Group items tagged

You are at the home for families on the Listening and Spoken Langauge Knowledge Center. On this page you will find a full listing of information and resources to help you learn about your child's hearing loss, and things you can do to ensure they have access to language as early as possible.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) School-Age Financial Aid program is for students ages 6 to 21 years who are registered or currently enrolled in a parochial, independent or private school in a mainstream setting. Awards can be used to reduce educational costs such as tuition, room and board, books, equipment, auditory and speech language support services, academic tutoring, transportation, and other school-related expenses. This award is not applicable for students who are being homeschooled, or those who attend public school, or are in college.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers financial awards for students, ages 6 to 19, to participate in after school, weekend or summer programs focused on developing skills in the arts or sciences. Programs can be offered through museums, nature centers, art or music centers, zoological parks, space and science camps, dance and theater studios, martial arts studios or any other program with a focus on the arts or sciences.

Click here to register for this event What: The AG Bell Listening & Spoken Language Symposium is the premier professional development event dedicated to the fastest growing trend—the desire of families to seek a listening and spoken language outcome for their children who are deaf and hard of hearing.  Hearing health professionals and educators of the deaf need better tools and new strategies to help families make the most of these advances. Professionals face new challenges and opportunities in meeting the needs of multiple cultures and generations, and in early diagnosis of additional learning or physical challenges.

Symposium highlights: Six short courses that will build your knowledge on best practices for listening and spoken language skill development. 15 Workshop sessions that will provide research and innovative strategies to guide professional practice. Access to products and technologies to support the families and children that you serve. Networking opportunities with other listening and spoken language professionals. Who should attend? Certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS Cert. AVTs and Cert. AVEds) Candidates for LSLS certification Teachers of the deaf Audiologists College and university professors in teacher/clinician training programs Early interventionists Speech-language pathologists Supervisors and administrators of listening and spoken language programs and public schools

There are several amazing websites that do an excellent job of incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. As you know, UDL is all about creating learning environments that meet the needs of all types of learners—closed captioning for the hearing impaired, read-aloud capabilities for the visually impaired, for example.

Click here to download the Brochure with Registration Information (PDF) Vision Net training is for kids 0-6 with sensory losses and other disabilities. It will start Jan. 13 -- instructors need advanced registrations to get materials assembled and vision net sites. Please fill out the attached registration form if interested.  Topics will include brain development, sensory processing, family centered practices, use of touch, hearing, vision system, CVI, communication, motor development and more. What: INSITE Basic Training prepares early intervention professional to work with families in acquiring information, skills and support to facilitate the development of their young children who have sensory impairments combined with other disabilities. It includes a comprehensive overview of the rationale and organization of the INSITE Model, including early identification, administration and supportive service components. The majority of the training time is devoted to training in the direct services to families. Participants become familiar with the INSITE resource manual (purchased separately by participants)  which contains information and learning activities for families on early communication, audition, vision, cognition, motor impairments, and the development of auditory and visual skills. They learn about the INSITE approach to information gathering, child assessment and program planning needed for developing the IFSP.

iCommunicator makes effective two-way communication possible for persons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or experience unique communication challenges The iCommunicator translates in real-time: • Speech to Text • Speech/Text to Video Sign-Language • Speech/Text to Computer Generated Voice

Steve Jobs also delivered a trademark "one more thing" at this year's WWDC. This time out, it was a new telephony product called FaceTime. There have already been various attempts at this, including the HTC Evo's front-facing camera and third-party video conferencing aps, but FaceTime presents the most user-friendly application of the technology. There is no set up, and it is fully integrated into the OS, making it extremely simple to use.

I want to highlight something that was touched upon in the FaceTime video shown at the WWDC. Not much been written about it, but the example shown had a powerful message to a specific community. I grew up in a home with a blind grandmother. The telephone was one of the bright spots in her life. She could not see, but she could speak and hear things like Books for the Blind, which in those days were delivered on vinyl records. She also spoke to family and friends on the phone. Those conversations were very important to her.

However, for the deaf community, the telephone has no meaning. They can't just pick up the phone and talk to friends and family. Only recently has the cell phone become an important communication tool for them—texting has been a godsend. Face-to-face, they use sign language and facial expressions to communicate. The Apple video demonstrated showed a deaf couple signing to each other from separate locations.

AG Bell recognizes that young families with a child who is deaf have extra financial pressures. We are pleased to offer the Family Scholarship Program for deserving families who have never attended an AG Bell Convention to access information and network with other families.

Click here to download the full flyer with registration information (PDF)(Registration must be received by 10-7-2011) What: The Montana Speech - Language - Hearing Association is an organization of professionally trained and Montana licensed Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists working in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, neonatal care units, schools and private practices across Montana. The MSHA 2011 Fall Convention is an opportunity to participate in sessions, lead by professional Speech Pathologists and Audiologists. Speakers include: Jane Kitson (Speech Pathologist) Paula Kitzenberg (Speech Pathologist) Valarie Zimmer (Speech Pathologist) Audrey Pierce-Seeley (Speech Pathologist) Tabitha Parent Buck, Au.D. (Audiologist) Dr. Al Yonovitz (Audiologist) Dr. Peter Von Doersten (Audiologist) When: October 20-21, 2011 Where: Best Western Great Northern Hotel Helena, MT Click here to register online for this conference

The following interview with Suzanne Robitaille -- founder of abledbody.com and author of The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology & Devices -- was conducted via email November 12, 2012.

Speech-Language Pathologist. Speech Pathologist. Speech Teacher. Known by many names, people refer to these specialists most often as speech therapists. They work with children with a variety of delays and disorders spanning from mild articulation delays to more complex disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, hearing impairment, motor speech disorders, and other developmental delays. SLP’s, as they are called for short, are the specialists that help your child with speech, talking and communication. However you may be surprised at how broad this field of speech-language pathology really is and  just how many skill areas SLPs are trained to build and expand in young children.

Los Angeles, CA – January 22, 2013 – L.A.-based House Research Institute and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approval to begin a clinical trial of an Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) procedure for children. The trial is a surgical collaboration sponsored by the House Research Institute in partnership with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Vittorio Colletti, MD of the University of Verona Hospital, Verona, Italy.

Many talented, creative clients and colleagues have physical limitations, such as blindness or vision impairment, hearing loss or limited hand use or mobility. When you schedule a meeting, do you take potential disabilities into consideration? Accessibility considerations help people with disabilities overcome barriers they may experience in participating fully in your meeting. And, these same considerations can benefit others, especially remote attendees. For example, captioning is useful for people who must attend a meeting from a noisy environment such as an airport. The following list should help you design your meeting and include everyone.

There is a shortage across the nation of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools, which has caused some districts to choose virtual speech therapy, which, according to current research from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a professional association for SLPs, can be as effective as traditional speech therapy. One reason for the shortage, says Deborah Dixon, director of school services at ASHA, is that, although there are an adequate number of students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in the field, a master’s degree is required to be an SLP, and there are not many openings in graduate schools. Virtual speech therapy offers a solution for students with mild to moderate impairment since the flexible hours are appealing for those who want to work part-time and for retired SLPs.

What would you do if the doctors came out and told you your child had what mainstream society considers a disability, like having a hearing impairment? In that instance, you are thrown into a new world into a culture you know little about that uses a foreign language. According to one family that went through this, you learn a lot very quickly.