercicios prácticos ha funcionado con
Julia, pero las actividades que realizábamos debían variar. Hubo una etapa
en que Julia se pasaba horas enteras
montando un collage de “sonidos
inconexos”. A esta etapa enseguida
le siguió otra de absoluto rechazo a
cualquier cosa que se pareciera a una
hoja de ejercicios. A ella no siempre
le apetece “trabajar”, pero si le enseñamos un muñeco del modo correcto,
podemos convencerla para que practique sonidos. Es importante adaptarse
a la personalidad de su hijo, así como
evitar que usted o su hijo se sientan
frustrados al realizar una actividad
demasiado forzada.
Joey y Julia juegan con su perro en un fresco día de primavera.
Mantenga una
amplificación constante
y apropiada
Su hijo debe llevar siempre sus audífonos o el procesador de sonidos del
implante coclear durante todas las
horas de vigilia. “A veces, los padres
de niños con pérdida de audición
entre leve y moderada no son tan
estrictos en lo referente al uso de
audífonos. Eso, sin duda, puede
perjudicar la habilidad de sus hijos
a la hora de oír todos los sonidos del
habla, especialmente las consonantes
de frecuencia alta”, dice Michelle
Parfitt, M.A., CCC-SLP, la primera
coordinadora de intervención de la
Escuela DePaul de Audición y Habla,
en Pittsburgh. Los aparatos deben
revisarse a diario, para que su hijo
oiga todo, todos los días.
Los padres pueden sentirse
estresados al saber que la mayoría
de las oportunidades para el desarrollo del habla de sus hijos suceden en
casa. Pero con paciencia,
perseverancia, creatividad y una
amplificación constante, verá la
respuesta de su hijo a los ejercicios
diarios y se sentirá seguro de su
contribución al desarrollo del habla
y lenguaje del niño. Algún día me
seguirá en mi siguiente reto, ¡conseguir que se calle!
39
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Conversations
With Alex Graham
L
ast month, the State of Alabama
installed a new statue in the
famed Statuary Hall of the U.S.
Capitol. The statue celebrates
the life and work of Helen Keller, one
of Alabama’s preeminent historical
figures. This iteration of “Conversations”
celebrates another native of Alabama –
Phyllis Feibelman. Phyllis and her family
have been AG Bell members and supporters for more than 40 years. I first got to
know Phyllis through the Keller statue
project – initially by e-mail, then at the
AG Bell 2008 Biennial Convention. We
have had many rich discussions over the
past two years.
Alex Graham: When did your family
first become involved with AG Bell?
Phyllis Feibelman: In 1963, when we
first suspected that our son Sam could not
hear, we went to the library and read all
they had. One book mentioned AG Bell,
so we wrote for information and ended
up joining the association before Sam’s
first birthday. My husband Bert’s parents
introduced us to Margie Stibick, who was
teaching a neighbor’s child who was deaf.
Margie was a stalwart of the association
and was involved in persuading young
families to become active in the nascent
Parent Section.
AG: How did meeting other families
who were dealing with hearing loss
affect your family?
PF: Margie encouraged us to give Sam
every opportunity to live as we did, to communicate as we did. Some of the first books
we read suggested children with hearing
loss could not do what Margie was urging
us to do. Learning her adult son was deaf,
could use spoken language and had earned
a doctorate lent weight to her persuasion.
Bert was asked to serve on the board of
the Parent Section. At his first meeting,
Bert met John, a 10-year-old who had a
profound hearing loss but who conversed
with ease. Bert came home convinced, “If
John can do it, Sam can do it!”
AG: How has AG Bell changed over
the years?
PF: There was more emphasis on
Sections then. Our experience with
other families in the Parent Section was
unparalleled in any other organization.
We learned together, worked together,
depended on one another . . . and yes,
came to love each other and AG Bell.
We’ve met the most talented professionals – audiologists, speech-language
pathologists and teachers in whose
programs children with hearing loss
were, in fact, learning to listen, talk
Photo Credit: Barry Griebler
Who Is Phyllis Feibelman?
Phyllis has been an active member of AG Bell for
more than 40 years. In 1988, she received the Volta
Award for her work on OK Magazine. Phyllis lives
in Mobile, Ala., where she has been a community
volunteer with particular interest in public welfare,
education, disabilities and all things literary. She
holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from
Newcomb College and a master’s degree in
(L-R) Leigh, Phyllis, Claris, Emily
education from Bryn Mawr College. Her late
Kate, Samuel and Sam Feibelman.
husband, Bert, served as president of the Parent
Section and as vice president of AG Bell Board of Directors. Upon his death, the
Parent Section scholarship was renamed in his honor. One of their sons, Sam, has
a profound, sensorineural hearing loss and uses a cochlear implant.
40
and speechread. However far we lived
from them, we knew what they achieved
because we read about their work in AG
Bell’s publications and we studied with
them at biennial conventions.
We met adults who were deaf or hard of
hearing and knew, because they had, that
our children not only could learn to talk,
but could be educated, successful, independent adults. In the early days, adults with
hearing loss joined the association just to
be helpful to young families. Today, the
adults continue to serve as role models and
mentors, but there is an additional element
of self-advocacy. Many of today’s adults
were children of the Parent Section, and
they bring both desire and skill to advocate
not just for children, but for people of all
ages and walks of life. The structure of the
association, therefore, has changed.
More than that, the agenda has
changed. Until my son was 12 years
old, he had no right to public education,
special or mainstreamed. Our generation
advocated for laws and mandates that
today ensure our children (and yours) not
only receive an education, but accommodations, access and more. We fought
for captioning, telephone relay systems,
infant screening and early intervention,
and local services so children would not
have to go to schools so far away from
home. AG Bell, with a small staff and a
large membership of volunteers, has successfully met so many of these challenges
that now we do have education, services,
law, advocacy, technology . . . and the rest!
Today, a plethora of information is
available online, and one might think it’s
become easier to learn about hearing loss.
It isn’t easy. So much of what one reads
online is neither edited nor vetted. There
is a new layer of responsibility for families to sort out the truth and learn whom
they can trust, and to find where their
child fits in the spectrum of technology,
services and methodologies. My hope, of
course, is that they’ll trust AG Bell, and
that their children will learn to listen and
to speak . . . and because they listen and
speak, they’ll learn to do everything else.
AG: Which AG Bell Biennial
Convention was the most memorable
to you or your family?
PF: Probably the first convention my
family attended. I attended a short course
taught by Doreen Pollack, in which she
showed films of her students not just
speaking, but demonstrating age-appropriate, grade-level understanding of substantive questions. I wondered how much
hearing loss those children had but before
I could ask, Doreen flashed audiograms of
their profound losses on the screen. Our
children were registered in the children’s
program, so Bert and I met the other children. One boy impressed me enough that
I followed him to his mother to ask what
they had done. Now I knew a child who
could do the things I hoped my child could
learn to do. That became my best advice to
young parents: find families doing what
you want your child to do, and learn how
they have done it. Do not be misled by
those who tell you what your child can’t do.
AG: Tell me about OK Magazine.
PF: In 1982, the board of the Parent
Section distributed a questionnaire asking parents what they wanted most from
AG Bell. The answer was information.
They wanted to know about medicine,
technology, audiology, education, law,
advocacy, parenting, which methods and
programs were getting good results, and
how other families faced the challenges
they encountered every day.
tates learning language, and learning
language facilitates learning everything
else. Second, even the best teachers and
therapists, maybe particularly the best
teachers and therapists, do their best
work with families who are engaged
and involved. Be engaged. Get involved.
Third, it is both a parent’s prerogative
and responsibility to make the best
choice for their child until the child is
old enough to make the choice for himor herself.
I suggested we could answer those
questions with a small magazine. We
called it Our Kids Magazine, proclaiming
proudly that “Our Kids are OK!” I edited
OK for 11 years, and then for an additional two years I edited the OK pages
that were incorporated into Volta Voices.
AG: As a parent, you’ve seen technology advance and approaches to
education evolve, but what should
always remain a constant for families who seek a listening and spoken
language outcome for their children?
AG: As a native of Alabama you
have been pursuing more publicity concerning the link between Dr.
Alexander Graham Bell and Helen
Keller – why is that important to
know and understand?
PF: When we began our journey, we followed in the footsteps of giants, but they
were few. Over the last 40 years, we’ve seen
Our Kids grow up to be successful in business, education and the arts. We’ve taken
pride in their winning National Merit
Scholarships, an Olympic championship,
even Miss America. Today, it’s hard to say
children who are deaf cannot do what so
many of our children have indeed accomplished. Unbelievably, still today some say,
“deaf children should not do that.”
I believe the constant is that many
children who are deaf can and do learn
to listen and speak, and I believe that
when they do they also have the greatest likelihood of being comfortable with
themselves, successful and independent
in mainstream society.
PF: Every state has statues of two prominent citizens in Statuary Hall of the U.S.
