Opportunity to Provide Early Intervention Services with our CDHHE Network!

We are excited to announce the next training for future SKI HI Parent Advisors. If you qualify or are already a credentialed First Steps provider with a degree in deaf education, speech and language and/or early childhood education with expertise in working with deaf and hard of hearing children you may be able to become a parent advisor. 

SKI HI Parent Advising 

What is the purpose?

A family-based home intervention program that offers unbiased support and well-rounded resources in natural environments for families with infants and toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing.

What is involved? 

Ongoing early intervention home visits utilizing the SKI-HI curriculum and other resources, which include information and activities for families on early communication, audition, assistive technology, American Sign Language, Aural-Oral Language, emotional support and more.  In addition, the SKI-HI parent advisor connects the family to other services, entities and families.

SKI HI Curriculum Topics

First Visits & Family SupportInfants 0-12 Months
Hearing Aids
Cochlear Implants

Being Deaf, Basic Communication Issues & Approaches

Earliest Interactions

Natural Environments & Routines

Play & Concept  Development

Young Children with Special Needs &/or Challenging Behavior

Young Children with Minimal, Mild, Unilateral, Conductive, and Auditory Neuropathy Hearing Losses

Young Children with Syndromes & Other Medical Conditions

Early Visual Communication

Early Spoken~Language through Audition

Early Auditory Learning

Communication Methodologies

Literacy

Our next training series in 2019 will take place across three weekends:  Feb. 15 and 16, April 12 and 13, and May 31/June 1.  Please contact Cindy Lawrence at clawrence@isdh.in.gov or at 317-232-0899 if you would like further information about becoming a parent advisor to work with families of deaf and hard of hearing children.

Brain Builders Corner: Early Intervention

Children and Families Connecting

Why attend a playgroup?

We know that early experiences are important for brain development and that early intervention and engagement with infants and toddlers are essential for language development. We also know that:

· Connections families make with other families of deaf and hard of hearing children is  important for providing
emotional support to families.

· Meeting others who have had similar experiences is comforting and affirming.

· Children benefit from meeting and seeing other children like them of all ages.

· Siblings benefit from meeting other children who are siblings of deaf and hard of hearing children.

Playgroups offer opportunities for families to be provided with emotional support and affirmations from other families along their journey. Siblings and deaf and hard of hearing children receive the benefit of time with children like themselves. The playgroups offered through our Center are typically offered the first Saturday of the month and we work with community resources to offer various settings of family-friendly places.

Playgroups like this not only benefit the families who participate, it also gives an opportunity to educate family-friendly community locations about deaf and hard of hearing children, accommodations that will benefit them, and to understand diverse communities of children.

Have a Happy New Year and keep making those connections!


REMINDER: Our next playgroup is an exciting partnership with the Indianapolis Children’s Museum that will provide an opportunity for our families to gather in the Playscape area an hour prior to the opening of the museum, view a special production on vibrations for young children and then you can visit the rest of the museum at no cost to your family. This is a special event designed for families with deaf and hard of hearing children only ages birth through 5 years of age and their siblings. Registration is full, but watch for information on the next opportunity.

Sound Advice: Audiology

Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT): The Method to the Madness

Why do we use HAT?
Children are less mature and less skillful listeners in background noise as compared to adults and cannot rely on the life and language experience that adults have. They require a quieter environment and greater speech signal clarity in order to hear, listen, and comprehend what is said in a classroom. How do we help children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) hear in a noisy classroom setting? Enter Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT). HAT is intended to help minimize the adverse effects of listening in background noise and from a distance to improve the listener’s ability to understand speech. HAT can be used with almost any personal hearing devices, including hearing aids, cochlear implants and bone-anchored hearing aids; however, some specific models may not be compatible with certain devices. There are many different types of HAT and a seemingly endless list of different pieces of equipment that your child may be using at school. This is often difficult to digest and can be overwhelming, but understanding fundamental HAT components will help give parents/caregivers a clearer picture of their child’s needs and help them to best advocate for their children in the classroom.

Let’s break it down.
The following are descriptions of some of the most common types of HAT that children may use in the classroom:


Transmitter: The microphone worn by school staff to transmit their voices directly to the child’s personal hearing devices (i.e. hearing aids). It is important that school staff wearing a transmitter receive appropriate training on its use. The transmitter can also be used to help your child connect to external audio sources in the classroom (e.g., computer) in lieu of wearing headphones over their devices.

Receiver: Piece that attaches to your child’s personal hearing devices and receives the signal (i.e. teacher’s voice) from the transmitter. Receivers may be dedicated for specific devices and connect only to specific hearing aids or implants, or they may be universal and may be used with many different devices via an audioshoe or adapter.

Audio Input Shoe/Adapter: Used to help connect the receiver to a hearing aid (HA). The type of audioshoe required will depend on the type and manufacturer of HA technology and receiver your child is wearing. A special adapter is also commonly used to help connect receivers to CI processors. Your child’s managing audiologist and Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) can help determine the most appropriate equipment for your child.

Induction Loop: Universal neckloop receiver that can receive sound from a compatible transmitter and deliver it to any personal listening device with a T-coil. Can also be used in-lieu of an audioshoe by plugging an FM/DM receiver directly into the bottom of the induction loop device. The FM/DM receiver receives the sound from the transmitter and the sound is then transmitted via the induction loop to the child’s T-coils in their personal hearing devices when the setting is activated.

Remote Microphone: Microphone worn by the teacher that sends their voice to the child’s personal hearing device via a streamer worn around the child’s neck or a Bluetooth connection in the child’s personal device.

Streamer: Worn around the child’s neck and streams (transmits) audio/voice directly to their personal listening devices. Can be used with remote microphones, TV, phone or any other media with Bluetooth technology.

Putting it all together:
Hearing Aid with Audio Shoe and Universal Receiver

CI Processor with Adapter and Universal Receiver

Other Examples of HAT:

Information gathered from the Educational Audiology Handbook, 2^nd Edition (Johnson & Seaton)

Staff Spotlight: Sarah Leathers, Educational Consultant

The Center is pleased to welcome Sarah Leathers as our newest educational consultant!

Sarah will provide educational consultation and technical assistance to schools, parents and students statewide. Additionally, she will serve as the teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing for school districts that have contractual service agreements with the Center.

Sarah received her bachelor of science degree in special education and deaf education from Illinois State University. She has 14 years of experience as a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing. Her broad experience encompasses teaching, interpreting, guiding families, and making community connections, showing her commitment to children who are deaf and hard of hearing and the families. She will be a valuable asset to the Center’s mission of promoting positive outcomes for all deaf and hard of hearing children through information, services and education.