Tips for your teachers for HOH/Deaf Children

• Give deaf/hoh child seat in front or near front. This one is just common sense because the deaf/hoh student needs to be able to see the teacher and blackboard (or whiteboard) clearly.
• Be careful about turning your back, because then the deaf/hoh child can not read your lips. Face a deaf/hoh student when talking to them directly.
• Talk directly to the child, not to the interpreter . It is important to do this so that the child feels like he/she is part of the class.
• To reduce the risk of a deaf/hoh child being bullied, encourage the child or child's parents to explain deafness/hearing loss to the class.
• Always write tests, quizzes, and homework assignments on the board.
• If you have a mustache and the deaf/hoh child reads lips, consider shaving it off or reducing it to a small enough size that does not hinder lipreading.
• If the class is watching a film, either make sure the film is captioned or provide the child with a copy of the script.
• Do not treat a deaf/hoh child any differently from the hearing children. That means no special treatment.
• Request the assistance of an itinerant teachers or resource teacher. They may have more suggestions and be able to provide assistance.
• If a website used in the classroom has only audio, make notes for the deaf/hoh student (suggested by a deaf college student).
• Provide an older deaf/hoh student with note takers, either peer or professional.
• Be aware of the importance of classroom acoustics, as it has an impact on how much the deaf/hoh student is able to hear.

Helpful Information on how to keep your hearing

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEARING Did you know that… Deafness is America’s number one birth defect and leading disability? The June 6 issue of Newsweek featured a cover story on hearing loss citing startling statistics: More than 28 million Americans of all ages have some degree of hearing loss, from mild to severe, and the number is expected to soar in the coming years – reaching an astounding 78 million by 2030. Hearing loss is increasingly recognized as a public-health issue. Although the chronic din of ordinary life is higher than ever, reducing excessive noise can improve your health and quality of life, no matter your age. The Children’s Hearing Institute offers the following tips for preserving the hearing of you, your kids and your parents Protecting your hearing should be part of your lifestyle: If you suspect your child may be experiencing a developmental delay, consult a physician for a hearing screening. Hearing loss can occur at any age. The average age of diagnosis of hearing loss is close to age 3. Keep volume on iPods, televisions, stereos and radios at a reasonable level. Wear earplugs at noisy work sites and while operating power tools. Keep your distance from speakers at concerts, festivals and sporting events. Stay clear of July 4 firecrackers and skyrockets. If you have problems hearing, consult a physician to determine if you need a hearing aid or cochlear implant to prevent further hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is growing among baby boomers. Of the more than 75 million Americans born between 1945 and 1964, 20.4% or 16 million suffer some degree of hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss affects 1 in 3 Americans over 65. Nearly 1 in every 2 Americans over 75 and 4 out of 5 over the age of 85 impairing communication & social skills. For further information on how to protect your hearing, visit “Wise Ears,” a public awareness campaign organized by The National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders, The National Institutes of Health: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/wiseears.asp

Tips for choosing a preschool for your child!

Find one close to home.

Preschools that have serviced children with hearing loss in the past may be most beneficial.

Enthusiasm about having a child with hearing loss and a willingness to collaborate with a team of professionals and parents are positive characteristics.

Make sure classrooms have good acoustics. Noise and reverberation are evident in many preschools.

Bring an educator from Early Intervention or the hearing aid/cochlear implant center when visiting different preschools. This can be helpful in making an informed decision as to which program is the best match for your child.

Alphabet in sign Language!

Finally

So finally after sooo much work with my daughter trying to gett her to wear her implant she finally was wearing it. I never was so glad to see that thing on her head instead of her whipping it across the floor to even hiding it. She actually liked it now and wanted it on she wask asking for it and even fell asleep with it on. So now it was time to talk about how we could get her interacted with other children so we could speed up her language and have her signing less. So her therapists had talked about FullDayFullyear preschool So I looked into it and it was a great program So I enrolled her but we had to do a school IEP these things can get quite annoying. I haven't yet gotten into a big disagreement in doing them but that may come eventually. So after all this she was off to preschool 5 days a week all year long for 8 hours a day

What is auditory Verbal therapy?

The goal of the Auditory-Verbal practice is that children with hearing impairment can grow up in a regular learning and living environment that enables them to become independent, participating, and contributing citizens in mainstream society (Auditory-Verbal International, Inc., 1991). Auditory-Verbal therapy teaches parents how to create an auditory learning environment for their child to develop spoken language through listening during everyday natural and meaningful communication.
Auditory-Verbal Therapy is designed for the parents to participate in the child’s education. Therapy is diagnostic, with each session being an ongoing evaluation of the child’s and parent’s progress. The children learn to use their amplified hearing or their cochlear implant to listen to their own voices, the voices of others, and the sounds of their environment in order to understand spoken language. There is no set curricula per se, rather, Auditory-Verbal Therapy encourages and follows natural language and speech development. The parents and therapist encourage the child to integrate hearing, language and spontaneous speech into the child’s personality (Pollack, 1985; Estabrooks & Samson, 1992; Estabrooks, 2001). While certain language curricula might be employed, these materials are designed for children with normal hearing abilities.
The Auditory-Verbal Approach differs from the auditory-oral approach and traditional aural habilitation in that families who choose the AV approach follow a set of guiding principles to enable their child who is deaf to learn to listen and process spoken language (see principles below). Although families who participate in oral education programs or auditory-oral programs may utilize strategies and techniques of the AV approach in their practice, an Auditory-Verbal intervention program embraces all the guiding principles. The salient differences may be that traditional aural habilitation programs and auditory-oral programs may rely on therapists and teachers as models and children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing may receive instruction or therapy in groups. There are no “Auditory-Verbal” schools, in that the purpose of integration is to educate the child in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) with the highest expectations, and the mainstream classroom serves as the LRE for children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing.
Doreen Pollack, one of the original founders of the Auditory-Verbal approach, stated that the goal of the approach is that children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing are integrated into their community, and a typical living and learning environment is retained. She believed that everyone in this environment must believe that the child can hear, expect the child to respond appropriately, and show him or her how to communicate through spoken interactions. When an all-day listening atmosphere is created for the child, surrounded by meaningful contexts of daily activities, with children who have normal hearing and language abilities, communication becomes relevant.