Capitol. Alabama replaced one of its statues with a new statue of Helen Keller. She
is the only honored citizen whose statue
portrays her as a child, one of very few
women and the only statue of a citizen
who had a disability. Because Helen Keller
is so well known, loved and respected
across the world, she is expected to
become a destination for many visitors to
the Capitol. Dr. Bell taught Helen Keller
and her teacher, and the Volta Bureau
is a repository of pictures and memorabilia of their work together. I see the
dedication of Helen Keller’s statue and
its prominence in the U.S. Capitol as an
opportunity to call attention to the fact
that the AG Bell still does for children
with hearing loss all over the world what
Dr. Bell did for Helen Keller.
AG: What is the one thing you would
like a parent of a recently diagnosed
child to know?
PF: I would want parents to know not
one but three things. First, speech is not
the most important thing – language is.
In my experience, learning speech facili-
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41
Psychosocial potential maximization
Attributes of Desire
By Paul Jacobs, Ph.D.
D
esire is putting motivation
into action. Whether you are
deaf or have typical hearing,
no social or career achievement can be accomplished without desire.
Desire is strongly linked with direction
and commitment. A lack of focus can
cause a never-ending cycle of discarded
projects being replaced with new projects.
Individuals caught in this cycle feel the
energy of a new dream, tackle it passionately with purpose, but eventually
become discouraged when they encounter
obstacles. The initial enthusiasm wanes,
but then it is “found” again in a new
project and the cycle repeats. Nothing is
achieved and the desire is misused.
The riddle of success cannot be solved
by attitude, but by aptitude for desire. The
word attitude has an emotional meaning (e.g., “Just do it!”). But aptitude is
practical. The aptitude for desire includes
operating within personal limitations,
self-sacrifice, intelligence, hard work and
patience in difficult times. No one is born
with this aptitude. It is learned, practiced
and then mastered.
Fostering Desire
The last edition of this column asked,
“What are your child’s passions and interests?” Listing these strengths provides a
start for understanding and fostering your
child’s own unique aptitude for desire.
Let’s use Elizabeth, Tony and
their 16-year-old son, Tristan, from
Washington, D.C., as an example. Tristan
is a sociable guy despite being severely
deaf since age 3. He makes others feel
comfortable with his deafness by reciting
jokes and vignettes from television shows
and movies. But the family has a problem.
The parents are frustrated with Tristan’s
refusal to contemplate his future. And he
resists their hopes of forging a career in
politics as both parents have done.
42
His parents know that extra motivation will likely improve their bright son’s
reasonable grades. Tristan has a unique
passion for Egyptian, Maya and Inca
archeology, which interests neither parent. Elizabeth and Tony want to channel
Tristan’s desire into a clear direction, but
they are not sure where to start.
Adopted from Dr. Bob Montgomery
and Lynette Evans’ “You and Stress”
(1984), the following thought map
illustrates how Tristan’s desire can be put
into practice over time. Any parent can
use this thought map to help their child.
The authors advise you to keep the six
steps separate, setting aside a different
time to reflect, assess and complete each
step. This process is crucial for clarifying
the problem-solving procedure.
yy Reassess their thinking about
Tristan’s career potential.
yy Encourage each other to determine
possible solutions.
The brainstorming stage occurred over a
month. New ideas were gained from other
parents and from the biographies or autobiographies. Tristan’s parents got a better
“feel” for the possible outcomes their son
could pursue. Given this information,
they could now evaluate possibilities.
3. Evaluate possibilities
Tony and Elizabeth were coming to realize that Tristan would not likely forge
a career in politics. Tristan had his own
unique aptitudes, which became clear
after creating a table of his academic
strengths and weaknesses.
1. Define the problem
Uncooperative when discussing his
future, Tristan fears leaving the comforts
of home. His tight-knit group of school
friends will soon leave Washington, D.C.,
to attend college or university. Tristan
needs realistic career goals and to choose
subjects for his senior year that will help
him achieve his goals.
2. Brainstorm possible
solutions
Brainstorming involves writing down
whatever comes to mind. It is a sifting
process that gives us a sense of realistic
and unrealistic solutions. The following
four points are realistic solutions that
Elizabeth and Tony brainstormed to
help Tristan:
yy Talk with other parents to see how
they have planned their children’s
post–high school aspirations.
yy Read biographies or autobiographies
of other individuals who are deaf to
better understand their career and
social issues.
Strengths and
Passions
Weaknesses
and Dislikes
History
Sociology
English/Literature
Art
Graphic Design
Architecture
Chemistry
Physics
Geology
Biology
Economics
Math/Numbers
The weaknesses and dislikes column demonstrates Tristan’s limitations. Pursuing
these subjects would be cumbersome and
problematic. The strengths and passions
column, however, clarifies the subjects
in which Tristan’s desire would be best
served. His parents could see how all
the subjects had some relationship with
archeology. Armed with this knowledge,
the parents could now move onto the
next step and agree on a solution.
4. Agree on a solution
Elizabeth and Tony found that archeology was a realistic and exciting career
goal because a research-based profession
bypasses many deafness-related limita-
tions. Also, Tristan’s love for elements of
archeology was endless. Elizabeth and
Tony then made a decision to consult
with their son, but first he would need to
be “sold” on the idea.
5. Plan the solution
Elizabeth and Tony decide to take Tristan
to an exhibition on ancient Egypt. Over
lunch, Tony asks a mesmerized Tristan,
“Would you like to be an archeologist?”
Amazed, and without thinking, the son
replies, “Yes.” Elizabeth smiles, “We’ll have
to do something about that, won’t we?”
times, putting aside your ego aside. Once
recognized, your child’s desire can be
channeled into proactive activities rather
than left to chance. Your guidance is
essential. In time, your child’s desire will
likely create a lifeforce of its own.
Remember: the future is not where we
are heading, but what we create.
Conclusion
Desire is the second of eight themes
that create Psychosocial Potential
Maximization. The following exercise discusses your practical application of desire.
6. Implement the plan
Exercise:
Capturing the essence of a passion alone
is not enough. A plan must be implemented for desire to become a reality.
Elizabeth, Tony and Tristan could then:
yy Ask AG Bell or other similar groups if
they could put the family into contact
with an archeologist who is deaf. This
archeologist may provide short-term
advice, or even mentor, Tristan.
yy Talk with Tristan’s teachers about
incorporating aspects of archeology
into Tristan’s schoolwork, with a view
to reward these pursuits. Tristan
should enroll in classes that cater to
his academic strengths.
yy Consult with the school career counselor to identify colleges and entry
requirements for an undergraduate
degree in archaeology.
This complex issue took weeks to
solve. The first two steps required much
erasing, rewriting and rethinking on
the part of Elizabeth and Tony. These
steps helped concentrate the parents’
energy. At the third step, they realized
that imposing their passions onto him,
rather than considering his passions,
had been a major source of conflict. This
epiphany made the fourth step, selection
of the solution, easier. The last two steps
involved Tristan in the decision-making
process and provided simple answers to
previously complex questions.
Nurturing your child’s desire has vital
long-term outcomes. Studies have shown
that children from supportive, encouraging and unified families deal better with
adversity than children without this
nurturing environment. Identifying your
child’s passions and strengths requires
communication, listening and, some-
Use the six-step thought map to help
solve any current problems your child
may have. This could be an educational,
social or career matter.
The following question prepares you
for the next column’s theme of Goal
Orientation.
Question:
Does your child have any friends or family who can provide him or her with paid
employment while at school?
Quote:
“When correctly encountered, a disability becomes a stimulus that impels
towards a higher achievement. . . . Those
who have attained remarkable success
in life have often been handicapped in
the beginning with disabilities and with
great feelings of inferiority.”
— Kenneth Lysons, “How to Cope with
Hearing Loss: The First Comprehensive
Handbook”
Editor’s Note: Dr. Jacobs’ column is complemented by an online discussion forum, available at http://nc.agbell.org/netcommunity/
Psychosocial_Potential_Maximization. The
next issue of his column, “Goal Orientation,”
will be published in December 2009, exclusively on AG Bell’s Web site. AG Bell encourages
you to discuss this and future columns with Dr.
Jacobs through AG Bell’s online community.
References
Lysons, K. (1980). How to cope with a hearing
loss: The first comprehensive handbook.
London, England: Granada Publishing Ltd.
Montgomery, B. and Evans, L. 1984. You and
stress: How to develop new coping skills
and a healthier lifestyle. New York, NY:
Penguin Books Ltd.
43
kid's zone
Around the World
A
nyone who meets Kaylee
Hannah Jensen will be
overwhelmed by this
8-year-old’s bubbly and
verbose personality. What is amazing
about Kaylee’s story are the challenges she has overcome to become
the bright girl she is today, thriving
on the farm belonging to her parents’
Angie and Bob, in Lowell, Ind.
