TACKL-IN Assessment: Available Resources During This “Unprecedented” Time

 

There are  many resources available at our fingertips as we continue to navigate through current obstacles to meet the needs of children and students we serve. Some  students are completing coursework in person, while other students are participating in remote learning or joining their cohorts in a hybrid model. The effects on the wellbeing of all our students over the last several months should be considered, especially those who have not had access to the  necessary therapy and language models to make  progress toward closing the gaps that impact them at home and school. When assessing their academic performance, these variables must be considered and appropriate caveats documented in their assessment and progress reports. When conducting in-person testing, document what type of facial covering you are using and consider the potential   impact on the student’s performance. Review the research studies available with regards to how masks (cloth, clinical, and transparent) and face shields alter the test administration.

COVID-19 and Student Rights United States Department of Education Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Protecting the Civil Rights of Students

National Association of School  Psychologists (NASP) COVID-19: Resource Library

 

 

Language and Literacy Corner: How Can Children Be Social While Social Distancing?

Children learn language best from other children. Peers can provide opportunities to learn new ways of play, resolving conflicts, sharing, problem-solving, creating, and so much more. Peers will also provide immediate feedback to your child if their  communication (sign, speech, or augmentative/alternative) was understood and effective. With social distancing still encouraged, here are some ideas for ways your child could still interact with peers and continue to develop language and literacy.

Outside Play Dates:

When the weather allows, some outside activities can be completed while still social        distancing. Just be sure to encourage your child to keep their hands away from their face and wash their hands as soon as they are done playing. How about trying:

· Riding bikes (with helmets!)

· Playing catch or frisbee

 Neighborhood Activities:

If you live in an area that has a way through social media for neighbors to communicate, you could try to organize:

· I-Spy scavenger hunts where neighbors hide specific things in yards for children to spy on a walk

· Putting up theme pictures in windows for parents to talk about when taking a walk with their family

· Sending messages to neighborhood friends using sidewalk chalk

 Video Calling:

Yes, we all may be sick of the video call, but have you tried these activities?

· Create a theme for the peer meeting. Plan ahead of time with the caregivers to have similar toys that children are playing with during the video call such as building blocks, arts and crafts, or action figures/dolls. Caregivers and children could engage in parallel play with adults modeling some social language for the children.

· Older children can take turns playing a song for everyone to dance to. Younger children may benefit from a caregiver playing the songs the children choose.

· Think about watching a movie together to take pressure off your child to entertain friends.

· Try simple science experiments (baking soda volcanos, glitter sensory jars, salt on water color paint).

· Have a rock-paper-scissor championship.

· Take a livestream museum tour together.

· Let your older children do school work with their peers through video.

 Other Ideas:

What if video chatting is not for your child? It may create anxiety, make them feel overwhelmed by all the visual and verbal cues on the screen, not catch their attention, or remind them that they cannot play with their friends. Try these activities to connect with peers:

· Write letters or draw pictures to send to friends

· Film a short video for friends such as saying hello or making a silly face

 

 

Brain Builders Corner: Families Benefit from the Coaching Model Used During Virtual Visits

    

     Governor issues stay-at-home order in March, and Early Intervention services continue via new service delivery models: The state First Steps office staff jumped into action by issuing temporary policy changes to allow Early Intervention (EI) services to continue for Hoosier families throughout this crucial time of development for all children. This allowed our CDHHE Network providers an opportunity to hone our skills in delivering services via tele-practice, While some providers have been doing this via IHear services for many years, others  have attended seminars and webinars in anticipation to increase our ability to serve state-wide. Whether in the home or through virtual means, we coach parents and caregivers to use strategies and techniques and to apply them in their daily routines. Providers have seen families become empowered and gain confidence as they recognize their impact for growth with their little ones. After all, children learn best with familiar people during their everyday routines and  activities, and now parents as well as other family members are recognizing the benefit of the virtual sessions.  

