Tag Archives: Professionals

Just One Hurdle: A Strategy for Teaching New Skills

On your mark… get set… go! In a track and field competition, runners race around the track, jumping hurdle after hurdle in an attempt to be the first to the finish line.  It’s an incredible sight.  When we’re teaching children with hearing loss a new listening, speech, or language skill, however, we’re running a differentContinue reading “Just One Hurdle: A Strategy for Teaching New Skills”

Back to School Guide for Students with Hearing Loss

Can you believe that August is here already and it’s time to start thinking about getting back into the school routine?  The beginning of the school year is an exciting time, but it can also be filled with anxiety on the part of parents, students with hearing loss, and school staff.  How will other studentsContinue reading “Back to School Guide for Students with Hearing Loss”

(Don’t Make Me Say the F-Word) Flashcard-Free Vocabulary

  Children with hearing loss are at particular risk for deficits in vocabulary.  Even when children perform within normal limits when compared to hearing peers on other language measures, receptive (understanding) and expressive (using) vocabulary can still lag behind.  Limited ability to overhear conversation restricts a child with hearing loss’s ability to pick up incidental vocabulary.Continue reading “(Don’t Make Me Say the F-Word) Flashcard-Free Vocabulary”

AG Bell 2014: Maximizing Brain Adaptability Research Symposium

Maximizing Brain Adaptability: Enhancing Listening for Language Development, Speech Perception, and Music Appreciation  Beverly Wright, Ph.D., Northwestern University, School of Communication  Kate Gfeller, Ph.D., University of Iowa, School of Music Pamela Souza, Ph.D., Northwestern University, School of Communication  Emily Tobey, Ph.D., University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences 

A Five Step System to Build Question Answering Skills In Children with Hearing Loss

How many times have you been humming along in a conversation with a child when suddenly, a simple question stops him in his tracks?  Once you get beyond the rote answers to, “What’s your name?” and “How old are you?” many language learners are derailed by novel questions for which they are unprepared.  The problemContinue reading “A Five Step System to Build Question Answering Skills In Children with Hearing Loss”

Too Much Is Never Enough: How Much Therapy Do You Need?

I field the calls from panicked new parents all the time: “We need therapy every day of the week!”  Parents of older children who are still struggling ask, “Would adding another therapy help him overcome this difficulty?”  Parents who have toured various school options tell me, “This one will have her at school five days aContinue reading “Too Much Is Never Enough: How Much Therapy Do You Need?”

Helping Classmates Understand Hearing Loss

In the past month, I’ve had some incredible opportunities to spend time with a group of children I don’t often see — children with typical hearing — teaching them about hearing loss and how better to understand their classmate who is deaf.  They’ve taught me a lot about hearing loss from a child’s-eye view andContinue reading “Helping Classmates Understand Hearing Loss”

Why Do Babies Need “Speech” Therapy? The Importance of Early Intervention

Even hearing babies don’t talk at this age.  Why does a child with hearing loss need “speech”?