Kaylee was born prematurely at age
26.5 weeks in Merrillville, Ind. She
spent the first four months of her life
in a neonatal intensive care unit. In
addition to all the challenges Kaylee
faced as a premature baby, she failed
the initial newborn hearing screening
test. A formal diagnosis would not
come until she was 13 months old,
however, because the home monitor
protocol required by Kaylee’s doctors
prevented her from receiving an auditory brainstem response test to confirm the hearing loss. Once the test
was conducted, Kaylee was diagnosed
with a bilateral hearing loss.
According to Angie, “it was a very
trying time for us. Not because we
couldn’t accept her hearing loss, but
rather because we swore she could
hear something. When we spoke, she
would turn her head towards us. I am
sure all the doctors thought we just
refused to accept that ‘our’ child was
deaf!” Several months passed before
Kaylee’s diagnosis was changed to
auditory-neuropathy (AN).
The National Institutes of Health
notes that individuals with AN are
able to receive sound through the
ears, which function typically, but
the sound does not transmit to
the brain. Individuals with AN can
have great difficulty understanding
speech. Angie and Bob had to fight
for Kaylee’s right to learn spoken
44
language. “AN is the most frustrating
diagnosis . . . with AN, every professional we saw had many different
opinions about how to treat Kaylee.
As parents, we stood our ground and
decided listening and spoken language was what we wanted for our
child,” despite the many professionals who advised otherwise.
At first, Kaylee used hearing aids.
Although she adjusted to them easily
and began weekly auditory-verbal
therapy at 16 months, Kaylee’s
parents noticed that her auditory
responses were declining instead
of improving. After researching AN
further, her parents made the decision to stop using the hearing aids.
“I looked diligently before I finally
found studies that claimed hearing aids may actually hinder hearing for some individuals with AN,”
says Angie.
Angie was determined to see Kaylee
succeed as she continued with her
auditory-verbal therapy without the
use of hearing aids. “We took everything that was offered to Kaylee. She
was involved in an early childhood
program for children ages birth to
3 years old. They offered numerous
therapies, including auditory-verbal,
speech, group speech, occupational, physical and developmental
therapies.”
Although delayed, Kaylee’s speech
eventually came at 25 months. “We
kept a list on the refrigerator and
wrote down each new word she
uttered and the date. Soon, we went
from one word at a time to two-word
phrases and then on to sentences,”
Angie recalls. “Her speech language
pathologist told us, ‘Kaylee’s like
a little teacup, you keep pouring
into it until it spills over.’” Hearing
Photo Credit: The Jensen Family
By Melody Felzien
Kaylee won a red ribbon for her scarecrow, which featured characters from “The
Wizard of Oz.”
aids were successfully reintroduced
when Kaylee was 5 years old, and she
continues to receive private speech
therapy once a week as well as speech
services through her school.
In addition to fighting for their
daughter’s right to learn spoken
language, Angie and Bob had to fight
for her right to an education. Their
local school system wanted to place
Kaylee in a developmental preschool,
and then a class for students who are
deaf that primarily used manual communication. Because neither of these
environments introduced speech
in the instruction, Kaylee’s parents
worked hard to ensure that she would
receive spoken language instruction
in a mainstream classroom.
Today, Kaylee is in second grade
at Trinity Lutheran School in Crown
V OLTA V OIC E S • NOV E M BE R / D EC EM B ER 2009
Photo Credit: The Jensen Family
Point, Ind., a school she has attended
for five years. Kaylee was placed at
Trinity by Northwest Indiana Special
Education Cooperative, which funded
her first three years of preschool.
Kaylee also received an AG Bell scholarship to attend first grade. “Kaylee
needed a classroom with a low
student-teacher ratio, as she would be
overwhelmed in the public school system. Finding a school and staff that
was willing to accept Kaylee’s disability was not an easy task. Although
her class size has grown, this school
continues to help build Kaylee’s confidence and self-esteem,” notes Angie.
Kaylee has a huge passion for
reading, traveling and sharing what
she’s learned with others. She is
particularly interested in reading
about and traveling to historical
places. According to Angie, she enjoys
walking through local cemeteries
and reading the headstones, and
has a great respect for historical
monuments and artifacts. Kaylee
also enjoys traveling to the places she
Kaylee and her Girl Scout troop dressed up
for an annual school Sock Hop dance.
reads about, such as her recent visit
to Mount Rushmore, Rapid City, S.D.,
and Lincoln’s home in Springfield,
Ill. She would also like to visit
Gettysburg, Penn., Washington, D.C.,
and Williamsburg, Va.
In addition, Kaylee enjoys spending
time with her family on their active
farm. She is particularly close to her
older sister, Ka’tlyn, age 21, a junior
at Purdue University. This summer,
Kaylee won a number of awards in
their county fair, including a blue
ribbon for a bale of alfalfa, second
place for a 12-foot stalk of corn and a
red ribbon for a scarecrow resembling
Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz.”
Angie’s advice to other parents is
to never give up hope. “No one knows
your child like you do. Education is
the key — research every piece of
information that can help your child,
follow through and understand that
you are not alone.”
Angie characterizes Kaylee best
when she says, “What makes Kaylee
unique is Kaylee. Kaylee does not
see herself as different, nor does she
want to be treated any differently.
With this attitude, Kaylee will be able
to do anything she sets her mind to,
surpassing the expectations of so
many of us.”
For Single-Sided Deafness
Finally hear what you’ve been missing.
Do you have single-sided deafness
or know someone who does?
Ask about TransEar®.
Your hearing healthcare
provider can help you decide.
For more information about single-sided deafness
visit www.transear.com or call 1.888.382.9327
45
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.
nAlabama
nCalifornia
Alabama Ear Institute, 300 Office Park Drive, Suite
Auditory Oral School of San Francisco, 1234
210, Birmingham, AL 35223 • 205-879-4234 (voice) •
205-879-4233 (fax) • www.alabamaearinstitute.org •
The AEI Auditory-Verbal Mentoring Program: ongoing
professional development / AVI curriculum / Mentoring
by Cert. AVTs®. “The AEI Summer Institute in AuditoryVerbal Therapy” - Two weeks of intense A-V training;
AVI Modules and Practicum; hands-on practice of A-V
Therapy. Education, research, public policy, family &
culturally oriented programs & services.
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.
46
Auditory-Verbal Therapy Services, 980 E.
Divisadero, San Francisco, CA 94115 • 415-921-7658
(voice) • 415-921-2243 (fax) • Offers auditory-oral day
classes for toddlers, PreKindergarten and K-2 levels with
daily individual therapy. Also consultation and itinerant
teacher of the deaf services; aural rehabilitation for
children and adults; family education groups; and
workshops. Our experienced staff includes credentialed
teachers of the deaf and speech therapists, all with
specialized training in CI technologies. Contact Janet
Christensen, M.A., at [email protected].
Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623 Emerson
Bend, Tustin, CA 92782 • 714-573-2143 (voice) •
email [email protected] • Karen Rothwell-Vivian,
M.S.ED. M.A. CCC-A. LSLS-Cert.AVT. Listening and
Spoken Language Specialist - Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapist providing Auditory-Verbal Therapy and
both audiological and educational consultation for
children from infancy through college age. Auditory
Rehabilitation is also provided for adults. Extensive
expertise with amplification, cochlear implants, and FM
systems.
Mountain Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 • 626-798-3903
(voice) • [email protected] (e-mail). Beatriz
Sackett, M.S. Ed., LSLS Cert AVT, bilingual English and
Español. Offering Auditory-Verbal Therapy services to
children ages six and above and their families. Services
provided to children with hearing aids and/or cochlear
implants. Llámeme para hablar de su hijo(a) y de cómo la
terapia Auditiva-Verbal les podría ayudar.
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) • 310838-0479 (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.
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for
the Deaf, 3518 Jefferson Avenue, Redwood City, CA
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.
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.
HEAR to Talk, 547 North June Street, Los Angeles,
John Tracy Clinic, 806 West Adams Blvd., L.A.,
HEAR Center, 301 East Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena,
CA 90004 • 323-464-3040 (voice) • Sylvia@hear2talk.
com (e-mail) • www.hear2talk.com • Sylvia Rotfleisch,
M.Sc.A., CED, CCC, Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapist®, LSLS Cert. AVT, Licensed Audiologist,
California NPA Certified. Trained by Dr. Ling. Extensive
expertise with cochlear implants and hearing aids.
InSight Cinema - The Audience is Reading,
2800 28th Street, Suite 380, Santa Monica, CA 90405
• 310-452-8700 (voice) • 310-452-8711 (fax) • www.
insightcinema.org • The “Go To” place for all forms of
captioned entertainment - blockbuster movies, live
theatre, opera, museums, lectures and much more in
your area! InSight Cinema is a non-profit organization
dedicated to bringing Captioned Entertainment
Experiences to the 31 million deaf and hard-of-hearing
patrons in the U.S. Captioning the Imagination of
Audiences Nationwide.
