Sound Advice

SOUND ADVICE
Audiology

Teens who are DHH: The “Iceberg” Effect

Teenagers who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) have unique experiences when compared to hearing peers in terms of socializing, self-esteem and identity. Studies on the emotional impact of hearing loss in adolescence suggest teenagers who are DHH may have uniquely challenging social and emotional experiences. For some, this can create an internal emotional environment that may not be obvious to the outside world.

How Do We Help Teens Who Are DHH Mitigate These Effects?

Foster a Sense of Self:

Help your teen identify as a capable DHH individual

Build an Understanding Community:

Help your teen interact with other    people who are DHH who understand their experiences and can offer support

Offer Space:

Often teens need space to work out their issues

Praise Accomplishments and Efforts:

Praise your teen’s successes and areas of strength

How Can I Help Early On? 

Building strong self-esteem and positive identity from a young age can help prevent some of the negative experiences teens who are DHH may encounter. Being connected with peers who are DHH when young and having older DHH role models who advocate for themselves can help your child develop a positive feeling about their identity. Additionally, encouraging your young child to become a problem-solver and providing responsibilities can foster feelings of confidence, competence and mastery.

By recognizing and respecting the often “under the surface” emotional experiences of a teen who is DHH, you can help your child to develop a fulfilling identity and to embrace rather than reject their hearing loss.

Information for this article was gathered from the Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss website. Visit: www.successforkidswithhearingloss.com for more information on this topic and many others.

From the Director

From the Director

Bethany Colson

As we kick off a new state fiscal year on July 1, it is a time to look back on what we have accomplished and a time to look forward to what our goals and achievements will be this year. Over the past year, we have focused on filling gaps – gaps in locations around the state, gaps in knowledge related to deaf and hard of hearing children and gaps in timing of services and information.

One way we have filled in location gaps is through our regional centers. We expanded into the southeast region with a regional center in the Mid America Science Park in Scottsburg, as well as expand our presence in the northeast. Our northeast regional staff in Fort Wayne continues their outreach efforts including connections to local health departments.

With regard to gaps in knowledge, our staff both attended and provided a multitude of professional development opportunities last year. On a national level, we attended the EHDI Conference, National Outreach Conference, AAA, ADARA and National Deaf Center conference. Within Indiana, we attended the Early Childhood Special Education Administrators Conference, ISHA, ICASE retreat, PATINS Tech Expo, and presented at the First Steps and Indiana Deaf Educators and Educational Interpreters conferences. Our collaborations with FSSA through First Steps and Vocational Rehab, as well as with DOE through the Department of Special Education, are key to our Center’s success in providing positive outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing children.

Lastly, we made efforts to fill gaps in service provision through our partnerships with EHDI and First Steps to reduce timing of referrals for early intervention evaluations and services. We continue to recruit, train and mentor early intervention providers and educate system point of entry staff to follow best practices for deaf and hard of hearing children. In addition, we have worked with numerous families and school districts at the time of transition from Part C to Part B – providing support, assessments and recommendations related to educational needs. 

We share best practices and encourage collaboration of DHH teachers around the state through our DHH Roundtables. We work with the PASS Project to provide EPO webinars for educational professionals and meet with educators and support staff individually for training and support. Our Center participates in the Transition Alliance to fill gaps in secondary transition information for deaf and hard of hearing students.

In the coming year, we will focus on strategic planning – to determine how we can best continue filling gaps and meeting the Center’s mission and duties. The collaborations we have are key in our success and a continued focus for our Center. I am honored to take on the Executive Director position with the opportunity to lead these efforts, work with a talented and dedicated staff and strengthen relationships with other professional entities working with deaf and hard of hearing children.

From the Director

From the Director
Bethany Colson, Interim Director

Staff from the Center recently had the privilege of attending the 2018 EHDI Annual Meeting. This conference is an excellent way for our staff to interact and learn from other stakeholder groups outside Indiana. We brought back new tools and information about provider self-assessment, audiological management, IDEA and ADA, parent support, language development, trauma-informed care and so much more.

The opening plenary of this meeting was given by Beth Wolfson, a master trainer with VitalSmarts. Her talk centered on the book Crucial Conversations. The definition of a crucial conversation is when differing opinions, strong emotions and high stakes exist.  In these conversations, Beth shared that effective discussion can occur when participants are 100% honest and 100% respectful. As we interact with other professionals and families, crucial conversations may occur. We can engage with one another honestly and respectfully, finding our mutual purpose to reach an agreed upon objective.

Ms. Wolfson shared techniques to candidly and respectfully engage in crucial conversations. These included managing our own emotions, getting our motives right and separating fact from story. She reminded the EHDI attendees that our emotions are our own — emotion is not forced by others in conversation. Managing these can create a more productive environment for crucial conversations to occur. Being aware of motivations also keeps the conversation on track. Unproductive motivators include being right, avoiding conflict and blaming/shaming. Productive reasons for dialogue include learning options, producing results, and strengthening relationships. Getting away from the “me” and entering into the “we” dialogue. As we engage in these conversations, we begin to tell a story to ourselves. It is key to keep our story, or judgment, separate from the facts.