Family tips to gain the most from their sessions
· Share information about your family preferences, goals, and dreams as you enter this partnership with your EI providers, and be willing to try new strategies provided by your early interventionist.
· Let the providers know what has changed since your last visit, and share struggles and successes.
· Record some interactions with your child and family members between visits that show his/her communication and interaction.
· Give feedback to your provider about what worked and didn’t work so you can problem-solve together.

Provider tips to further empower families
· Begin sessions by sharing information and encouraging parents to share successes and updates.
· Observe the family interacting during a routine or activity and  use reflective strategies. Partner with families to apply problem-solving strategies, as well as provide families with relevant information to make decisions regarding their child. 
· Check out resources available on the Family Guided Routines Based Intervention website as well as the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community’s Early Childhood Center website.

 

Sound Advice: Impact of Face Coverings on Communication Access – Recent Studies

 Studies investigating the impact of facial coverings on auditory and visual access to communication have been limited. Refer to two recent studies summarized below to gain insight into the variability of acoustic effects of face covering options and the potential impacts of these effects on speech understanding.

Acoustic Effects of medical, cloth, and transparent face masks on speech signals, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

· The Illinois Augmented Listening Laboratory examined the decrease in speech signal caused by different facial coverings (cloth, medical, and transparent masks and shields) and the effect of a microphone placed at different positions (next to the mouth, cheek, forehead, lapel), with     various masks.

· All masks decreased the speech signal above 1000 Hz; substantial variation occurred in results between mask types, especially for cloth masks with different materials and weaves (thickness was less important than weave, as loosely woven fabrics were better than tightly woven ones).

· Transparent masks (shields and cloth masks with clear windows) provided poorer acoustic performance compared to medical and cloth masks.

· Using a microphone placed at the lapel or forehead was most effective to capture sound deflected by masks to the side of the face (especially shields and masks with clear windows). Talkers wearing masks can improve transmission of high-frequency sounds by wearing a microphone.

The Effects of Face Coverings and Remote Microphone Technology on Speech Perception in the Classroom, The Moog Center for Deaf Education

 · The Moog Center for Deaf Education studied how various facial coverings (cloth mask, cloth mask with window, and clear shield) with and without a personal remote microphone (RM) digital modulation (DM) system impact speech understanding in a   classroom environment.

· Use of an RM system significantly improved speech  understanding when used with the cloth mask and face shield, but resulted in poorer performance with the fully clear mask (ClearMask™).

· Functional listening assessments can be easily completed in the classroom to determine the best listening option for each child.

 

Staff Spotlight

 We welcome Erika Pearson to our Center team as the new Audiology Administrative Assistant.

Erika received her bachelor of arts in speech and hearing sciences from Indiana University. She went on to work as an assistant to speech language pathologists at five Indianapolis public schools from 2010 to 2012. She ended up pursuing her part-time job as a full-time career in 2012 at Smith’s Jewelers. In 2018, she received her graduate gemologist diploma through the Gemological Institute of America.

 
Erika was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and moved to Indiana in 1998. Her father is Deaf and mother is hearing. Erika grew up in both the Deaf and Hearing communities and experienced communication barriers firsthand. She developed a strong desire to help bridge that communication gap.

 
After 16 years in the jewelry industry, she decided to follow her heart back to her roots. She is excited to apply her previous knowledge working with children and families, her understanding of the Deaf Community, and her communication skills here at the  Center.
 

From the Director: Taking the High Road

 As our Center ensures availability of our consultations and resources statewide, we are    embarking on a new journey: a mobile unit!

Our mobile unit will be equipped with an audiology soundbooth and equipment as well as a consultation area. We will be taking this unit to a variety of locations throughout Indiana—planning each visit based on the specific needs of that community.

We will partner with local entities—schools, health departments, nonprofit organizations, and universities—coming alongside those professionals in the community. We will collaborate on individual children/students as well as processes and systems in which our staff can be of               assistance.

Our unit will be on the road at the end of 2020, and we look forward to the opportunity to connect with many of you as we plan for this new venture!

 

Teachers' DEN: Welcome Back!