CA 90007 • 213-748-5481 • 800-522-4582 (parents)
• www.jtc.org • Since 1942, free worldwide Parent
Distance Education Program and onsite comprehensive
audiological, counseling and educational services for
families with children ages birth thru 5 years. Intensive
3-week Summer Sessions (ages 2-5) with Sibling
Program. Online and on-campus options for accredited
Master’s and Credential in Deaf Education.
Let’s Talk About It, 800 Santa Ynez Street, San
Gabriel, CA 91775 • 626-451-9920 (voice) • bk-avt@
sbcglobal.net (e-mail) • Bridgette Klaus, M.S. Ed.,
Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist®. Providing
Auditory-Verbal therapy for children with a hearing
loss and their families. Services for individuals with
hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, infancy through
adulthood.
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 Speech and Language Educational
Center and Theatre Program, 9801 Washington
Blvd., 2nd Floor, Culver City, CA 90232 • 310-280-0878,
800-948-7712 • www.nolimitsspeaksout.org • Free
individual auditory, speech and language therapy for
dhh children between the ages of five-and-eighteen as
well as a biweekly literacy program, computer training,
weekly parent classes and a nationwide theatrical
program.
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 – 221 Pawnee Street, San
Marcos, CA 92078 • 760-471-5187 (voice) • 760-5914631 (fax) Where children are listening and talking. An
auditory/oral program serving children from infancy to
10 years. Audiological, Speech, Itinerant, AVI Therapy,
and other related Designated Instructional Services
available. Contact Elisa J. Roche, Executive Director.
47
Training and Advocacy Group for Deaf &
Hard of Hearing Children and Teens (TAG),
11693 San Vicente Blvd. #559, Los Angeles, CA 90049,
310-339-7678, [email protected], www.tagkids.org. Leah
Ilan, Executive Director. Offers free group meetings for
ddh children and teens from 5th grade through high
school to provide socialization and advocacy training.
Half-day workshops for high school seniors are given to
prepare students for college or employment. Groups are
held in schools during weekdays and in the community
during the weekends. The sessions are each two
hours long with 8-12 participants. Parent workshops
and special extracurricular outings are also offered
throughout the school year.
West Coast Cued Speech Programs, 348
Cernon St., Suite D, Vacaville, CA 95688 • 707-4484060 (voice/TTY) • www.cuedspeech.org • A resource
center serving deaf and hard-of-hearing children
and their families. Cued Speech training available to
schools/agencies.
team specializes in family-centered care and includes
audiologists, speech-language pathologists, a deaf
educator, family consultant, and clinical social worker.
Individual, group and parent educational support and
programs are designed to meet each family desire for
their preference of communication needs. We also
provide advanced technology hearing aid fitting and
cochlear implant services.
Rocky Mountain Ear Center, P.C. • 601 East
Hampden Avenue, Suite 530, Englewood, CO 80113
• 303-783-9220 (voice) • 303-806-6292 (fax) • www.
rockymountainearcenter.com (website). We provide a
full range of neurotology and audiology services for all
ages, ranging from infants to seniors. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our board-certified otologist
and doctors of audiology test and diagnose hearing,
balance, facial nerve and ear disorders and we provide
full-service hearing aid, cochlear implant and BAHA
services. We offer medical and surgical treatment as
well as language therapy and support groups, and are
actively involved in various research studies.
nColorado
Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing,
The Children’s Hospital - Colorado, Depart
ment of Audiology, Speech Pathology and
Learning Services, 13123 East 16th Avenue, B030
Aurora, CO 80045 • www.thechildrenshospital.org
(website) • 720-777-6531(voice) • 720-777-6886 (TTY).
We provide comprehensive audiology and speechlanguage services for children who are deaf or hard-ofhearing (ages birth through 21years). Our pediatric
48
nConnecticut
CREC Soundbridge, 123 Progress Dr.,
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.
V OLTA V OIC E S • NOV E M BE R / D EC EM B ER 2009
nFlorida
Bolesta Center, Inc, 7205 North Habana Avenue,
Tampa, FL 33614 • 813-932-1184 (voice) • 813-9329583 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.
bolestacenter.org (website) • Non-profit Listening and
Spoken Language Center dedicated to teaching children
who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen and speak.
No family turned away based on ability to pay. Services
provided to families, professionals, and school districts.
Specializing in auditory-verbal therapy, educational
outreach, and professional development programs.
Kids and professionals immersion and summer
programs available. Talk to us about our success with
late implanted children! Contact Judy Horvath, LSL
Cert. AVEd.
Clarke Jacksonville Auditory/Oral Center,
9857 St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32257 • 904880-9001 (voice/TTY) • [email protected] (email)
• www.clarkeschool.org (website). Susan G. Allen,
Director, LSLS Cert. AVEd. A program of Clarke School
for the Deaf/Center for Oral Education, serving families
with young children with hearing loss. Auditory/ Oral
programs include early intervention, preschool, toddler
PreK/kindergarten, primary, parent support, individual
listening, speech and language services, cochlear
implant habilitation.
Orange County Auditory-Oral Program for
the Hearing Impaired, Kaley Elementary School,
1600 East Kaley St., Orlando, FL 32806 • 407-897-6420
(voice) • 407-897-2407 (fax) • www.eak.ocps.k12.fl.us •
Available to residents of Orange and Lake Counties. We
have self-contained classes PreK (3 & 4 yrs) to 5th grade
with partial and full-time mainstream options.
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.
nGeorgia
Georgia Relay, 866-787-6710 (voice) • garelay@
hamiltonrelay.com (email) • www.georgiarelay.org
(website). Georgia Relay provides services that enable
people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and
speech impaired to place and receive calls via a standard
telephone. Free specialized telephones are available
to applicants who financially and medically qualify
through the Georgia Telecommunications Equipment
Distribution Program (TEDP). Georgia Relay is easily
accessed by dialing 7-1-1 and is overseen by the Georgia
Public Service Commission.
Atlanta Speech School – Katherine Hamm
Center, 3160 Northside Parkway, NW Atlanta, GA
30327 - 404-233-5332 ext. 3119 (voice/TTY) 404-2662175 (fax) [email protected] (email) http://www.
atlantaspeechschool.org (website) A Listening and
Spoken Language program serving children who are
deaf or hard of hearing from infancy to elementary
school age. Children receive language-rich lessons
and highly individualized instruction in a nurturing
environment. Teachers and staff work closely with
parents to instill the knowledge and confidence children
need to reach their full potential. Early intervention
programs, audiological support services, auditory-verbal
therapy, mainstreaming opportunities, and independent
educational evaluations. Established in 1938.
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Atlanta, 1901
Century Boulevard, Suite 20, Atlanta, GA 30345,
404-633-8911 (voice) • 404-633-6403 (fax) • listen@
avchears.org (email) • www.avchears.org (website).
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Macon, 2720 Sheraton
Drive, Suite D-240, Macon, GA 31204 • 478-471-0019
(voice). A comprehensive Auditory-Verbal program for
children with hearing impairments and their families.
nIdaho
Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind,
450 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330 • 208-934 4457
(V/TTY) • 208-934 8352 (fax) • [email protected].
gov (e-mail). ISDB 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.
49
nIllinois
Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School
(AGBMS), www.agbms.org • 847-297-4660
(voice) • [email protected] (email).
Alternatives in Education for the Hearing
Impaired (AEHI) • www.aehi.org (website) • 847-
297-3206 (voice) • [email protected] (email) • 2020 E.
Camp McDonald Road, Mount Prospect, Il 60056 •
847-297-4660. AGBMS is a Montessori school educating
children ages 3-12 who are deaf or hard of hearing or
have other communicative challenges in a mainstream
environment with hearing peers. Teacher of Deaf/
Speech/Language Pathologist/ Reading Specialist/
Classroom Teachers emphasize language development
and literacy utilizing Cued Speech.
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) http://www.
childsvoice.org (website). Michele Wilkins, Ed.D.,
LSLS Cert. AVEd., Executive Director. A Listening and
Spoken Language program for children birth to age 8.
Cochlear implant (re) habilitation, audiology services
and mainstream support services provided. Early
intervention for birth to age three with parent-infant
and toddler classes and home based services offered.
Parent Support/Education classes provided. Child’s
Voice is a Moog Curriculum school.
nI ndiana
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., Director. St. Joseph Institute for
the Deaf – Indianapolis, a campus of the St. Joseph
Institute system, serves hearing impaired children,
birth to age six. Auditory-oral programs include
early intervention, toddler and preschool classes,
cochlear implant rehabilitation and daily speech
therapy. Challenging speech, personal development
and academic programs are offered in a nurturing
environment. (See Kansas, and Missouri for other
campus information)
nKansas
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas
City Campus, 8835 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS 66215 •
913-383-3535 (voice) • 913-383-0320 (fax)
• 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 hearing-impaired children,
birth to age 6. Auditory-oral programs include
early intervention, toddler and preschool classes,
cochlear implant rehabilitation and daily speech
therapy. Challenging speech, personal development
and academic programs are offered in a nurturing
environment. (See Indiana, and Missouri for other
campus information).
