Chicago Walk 4 Hearing - September 28th

Let's Connect

I'm volunteering this year at the Chicago Walk 4 Hearing refreshment  booth.

Stop by, get a cool drink and a snack.  

Introduce yourself and let's chat!

Do Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) Techniques and Strategies Only Benefit Babies and Toddlers?

Recently, I replied to this question from a Teacher of the Deaf 

Q: Can Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) Techniques and Strategies benefit children in the classroom who are 5 and up?  Many of the webinars I've seen the focus is on therapy for babies and toddlers, so I'm curious as to how these techniques will translate to a class of 4-9 school-aged children. I really want to ensure that my students are ready for inclusion settings/mainstream classes.

A: My reply to a great question

I am positive LSL techniques and strategies are beneficial to school-aged students and others! 

My LSL caseload has predominately been with families of babies through kindergarten. However, I have guided families of older children who continued to require intervention for many reasons such as those transitioning from a visual system such as Cued Speech, those identified late such as cross-cultural adoptions, others with autism, hearing loss plus other disabilities and so on.  The same LSL strategies and techniques (Audition First, Auditory Sandwich, What Did You Hear? Etc.)  which place emphasis on learning spoken language through listening apply to all ages with a wide range of needs and goals. I have provided LSL intervention to improve auditory skills and receptive language of children who are non-verbal and those on augmentative communication devices. The same LSL strategies and techniques can be effective when incorporated with teens and adults in post CI rehabilitation.  These LSL techniques can be powerful as a part of therapy for individuals with auditory processing disorders. So unequivocally yes!

Read Early. Read Often.

My grandson has been read to every day of his life.

 He loves books. He loves his new baby brother.

 So naturally, he reads to his little brother.

Read Early. Read Often.

Do you know that beginning early is important because the roots of language are developing in a baby’s brain even before he can talk? The more words a baby hears over time, the more words he learns.

Auditory-Verbal Practice is the approach that results in Listening and Spoken Language outcomes.

The terminology:
Auditory-Verbal Practice is the approach that results in Listening and Spoken Language outcomes. For parents as the end consumer making decisions for their child regarding their desired outcome, Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) is easily understood and more clearly communicates with parents about the outcomes possible today.  

The titles of specialization are:
• The Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist (LSLS Cert. AVT) and
• The Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator (LSLS Cert. AVEd)

These names honor our history in the field as well as the language of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Hearing First has written a blog on this topic that you might find interesting. The Power of A Name: 

Auditory Comprehension Exceeds Reading Comprehension

Do you want to grow your child's listening and spoken language skills?

 Continue to read aloud to your child even after they can read to themselves. 

Kids’ auditory comprehension is higher than their reading comprehension. When you pick a challenging book that your kids can’t read on their own, you are exposing them to a wealth of new vocabulary words. This stretches a child’s language development, particularly if you stop to talk about the meaning of these harder words.

https://www.mrsspeechiep.com

I Wonder!

 This morning we found a bird’s nest on the sidewalk. My four-year-old grandson wondered about the baby birds, what happened to the eggshells and how the nest ended up on the sidewalk and … so much more!

Auditory Verbal Graduate - Plans to Obtain her M.D.- Ph.D. and Pursue Research in Otolaryngology.

Congratulations to one of my auditory verbal graduates Caroline Yuk who is a psychology and biology major combined with a minor in computing technological sciences. She plans to obtain her M.D.- Ph.D. and pursue research in Otolaryngology.  As a cochlear implant recipient, she understands first-hand the importance of merging technology with medicine. Caroline was recently awarded an AG Bell’s scholarship for students with hearing loss to Engage in Auditory Research Program (STEMM-HEAR), supported by the Hearst Foundations. 

Read more about her in the lastest Volta Voices AG Bell magazine. 

Where does the time go? 

I was Caroline's oldest brother's auditory verbal therapist and also Caroline's the youngest of a set of twins. 

I  am honored to have worked closely with this committed family who did what it took for their children to accomplish a listening and spoken language outcome.