There are opportunities for crucial conversations along this journey. Let us all strive to respectfully engage with one another in these crucial conversations to enhance the resources and services for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Staff Spotlight

Deyda Salazar, Administrative Assistant

The Center Assessment Team would like to welcome Deyda Salazar as its newest team member. Her role as the assessment team’s administrative assistant involves serving as the point of contact for all assessments, performing intake and scheduling families for assessment services, as well as coordinating with schools and medical providers to obtain needed information. 

Deyda has relevant personal and professional experience. Her working knowledge of Indiana Article 7, experience working as an intake specialist for the Children’s Bureau of Indianapolis and significant background in customer service has been invaluable to the team. Deyda is the mother of triplets and has had first-hand knowledge of the First Steps system.  

Deyda is bilingual and fluent in both English and Spanish.  She exudes high energy in her position at the center and has a love of sports, especially soccer, during her free time.

Sound Advice: Audiology

Road Safety Tips for Children

Here are some friendly reminders and suggestions for keeping children with unilateral hearing loss safe as the weather becomes milder and children increase their outdoor activities and play.

Children with unilateral hearing loss (hearing loss in one ear) often experience difficulty locating where sounds are coming from. In order to localize (locate) sounds, we need sound to be heard by both ears. With normal hearing in both ears, our brain receives the sound signal from both ears and is able identify where a sound is coming from with good accuracy.

With unilateral hearing loss, a child’s brain may only receive the sound from the better ear.  The child may hear the sound but not be able to tell where it is coming from. The greater the degree of hearing loss, the more difficulty the child may experience in localizing sounds. The most noticeable difficulty for families is when calling their child. Their child may not respond due to not hearing or not knowing where their parents are calling from.

Teaching good road safety should start early

Children learn from watching their parents, so set a good example from the start:

· Cross roads at traffic lights and adhere to pedestrian signals.

· Don’t cross the road between parked cars. Children cannot see an approaching vehicle, and the child with a hearing loss may not hear a car or know which side the sound is coming from.

Teach and modify as necessary the “Stop, Look, and Listen” road strategy.

Remember

Generally, children younger than 10 need active adult supervision when crossing the road. They have difficulty judging how far away a car is and how fast it is going. Children also find it hard to identify when and where it is safe to cross the road.

Learning to cross the road safely takes time and practice. Walking with your child to shops or school is an ideal time to teach how to cross the road safely.

Bicycle Safety

All children need to be taught cycling safety. Start teaching them good   riding habits when they get their first bicycle. Children with unilateral

hearing loss may experience additional difficulties when riding their bikes:

When riding on pavement, they may not hear when a car is pulling out of a drive way and the driver may not be able to see them. They need to be taught to be cautious in the driveway.

They may not hear another bike or car coming from behind or be able to decide which side to move when another bicycle rider rings their bell or a car honks its horn. It is important that they have rear view mirrors installed and are instructed how to use them. In addition, they should be taught to ride on the appropriate side of the path or road to avoid unnecessary accidents.

Talking to your child about their hearing loss and the extra precautions they need to take will help them to understand their responsibilities and keep them safe.

HAAPI - funding cycle

Check the HAAPI website for other potential resources to receive financial assistance for hearing aids:  http://www.haapindiana.org/about/press-release

Brain Builders' Corner: Early Intervention

The CDHHE EI Network: SKI-HI Parent Advisor training

Cindy Lawrence, Early Intervention and Transition Coordinator

Our CDHHE Network, the specialized Network for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children serving children and families in the birth to 3 year age range, is in need of more SKI-HI Parent Advisors to empower and educate parents about such topics as infant and toddler development, audiology testing and results, auditory and visual technology, use of natural environments and routines, and navigating information about communication.

Parent Advisors provide ongoing early intervention home visits utilizing the SKI-HI curriculum and resources for families learning about early communication, listening, assistive technology, American Sign Language, visual communication, spoken language and more.

SKI-HI Parent Advisor training will take place again June 8, 9 and 10 (part 1) and July 12, 13 and 14 (part 2). Please contact Cindy Lawrence at 317-232-0899 or e-mail at clawrence@isdh.in.gov if you are interested or want to know more about qualifications to become an early interventionist with our specialized CDHHE Network. 

The Joint Commission on Infant Hearing (JCIH) position statement indicates that timely access to quality early  intervention (EI) providers who have the core knowledge and skills necessary is a critical component of a successful Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) System.

Our EI team works closely with the EHDI and First Steps system to close the gap of time from identification to implementation of those early services. During the spring months, we have also presented to each of the Indiana System Point of Entry clusters — sharing information about our network and best practices for deaf and hard of hearing early intervention services. This increased awareness and support for deaf and hard of hearing children and families has led to a greater need for more qualified EI providers,

Our purpose in early intervention is to empower parents and families to build a strong foundation in the brain. Communication and language connections promote future academic, social, and emotional development. Child-adult relationships that are responsive and attentive — with lots of back and forth interactions — build a strong foundation in a child’s brain for all future learning and development. 

One helpful resource for families regarding strong child-adult relationships comes from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child.

These videos demonstrate how parents encourage that back and forth interaction with their children. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/5-steps-for-brain-building-serve-and-return/.

If you are interested in joining our CDHHE Network or have questions about the qualifications to become a First Steps provider, contact Cindy Lawrence at 317-232-0899 or CLawrence@isdh.in.gov.