50
nMaryland
nMichigan
The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Oral
Center, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215
Monroe County Program for Hearing
Impaired Children, 3145 Prairie St., Ida, MI 48140-
• 410-318-6780 (voice) • 410-318-6758 (TTY) • 410318-6759 (fax) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.hasa.
org • Jill Berie, Educational Director, Olga Polites,
Clinical Director, Heather Eisgrau, Teacher of the Deaf/
Coordinator. Auditory-oral education and therapy
program for young children who are deaf or hard of
hearing ages three through five with early intervention
services for birth to age 3. Self-contained state-of-theart 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 and audiological management. Applications
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
Auditory-Verbal Communication Center
(AVCC), 544 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA,
01930 • 978-282-0025 (phone) • [email protected]
(e-mail) • www.avcclisten.com • Listening and Spoken
Language Specialists: James G. Watson, MSc, CED,
Cert. AVT, and Lea D. Watson, MS, CCC-SLP, Cert. AVT.
AVCC is a husband-wife team offering parent
guidance for infants and preschoolers, school support,
adult therapy, world-wide consultation for programs,
distance (online) therapy for families, supervision
and training (online) for professionals aiming at
certification from the AG Bell Academy for Listening
and Spoken Language.
Clarke School East, 1 Whitman Road, Canton,
MA 02021 • 781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-821-3904 (tty)
• [email protected] (email) • www.clarkeschool.
org (website). Cara Jordan, Director, LSLS Cert. AVEd.
A program of Clarke School for the Deaf/Center for
Oral Education, serving families with young children.
Auditory/Oral programs include early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear implant
habilitation, and support for mainstream placements.
The Clarke School for the Deaf - Center
for Oral Education, 47 Round Hill Road,
Northampton, MA 01060 • 413-584-3450 (voice/tty) •
[email protected] (email) • www.clarkeschool.org
(website). Bill Corwin, President. Early intervention,
preschool, day, and boarding school, cochlear implant
assessments, summer programs, mainstream support,
evaluations for infants through school age children,
audiological services, assistive devices, graduateteacher-education program.
SoundWorks for Children, 18 South Main
Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 • 978-887-1284 (voice) •
[email protected] (e-mail) • Jane
E. Driscoll, MED, Director. Satellite program serving
Southern Maine. Katelyn Driscoll, MED, Program
Coordinator. A comprehensive non-profit program
dedicated to the development of auditory-oral
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.
9778 • 734-269-3875 (voice/TTY) • 734-269-3885 (fax) •
[email protected] (e-mail) • www.misd.k12.mi.us •
Kathleen Whitman, Supervisor. Auditory/oral program,
full continuum of services, birth to 25 years. Staff: 21.
Redford Union Oral Program for Children
with Hearing Impairments, 18499 Beech Daly Rd.
Redford, MI 48240 • 313-242-3510 (voice) • 313-2423595 (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, 701 West County Road “B”, Roseville,
Minnesota 55113 • 651-415-5399 (voice). The mission
of the program is to provide an intensive oral education
to children with impaired hearing. Centered-based
services are provided in a least restrictive public school
environment, combining oral specific early intervention
services within the mainstream setting for students
pre-school through kindergarten age. Birth to 3 services
and parent/child groups are tailored to meet identified
needs. Parent and professional workshops are offered.
Referrals are through the local school district in which
the family live.
Northern Voices, 1660 W. County Road B, Roseville,
MN, 55113-1714, 651-639-2535 (voice), 651-639-1996
(fax), [email protected] (email), Kristina
Blaiser, Executive Director. Northern Voices is a
non-profit early education center focused on creating
a positive environment where children with hearing
loss and their families learn to communicate through
the use of spoken language. Our goal is for students
to become fluent oral communicators and to join
their hearing peers in a traditional classroom at their
neighborhood schools. Northern Voices is a Moog
Curriculum School.
nMississippi
DuBard School for Language Disorders, The
University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive
#10035, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601-2665223 (voice) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.usm.
edu/dubard • Maureen K. Martin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
CED, Director • The school is a clinical division of the
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and serves
children from birth to age 13 in its state-of-the-art
facility. Working collaboratively with 22 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. AA/EOE/ADAI
Magnolia Speech School, Inc., 733 Flag Chapel
Rd., Jackson, MS 39209 • 601-922-5530 (voice) •
601-922-5534 (fax) • [email protected]
(e-mail) • www.oraldeaf.org • Anne Sullivan, M.Ed.
Family Services (age 0 to 3 served free), Auditory/oral
classrooms, association method classroom, audiological
services, mainstream services, evaluations and outpatient services available in an 11-month school year.
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) • Betsy
Moog Brooks, Director of School and Family School •
[email protected] (e-mail) • 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 to 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 School at Columbia, 3301
West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203 • 573-4461981(voice) • 573-446-2031 (fax) • Judith S. Harper,
CCC SLP, Director • [email protected] (e-mail).
Services provided to children who are deaf and hard-of
hearing from birth to kindergarten. Programs include
the Family School (birth to 3). School (3 years to
kindergarten). Mainstream services (speech therapy/
academic tutoring) ,educational evaluations, parent
education, support groups, and student teacher
placements. The Moog School—Columbia is a Moog
Curriculum School.
nNebraska
Omaha Hearing School for Children, Inc.
1110 N. 66 St., Omaha, NE 68132 402-558-1546
[email protected] An OPTIONschools Accredited
Program offering auditory/oral education for birth to
three, preschool and K – 3rd grades. Serving Omaha
and the surrounding region.
nNew Hampshire
HEAR in New Hampshire, 11 Kimball Drive,
Suite 103, Hooksett, NH 03106 • 603-624-4464 (voice)
• www.HEARinNH.org • Lynda S. French, Director.
New Hampshire’s only auditory-oral school for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing. HEAR in NH
serves children with all degrees of hearing loss from
infancy through high school. Programs offered include
parent/child play groups, preschool, pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten and itinerant services for children in
their community schools. Summer services, parent
education/support, speech/language services and
professional workshops are available.
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – St.
Louis, 1809 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017;
(636) 532-3211 (voice/TYY); (636) 532-4560 (fax);
www.sjid.org; [email protected], Mary Daniels,
M.A., Principal • [email protected]. An independent,
Catholic auditory-oral school serving hearing impaired
children birth through the eighth grade. Auditoryoral programs include early intervention, toddler and
preschool classes, K-8th grade, I-Hear tele-therapy
services, on-site audiology clinic, full evaluations,
mainstream consultancy, summer education and
student teacher placements. Mainstream academic
accreditations (ISACS and NCA). Approved private
agency of Missouri Department of Education.
(See Indianapolis and Kansas for other campus
information)
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nNew Jersey
HIP and SHIP of Bergen County Special
Services - Midland Park School District, 41
E. Center Street, Midland Park, N.J. 07432 • 201-3438982 (voice) • [email protected] (email) • Kathleen
Treni, Principal. An integrated, comprehensive preK-12th grade auditory oral program in public schools.
Services include Auditory Verbal and Speech Therapy,
Cochlear Implant habilitation, Parent Education, and
Educational Audiological services. Consulting teacher
services are available for mainstream students in
home districts. Early Intervention services provided
for babies from birth to three. SHIP is the state’s only
7-12th grade auditory oral program. CART (Computer
Real Time Captioning) is provided in a supportive,
small high school environment.
The Ivy Hall Program at Lake Drive, 10 Lake
Drive, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 • 973-299-0166
(voice/tty) • 973-299-9405 (fax) • www.mtlakes.org/ld.
• Trish Filiaci, MA, CCC-SLP, Principal. An innovative
program that brings hearing children and children with
hearing loss together in a rich academic environment.
Auditory/oral programs include: early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear
implant habilitation, itinerant services, OT, PT and
speech/language services. Self-contained to full range
of inclusion models available.
52
Speech Partners, Inc., 26 West High Street,
Somerville, NJ 08876 • 908-231-9090 (voice) •
[email protected] (email) • Nancy V.
Schumann, M.A., CCC-SLP, Cert.AVT. Auditory-Verbal
Therapy, Communication Evaluations, SpeechLanguage Therapy and Aural Rehabilitation, School
Consultation, Mentoring, Workshops.
Summit Speech School for the HearingImpaired Child, F.M. Kirby Center, 705 Central
Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 • 908-508-0011 (voice/
TTY) • 908-508-0012 (fax) • [email protected]
(e-mail) • www.summit-speech.org • Pamela Paskowitz,
Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Executive Director. Auditory/
oral services for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Programs include Parent Infant (0 to 3 years), Preschool
(3 to 5 years) and itinerant services for children in
their home districts. Speech and language, OT and PT
services available.
nNew Mexico
nNew York
Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT, CCCSpeech Language Pathology, 401 Littleworth
Lane, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY 11579 • 516-671-9057
(voice).