Informative and fun website!

I have posted a link to where you can find information on hearing loss and play games so check it out!!!

Helpful Links!

National Foundation for the Deaf	http://www.nfd.org.nz/
Deaf Aotearoa NZ	http://www.deaf.co.nz/
NZ Audiological Society	http://www.audiology.org.nz/
Enable NZ	http://www.enable.co.nz/
Accessable	http://www.accessable.co.nz/
Ministry of Health	http://www.moh.govt.nz/
ACC	http://www.acc.co.nz/
Ear Nurse Specialist Group of NZ	http://www.ensg.co.nz/
International (see NFD site)	http://www.ata.org/ (American Tinnitus Assn)
American Speech Language Hearing Assn	http://www.asha.org/
Deafness Forum of Australia	http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/
Royal National Institute of the Deaf, UK	http://www.rnid.org.uk/
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People	http://www.shhhaust.org/

What is a Speech Language Pathologist?

Through the cen clear team my daughter had a very strong support system and this included a speech language pathologist, hearing therapist and a developmental specialist. If you curious as to what these are. I will begin by Speech Language Pathologist they are also known as speech therapist and here are many of the things that they are trained to do.

''' Communication includes speech (articulation, intonation, rate, intensity, voice, resonance, fluency), language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics), both receptive and expressive language (including reading and writing), and non-verbal communication such as facial ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech-language_pathologist

An individual with the necessary academic training and experience to be certified or licensed to diagnose and treat disorders of speech, language, and communication.
www.cleftline.org/parents/glossary_of_terms

professional that assists your child with his or her speech. This person can also help with the feeding and swallowing issues.
www.pierrerobin.org/glossary-MtoZ.htm

A speech language pathologist is a specialist in the diagnosis and non-medical treatment of speech and language disorders. An SLP obtains either a Master's or Doctoral level degree, and then completes a training fellowship prior to entering practice.
www.medel.com.ar/ENG/US/50_Resources/010_glossary.asp

a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people who have voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorders, including hearing impairment, that affect their ability to communicate.
www.chp.edu/CHP/P02036

An individual with a university degree, usually at the Masters level, who is registered with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario, and is qualified to assess speech, language and voice disorders and prescribe and implement therapeutic measures.
www.oafccd.com/factshee/fact59.htm

is a professional who is trained to assist in speech production, and language skills. This may be verbal or non-verbal (pictures, computers, signs)
www.bloorview.ca/resourcecentre/communityresources/glossary.php

means a person who holds a master's degree in speech language pathology and is a member or is qualified to be a member of the Canadian Speech and Hearing Association or any provincial/territorial association affiliated with it, or in the absence of such registry, a person with comparable ...
www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dgcb-dgras/ps/hd-sd/psh-rss/definiti-eng.asp

a specialist in the evaluation and treatment of oral-motor and oral-sensory skill development. A Pediatric SLP pays special attention to the implications for feeding, speech, and language development. Often works together with an Occupational Therapist.
faculty.olin.edu/~jcrisman/Service/KWTWebNews/Decision/commonly_used_terms.htm

is also an essential member of the cleft palate team. Children with cleft palate, while having no trouble with normal language development, can often have delayed speech development due to their mouth's unusual anatomy. ...
www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Cleft-lip-and-palate

Cen-Clear Child Services

Cen Clear offers many services to children and parents some of the programs they offer are
-Early Headstart
-Early Headstart/Child Welfare Services
-Head Start
-Head Start Child care Partnership
-Head Start School Collaboration Project
-Family Centers
-Full Day/ Full Year Headstart
-Parent Child Home Program
-Pre-K-Counts
-Step by Step (Early Intervention)
and many more if you are interested in getting more information and see other programs they offer you can check them out at http://www.cenclear.org/

Team Work

I was dissapointed at the appointment because I thought for sure she was going to like this and wear her cochlear but it was just a fight everyday to get her to wear it. I do remember this one day though we were working with her so hard and finally she let it on for a few minutes and her older sister looks at her and says "Im your sister Haley" it was the cutest thing ever and brought tears to my eyes because my daughet didn't know what anyones voices ever sounded like. But with the help of the early intervention program and the Hearing Therapist and Speech Language Pathologist we were all going to work together as a team to get my daughter to wear this device so she could be on her way to hearing.