 

This school year is definitely like no other. The Deaf Education team at the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education has been busy creating continuous learning documents to assist school teams in ensuring that students who are deaf and hard of hearing have optimal access in a variety of educational settings. It is important to have discussions and incorporate those into students' educational plans to ensure smooth transitions should educational platforms change throughout the school year. Each student learns and accesses their environment differently. It is helpful to conduct functional assessments (listening, visual, or both) to gather information on unique student access needs.
 
The following Continuous Learning Guidance Documents can be found on the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education’s website (www.cdhhe.isdh.in.gov):
· Masks and Face Shields
· Continuous Learning Guiding Questions
· Continuous Learning Educational Interpreter Considerations
· Continuous Learning HAT Considerations
 
Additional technical assistance available on our website (www.cdhhe.isdh.in.gov):
· Audiology Tips and Tricks
· Considerations of Special Factors
· Indiana Deaf Education and Assessments of Language (IDEAL)
· Tips for Interpreters in the virtual setting
· Tips for working with virtual interpreters
 
Please contact the Deaf Education team for more information and resources.
 

Tacklin' Assessment: Function of the Vestibular System

 This is the third part of a series of discussions about the vestibular system. If you remember from the Winter 2020 newsletter, we identified the three main roles of the vestibular system: 1) identify the position and direction of    movement of the head; 2) maintain balance; and 3) keep vision clear while the head is moving (gaze stability).

Many people know that the vestibular system makes a huge contribution to balance, but not many people realize that the vestibular system also plays a large role in vision. While the eye, surrounding eye muscles, and head work   together to help you look around your environment, this system is not capable of keeping your vision clear when the head is moving at very fast speeds. An example of these high-speed movements would be turning your head quickly to look toward a loud, unexpected sound or bouncing up and down while driving on a bumpy road (fast vertical speeds).  Even when you are walking, the impact of your foot hitting the ground causes a subtle high-speed bouncing motion of the head. At these high speeds, the oculomotor system (eye and eye muscles) cannot respond or move quickly enough to keep your vision clear. This is where the vestibular system helps. Through the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), the   vestibular system works with the visual system to move your eyes in the opposite direction of the head and at the same speed as the head so you can keep your visual target in focus. This is an automatic response—you do not think about it at all. As you bounce up, your eyes automatically move down at the same speed so you can still read the street sign clearly. To try to simulate this, hold your arm straight in front of you at eye level. Close your fingers against your palm and keep your thumb straight and pointed toward the ceiling. Keep your hand still while you turn your head side-to-side as fast as you can while looking at your thumb. Your thumb should still appear clear to you because your VOR is helping keep your vision stable. You do not think about moving your eyes to the right while your head turns to the left—the VOR takes care of that. Now hold your head still while you move your arm side-to-side as fast as you can keeping your eyes on your thumb. Your thumb may blur, or you may see two thumbs as you move your hand side-to-side. Your VOR does not help you in the second scenario, which is why you have blurring of your vision. Individuals with low or absent vestibular function will have blurring in both scenarios because their VOR is impaired.

How does this affect deaf or hard of hearing children? Though the numbers vary from one study to another, approximately one-half of children with a severe to profound hearing loss have some degree of vestibular dysfunction.¹  Those with complete vestibular loss will not have a VOR and will experience gaze instability. Those with reduced vestibular function may also have an impaired VOR. This can make it difficult to navigate the environment when walking, running, or driving because of the accompanying visual “blurring” when the head is moving. There is also evidence that individuals with gaze instability have difficulty with reading acuity and require larger print sizes to read effortlessly than children who have a stable gaze.²  While young children’s books use larger print sizes, books for older children and young adults are typically in a smaller print size and may require the student to use extra effort to read. 

 

1.                 Jacot E, Van Den Abbeele T, Debre HR, Wiener-Vacher SR. Vestibular impairments pre- and post-cochlear implant in children. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009;73(2):209-217.

2.                 Braswell J, Rine RM. Evidence that vestibular hypofunction affects reading acuity in children. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2006;70(11):1957-1965.