Auditory/Oral School of New York, 2164 Ralph
Avenue & 3321 Avenue “M,” Brooklyn, NY 11234 •
718-531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • info@
auditoryoral.org (e-mail) • Pnina Bravmann, Program
Director. A premier auditory/oral early intervention and
preschool program servicing hearing impaired children
and their families. Programs include: StriVright Early
Intervention (home-based and center-based), preschool,
integrated preschool classes with children with normal
hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations, parent support,
Auditory-Verbal Therapy, complete audiological
services, cochlear implant habilitation, central auditory
processing (CAPD) testing and therapy, mainstreaming,
ongoing support services following mainstreaming.
Presbyterian Ear Institute – Albuquerque, 415
Cedar Street SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 • 505-224-7020
(voice) • 505-224-7023 (fax) • Contact: Bettye Pressley,
Executive Director. A cochlear implant center, auditory/
oral school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and
parent infant program. Serves children from infancy to
early elementary school years. Comprehensive audiology,
diagnostic and speech therapy services. Presbyterian Ear
Institute is a Moog Curriculum School.
Center for Hearing and Communication
(formerly the League for the Hard of
Hearing), 50 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY
10004 • 917 305-7700 (voice) • 917-305-7888 (TTY)
• 917-305-7999 (fax) • http://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 are hard of hearing or deaf.
Comprehensive array of services include: audiology,
otology, hearing aid evaluation, fitting and sales,
communication therapy, cochlear implant training,
assistive technology consultation, emotional health and
wellness, public education, support groups and Mobile
Hearing Test Units. Visit http://www.chchearing.org
to access our vast library of information about hearing
loss and hearing conservation. For more information
or to make an appointment, contact us at info@
chchearing.org.
Clarke School - New York, 80 East End Avenue,
New York, NY 10028 • 212-585-3500 (voice/tty) • info@
clarke-nyc.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.org (website)
• Dan Salvucci, Acting Director. A program of Clarke
School for the Deaf/Center for Oral Education, serving
families of young deaf and hard of hearing children.
Auditory/oral programs include early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, comprehensive evaluations,
hearing aid and FM system dispensing and related
services including occupational, physical and speechlanguage therapies.
Cleary School for the Deaf, 301 Smithtown
Boulevard, Nesconset, New York 11767 • 631-588-0530
(voice/TTY) • 631-588-0016 (fax) • www.clearyschool.
org • Kenneth Morseon, Superintendent; Ellen McCarthy,
Principal. A state-supported program serving hearing
impaired children birth to 21. Auditory/oral programs
include Parent-Infant Program (school and home based)
for children birth to 3, Auditory-Oral Reverse Inclusion
Preschool Program for children 3 to 5 and Transition
Program for children with cochlear implants who have a
sign language base. Auditory/oral programs include daily
individual auditory-based speech and language therapy,
daily speech push-in, annual and on-going audiological
and speech-language evaluations and parent training/
support. The mission of the Reverse Inclusion AuditoryOral Preschool Program is to best prepare children to
enter kindergarten in their own school district. Classes
consist of children with hearing loss and their normal
hearing peers.
Lexington School for the Deaf, 26-26 75th
Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11370 • 718-350-3300
(voice/tty) • 718-899-9846 (fax) • www.lexnyc.org •
Dr. Regina Carroll, Superintendent, Ronni Hollander,
Principal - [email protected] (email). A statesupported program serving hearing impaired children
in the Greater New York area from infancy through
age 21. Auditory-Oral programs include the Deaf
Infant Program (ages 0-3), Preschool classes (ages
3-6) and early Elementary classes. Auditory-Oral
programs include daily speech, listening and language
services, ongoing audiological support, coordination
with hospital implant centers, evaluations and parent
support. The school’s academic program follows the
New York State standards. Music/Dance, Physical
Education (and swimming), Art, Library, as well as
technology are part of the school schedule.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center Hearing
& Speech Center, 430 Lakeville Road, New Hyde
Park, NY 11042 • 718-470-8910 (voice) • 718-470-1679
(fax) • The Long Island Jewish Hearing and Speech
Center provides services for individuals of all ages
with communication disorders. The Center serves two
tertiary care hospitals, Long Island Jewish Medical
Center and North Shore University Hospital, providing
both in-patient and outpatient services. As the largest
hearing and speech center on Long Island, the Center
accepts referrals from physicians, schools, community
speech pathologists and audiologists, and self-referrals
from Long Island and New York City. The professional
staff consists of 14 audiologists, 10 speech-language
pathologists, a social worker and a deaf educator.
Audiologic services available at Center include complete
diagnostic and habilitative services, a cochlear implant
program, a voice and laryngeal laboratory and a hearing
aid dispensary.
Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, GOALS
(Growing Oral/Aural Language Skills)
Program, 40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, NY 11765
• 516-922-4100 (voice) • Mark R. Prowatzke, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, Francine Bogdanoff, Assistant
Superintendent. Publicly-funded integrated preschool
program, serving Deaf and hard of hearing children
(ages 3-5) on Long Island. Literacy-based program
with auditory/oral approach, curriculum aligned with
NY State Preschool Standards, art, music, library,
audiology, speech, language therapy, related support
services and family programs.
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.
Itinerant services including auditory training and
audiological support are provided to those students who
are mainstreamed in their local schools. Services are
provided by certified Teachers of the Hearing Impaired
on an individual basis.
The Infant/Toddler Program provides centerand home-based services with an emphasis on the
development of auditory skills and the acquisition of
language, as well as parent education and support.
Center-based instruction includes individual and small
group sessions, speech, parent meetings and audiological
consultation. Parents also receive 1:1 instruction with
teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing on a weekly
basis to support the development of skills at home.
Comprehensive audiological services are provided
to all students enrolled in the program, utilizing state
of the art technology, FM assistive technology to
maximize access to sound within the classroom, and
cochlear implant expertise. Additionally, cochlear
implant mapping support provided by local hospital
audiology team will be delivered on site at the school.
New York Eye & Ear Cochlear Implant and Hearing
& Learning Centers, (formerly Beth Israel/New York
Eye Ear program). New Location: 380 Second Avenue
at 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7800
(voice). Comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitative
services for infants, children and adults including
audiology services, amplification and FM evaluation
and dispensing, cochlear implants, auditory/oral
therapy, otolaryngology and counseling.
nNorth Carolina
BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who
Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3714-A
Benson Drive, PO Box 17646, Raleigh, NC 27619 •
919-850-2746 (voice) • 919-850-2804 (fax) • raleigh@
ncbegin.org (e-mail) • Joni Alberg, Executive Director.
BEGINNINGS provides emotional support, unbiased
information, and technical assistance to parents of
children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf parents
with hearing children and professionals serving those
families. BEGINNINGS assists parents of children
from birth through age 21 by providing information
and support that will empower them as informed
decision makers, helping them access the services they
need for their child, and promoting the importance of
early intervention and other educational programs.
BEGINNINGS believes that given accurate, objective
information about hearing loss, parents can make sound
decisions for their child about educational placement,
communication methodology and related service needs.
CASTLE- Center for Acquisition of Spoken
Language Through Listening Enrichment,
5501-A Fortunes Ridge Drive, Suite A, Durham, NC
27713 • 919-419-1428 (voice) • www.uncearandhearing.
com/pedsprogs/castle An auditory/oral center for
parent and professional education. Preschool and Early
intervention services for young children including
Auditory Verbal parent participation sessions. Hands-on
training program for hearing-related professionals/
university students including internships, two week
summer institute and Auditory Verbal Modules.
nOhio
Auditory Oral Children’s Center (AOCC),
5475 Brand Road, Dublin, OH 43017 • 614-5987335 (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 intervention, and parent support services are
also available.
Millridge Center/Mayfield Auditory Oral
Program, 950 Millridge Road, Highland Heights,
OH 44143-3113 • 440-995-7300 (phone) • 440-9957305 (fax) • www.mayfieldschools.org • Louis A.
Kindervater, Principal. Auditory/oral program with
a ful continuum of services, birth to 22 years of age.
Serving 31 public school districts in northeast Ohio.
Early intervention; preschool with typically developing
peers; parent support; individual speech, language,
and listening therapy; audiological services; cochlear
implant habilitation; and mainstreaming in the general
education classrooms of Mayfield City School District.
Ohio Valley Voices, 6642 Branch Hill Guinea
Pike, Loveland, OH 45140 • 513-791-1458 (voice) •
513-791-4326 (fax) • mainoffice@ohiovalleyvoices.
org (e-mail) • www.ohiovalleyvoices.org (website).
Ohio Valley Voices teaches deaf and hearing-impaired
children to use spoken language as their primary means
of communication. The vast 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-3 program, a preschool through second grade
program, a full array of on-site audiological services,
parent education and support resources. Ohio Valley
Voices is a Moog Curriculum School.
53
nOklahoma
Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th Street,
Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-5484300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) • Teresa H. Caraway,
Ph.D.,CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT and Joanna T. Smith,
M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Jace Wolfe, Ph.D.,
CCC-A. Comprehensive hearing healthcare program
which includes pediatric audiological evaluations,
management and cochlear implant mapping. AuditoryVerbal therapy, cochlear implant habilitation, early
intervention, pre-school, summer enrichment services
and family support workshops are also provided.
Opportunities for family, professional education and
consultations. www.heartsforhearing.org
INTEGRIS Cochlear Implant Clinic at the
Hough Ear Institute, 3434 NW 56th, Suite 101,
Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-947-6030 (voice) • 405945-7188 (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 S.E. Holgate,
Portland, OR 97202 • 503-235-6551(voice) • 503-2351711 (TTY) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.tmos.
org (website) • Established in 1947, Tucker-Maxon
is an intensive auditory-oral school that co-enrolls
children with hearing loss and children with normal
hearing in every class. Each class is taught by a regular
educator or early childhood specialist and a teacher
of deaf children. Programs for children with hearing
loss start at birth and continue through 5th grade.
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 • 215-3482940 x1240 (voice) • 215-340-1639 (fax) • kmiller@
bucksiu.org • Kevin J. Miller, Ed.D., CCC-SP, CED,
Supervisor. A publicly-funded program serving local
school districts with deaf or hard of hearing students
(birth -12th Grade). 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
The University of South Carolina Speech
and Hearing Center, 1601 St. Julian Place,
Clarke Pennsylvania Auditory/Oral Center,
nSouth Dakota
455 South Roberts Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 • 610525-9600 (voice/tty) • [email protected] (email)
• www.clarkeschool.org (website). Judith Sexton,
Director. A program of Clarke School for the Deaf/
Center for Oral Education, serving families with young
children with hearing loss. Auditory/Oral programs
include early intervention, preschool, parent support,
individual auditory speech and language services,
cochlear implant habilitation, audiological support, and
mainstream support.
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) • Mary Beth Kernan
- Family Service Coordinator. DePaul is Western
Pennsylvania’s only auditory-oral school serving
families for 100 years. A state-approved, private
magnet school, DePaul’s programs are tuition-free to
parents and caregivers of approved students. Program
includes: 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 speech therapy,
cochlear implant habilitation services, audiological
support including cochlear implant mapping, physical
and occupational therapy, mainstreaming support,
parent education programs and a parent support group.
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf,
300 East Swissvale Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 •
412-244-4207 (voice) • 412-244-4251 (fax) • vcherney@
wpsd.org (e-mail) • www.wpsd.org.The Western
Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is a non-profit school
with high academic expectations. WPSD, located in
Pittsburgh since 1869, has provided quality educational
services, cutting-edge technology and a complete
extracurricular program to deaf and hard-of-hearing
children from birth through grade 12. Serving over
250 day and residential students, from more than 100
school districts and 30 counties, WPSD is the largest
comprehensive center for deaf education in the state.
For more information: wpsd.org
54
nSouth Carolina
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.
Columbia, SC 29204 • 803-777-2614 (voice) • 803253-4143 (fax) • Center Director: Danielle Varnedoe,
[email protected] (e-mail). The center provides audiology
services, speech-language therapy, adult aural
rehabilitation therapy and Auditory-Verbal therapy.
Our audiology services include comprehensive
evaluations, CAPD evaluations, and cochlear implant
evaluations and programming. The University also
provides a training program for AVT and cochlear
implant management for professional/ university
students. Additional contacts for the AVT or CI
programs include: Nikki Burrows (803-777-2669),
Wendy Potts (803-777-2642) or Cheryl Rogers (803777-2702).
South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD),
2001 East Eighth Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 •
605-367-5200 (V/TTY) • 605-36705209 (fax) •sdsd@
sdbor.edu (e-mail). Serving children and youth with
hearing loss by offering services on site and through its
outreach program. Academic option includes auditory/
oral program for students using spoken language and
are preschool through third grade. SDSD utilizes the
Sioux Falls School District Curriculum and prepares
students to meet state standards. Instructional
support in other areas is available as dictated by the
IEP, including parent/child education, speech language
pathology, auditory training and special education.
Arranges for dual enrollment of students in their
local schools to expand curricular and social options.
Outreach staff provides support to families with
newborns and children through the ages of 2 years and
continues to work with the families and school district
personnel of older students who are either remaining
in or returning to their local districts. Any student in
South Dakota with a documented hearing loss can take
advantage of services offered through SDSD, including
audiological testing, speech evaluation, and triennial
multidisciplinary assessment.
nTennessee
Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, 7901 Poplar
Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138 • 901-758-2228 (voice)
• 901-531-7050 (fax) • www.mosdkids.org (website)
• [email protected] (email). Teresa Schwartz,
Executive Director. Parent-infant program, auditory/
oral day school (ages 2 to 6), speech-language and
cochlear implant therapy, mainstream services.
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center - National
Center for Childhood Deafness and Family
Communication, Medical Center East South
Tower, 1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 372328105 • 615-936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) •
[email protected] (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt.
edu/root/vumc.php?site=hearing (web). Tamala
Bradham, Ph.D., Director. The NCCDFC Service
Program is an auditory/oral learning program serving
children with hearing loss from birth through 18
years. Services include educational services at the
Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt as well as
audiological and speech-language pathology services.
Specifically, the Service Program includes audiological
evaluations, hearing aid services, cochlear implant
evaluations and programming, parent-infant
program, individual speech, language, and listening
therapy, educational assessments, 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 • 972387-2824 • 972-387-9097 (fax) • [email protected]
(e-mail) • Brenda Weinfeld Bliss, M.S., CCC-SLP/A, Cert.
AVT®. Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist® providing
parent-infant training, cochlear implant rehabilitation,
aural rehabilitation, school visits, mainstreaming
consultations, information, and orientation to deaf and
hard-of-hearing children and their parents.
Callier Center for Communication
Disorders/UT Dallas, Callier-Dallas Facility,
1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235 • 214-905-3000
(voice) • 214-905-3005 (tty) • Callier-Richardson
Facility: 811 Synergy Park Blvd., Richardson, TX,
75080 • 972-883-3630 (voice) • 972-883-3605 (tty) •
[email protected] (email) • www.callier.utdallas.edu
• Nonprofit organization, hearing evaluations, hearing
aid dispensing, assistive devices, cochlear implant
evaluations, psychology services, speech-language
pathology services, child development program for
children ages 6 weeks to 5 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 mappings; Speech-Language Pathology
Clinic providing Parent-Infant therapy, Auditory-Verbal
therapy, speech therapy, aural (re)habilitation; family
support services. All services offered on sliding fee scale
and many services offered in Spanish.
Denise A. Gage, M.A., CCC, Cert. AVT©
- Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist,
Speech-Language Pathologist, 3111 West
Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76016-0378 • 817-4600378 (voice) • 817-469-1195 (metro/fax) • denise@
denisegage.com (email) • www.denisegage.com • Over
25 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.
Speech and Hearing Therapy Services, North
Dallas • 214-458-0575 (voice) • speechandhearingtherapy@
yahoo.com (e-mail) • www.speechandhearingtherapy.
com (website) • Tammi Galley, MA, CCC-SLP, Aural
Habilitation Specialist. Comprehensive Aural Habilitation
therapy, specializing in pediatric populations, cochlear
implant habiltation, parent-infant/child and individual
therapy, Auditory-Verbal therapy, auditory/oral, or total
communication offered with strong emphasis on auditory
skill development. Home visits or office visits.
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children,
103 Tuleta Dr., San Antonio, TX 78212 • 210-824-0579
• 210-826-0436 (fax). Founded in 1947, the auditory/
oral school promotes early identification of hearing loss
and subsequent intervention, working with parents and
children from infancy through high school. Audiological
services include diagnostic hearing evaluations for
children of all ages, hearing aid fitting, cochlear
implant programming and habilitation, maintenance
of soundfield and FM equipment in the classroom.
Programs include the Newborn Hearing Evaluation
Center, Parent-Infant Program, Hearing Aid Loaner and
Scholarship Programs, and Educational Programs (three
years of age through 12th grade mainstream), Speech
Pathology, Counseling, and Assessment Services. For
more information visit www.sunshinecottage.org.
nUtah
Sound Beginnings of Cache Valley, Utah
State University, 1000 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT
84322-1000 • 435-797-0434 (voice) • 435-797-0221 (fax)
• www.soundbeginnings.usu.edu • [email protected]
(email) • Lauri Nelson, Ph.D., Sound Beginnings Director
• [email protected] (email) • K. Todd Houston, Ph.D.,
CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Graduate Studies Director.
A comprehensive auditory learning program serving
children with hearing loss and their families from birth
through age five; early intervention services include
home- and center-based services, parent training, a weekly
toddler group, pediatric audiology, and Auditory-Verbal
Therapy. The preschool, housed in an innovative public
lab school, provides self-contained Auditory-Oral classes
for children aged three through five, parent training,
and mainstreaming opportunities with hearing peers.
The Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf
Education offers an interdisciplinary graduate training
program in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, and
Deaf Education that emphasizes auditory learning and
spoken language for young children with hearing loss.
Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, 742
Harrison Boulevard, Ogden, UT 84404 • 801/6294714 (voice) for the Associate Superintendent for the
Deaf • 801/629-4701 (tty) • www.usdb.org (website) •
A state-funded program for children with hearing loss
(birth through high school) serving students in various
settings including local district classes throughout
the state and residential options. Audiology, speech
instruction, auditory verbal development and cochlear
implant habilitation provided.
nVirginia
Chattering Children, Richmond Center,
1307 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228
• 804-290-0475 (voice) • NOVA Center, 1495
Chain Bridge Road, Suite 100, McLean, VA 22101
• www.chatteringchildren.org (website) • adavis@
chatteringchildren.org (email). Chattering Children,
Empowering hearing-impaired children through
spoken communication. Infants through school age.
Parent-Infant Program, AV Therapy, mainstream
support. SPEAK UP (an auditory oral school). Familycentered conversational approach. In-service training
and an internship program for graduate students. NoVa
Center: 1495 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 100, McLean, VA
22101 (Metro DC area), Tel: (571) 633-0770. Richmond
Center: SPEAK UP auditory-oral school and auditoryverbal therapy: 1307 Lakeside Ave Richmond VA 23228.
Tel: (804) 290-0475. Contact Anne Davis, Executive
Director, Anne Davis, [email protected].
Listen Hear Audiology, 1101 S. Arlington Ridge
Rd. #117, Arlington, VA 22202 • 202-997-4045 (voice)
• [email protected] (e-mail) • www.
listenhear.net • Rachel Cohen, Au.D., CCC-A • Auditory/
oral services provided to children or adults who are
hard-of-hearing or deaf using preferred methodology
(Auditory/oral, Cued, TC, or ASL) when needed.
Auditory (re)habiliation is provided in your home/
natural environment or at my office. Birth through
geriatric cochlear implant habiliation, aural (re)
habilitation, assistive listening device information,
parent-infant training and consultation.
nWashington
Listen and Talk – Education for Children
with Hearing Loss, 8610 8th Avenue, NE, Seattle,
WA, 98115 • 206-985-6646 (voice) • 206-985-6687
(fax) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.listentalk.
org (website). Maura Berndsen, Educational Director.
Family-centered program teaches children with all
degrees of hearing loss to listen, speak, and think in
preparation for inclusion in neighborhood schools.
Services include early intervention (0 to 3 yrs),
Auditory-Verbal therapy (3 to school age), blended preschool/pre-K classes (3 to 5 yrs), and consultations.
A summer program is offered in addition to services
provided during the school year.
The Listen For Life Center at Virginia
Mason, 1100 9th Ave. MS X10-ON Seattle, WA 98111
• 206-223-8802 (voice) • 206-223-6362 (tty) • 206223-2388 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.
vmmc.org/listen (website) • Non-profit organization
offering comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitation
services from infancy through senior years. Audiology,
otolaryngology, hearing aids, implantable hearing aids,
cochlear implants, communication classes, assistive
listening devices, Aural Rehabilitation, counseling,
support groups, school consultations, professional
training workshops, community days, library.
nWisconsin
Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
10243 W. National Avenue, West Allis, WI 53227 414604-2200(Voice) 414-604-7200 (Fax) www.cdhh.org
(Website) Amy Peters Lalios, M.A., CC-A, LSLS, Cert.
AVT® as well as five LSLS Cert. AVEds. Nonprofit agency
located in the Milwaukee area provides comprehensive
auditory programming to individuals with hearing
loss, from infants to the elderly. The Birth to Three
program serves children from throughout Southeastern
Wisconsin, including education in the home, toddler
communication groups, and individual speech therapy.
AV Therapy is also provided to school-age children
locally as well as through an interactive long-distance
therapy program. Pre- and post-cochlear implant
training is provided for adults and communication
strategies and speechreading is offered to individuals as
well as in small groups.
55
INTERNATIONAL
List of Advertisers
nAustralia
Advanced Bionics...................................................................................Inside Back Cover
Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for
Children WA (Inc), 36 Dodd Street, Wembley WA
6014, Australia • 61-08-9387-9888 (phone) • 61-089387-9888 (fax) • [email protected] • www.tsh.org.au •
Our oral language programs include: hearing impairment
programs for children under 5 and school support
services, Talkabout program for children with delayed
speech and language, audiology services, Ear Clinic for
hard to treat middle ear problems, Variety WA Mobile
Children’s Ear Clinic, newborn hearing screening and
Cochlear Implant program for overseas children.
University of Newcastle, Graduate School.
Auditory-Oral School of San Francisco........................................................................... 46
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc (Atlanta)................................................................................. 4
Central Institute for the Deaf ........................................................................................... 47
Clarke School for the Deaf .............................................................................................. 49
GradSchool, Services Building, University of Newcastle,
Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia • 61-2-49218856
(voice) • 61-2-49218636 (fax) • [email protected]
(email) • www.gradschool.com.au (website). Master
of Special Education distance education through the
University of Newcastle. Program provides pathways
through specialisations in Generic Special Education,
Emotional Disturbance/Behaviour Problems, Sensory
Disability, Early Childhood Special Education. The
Master of Special Education (Sensory Disability
Specialisation) is available through the Renwick Centre
and is administered by the Australian Royal Institute
for Deaf and Blind Children. Program information and
application is via GradSchool: www.gradschool.com.au,
+61249218856, or email [email protected].
DePaul School for Hearing and Speech ........................................................................ 33
nCanada
John Tracy Clinic .............................................................................................................. 15
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.
Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory
Rehabilitation Center (SPARC), Room 21, Ellis
Hall, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, S7N
0W8, Canada • 306-655-1320 (voice) • 306-655-1316
(fax) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.usask.
ca/healthsci/sparc • Rehabilitative services including
Auditory-Verbal Therapy for children with hearing
impairments. (Birth through school age).
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). Our auditory-oral
program includes: on-site audiology, cochlear implant
mapping, parent-infant guidance, auditory-verbal
therapy, music therapy, preschool, K, Primary 1-3;
itinerant services.
nEngland
DuBard School for Language Disorders . ...................................................................... 41
Ear Technology Corporation............................................................................................ 45
Fontbonne University ....................................................................................................... 48
Harris Communications.................................................................................................... 21
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf.....................................................39
Moog Center for Deaf Education............................................................................... 27, 43
National Technical Institute for the Deaf/RIT.............................................................. 9, 25
National Cued Speech Association . .............................................................................. 19
Oticon Pediatrics ....................................................................................Inside Front Cover
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf....................................................................................... 11
Sorenson Communications ............................................................................................ 37
Sound Aid Hearing Aid Warranties ................................................................................. 23
Sound Clarity, Inc. ............................................................................................................ 52
Sprint Relay . ..................................................................................................................... 35
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children................................................................... 17
Tucker-Maxon Oral School............................................................................................... 51
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) • info@speechlang.
org.uk (e-mail) • www.speech-lang.org.uk • Assessment,
nursery school and therapeutic centre for children
under 5 with hearing impairment or speech/language
difficulties.
56
AG Bell 2010 Biennial Convention .................................................................. Back Cover
AG Bell – Academy .......................................................................................................... 29
AGBell – George H. Nofer Scholarship ............................................................................ 5
We’ve Been in
Your Shoes
Advanced Bionics has answers for
helping your child hear their best.
You want your hearing-impaired child to learn, play, grow, and talk right along with their normalhearing peers. Cochlear implants can bring the rich world of sound to your child and help
them develop the language skills needed to succeed in life. With Advanced Bionics’ Connect
to Mentor program, you can learn more about cochlear implants and have all your questions
answered by someone who’s really been there—the parent of a child with a cochlear implant.
Connect to a mentor of your very own today by visiting bionicear.com/ctm
or calling the Bionic Ear Association at 866-844-HEAR (4327)
3-01170-C_VoltaVoicesAd.indd 1
7/13/09 12:02 PM
 
J
oin friends, colleagues, advocates and
families in Orlando, Fla., June 25-28, 2010,
for an exciting experience. Advance your
knowledge and skills, learn about the latest
products and services, and expand your
network of people committed to listening
and spoken language for all children
with hearing loss.
endless
possibilities
Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking!
Attend the 2010 AG Bell Biennial Convention
JUNE 25-28, 2010
HILTON BONNET CREEK HOTEL
ORLANDO, FLORIDA

An A to Z Guide to a Career in Listening and Spoken Language

Transcription

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