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LISTEN UP!Early Intervention Newsletter
Term 2, 2015
In this edition
PAGE 4 Waterproof Hearing Aids
PAGE 5 Demo New Sound
FREE LING Sound App
PAGE 6 Guiding and Coaching Parents
Time out for Parents
PAGE 7
Book of the month: Where’s Spot?
PAGE 9 The Big Question: How do listening skills help with literacy development?
PAGE 11 Olivia’s Story – By Maria (Mum)
WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY 201510AM - 1.30PM
Early Intervention - Language Environment Analysis System (LENA).
Student Services - The development of critical and creative thinking for school aged children.
Sensory integration for early intervention and school age children.
RSVP required by Friday 3 July 2015 Ph 8267 9200 E [email protected]
Parent information morning
FRIDAY 3RD JULY Last day of Term 2 group programs
SATURDAY 4TH JULY Westfield Giveability Day
WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY 10AM - 1.30PM All families invited to ‘Parent Information Morning’
- Creche provided
MONDAY 20TH JULY
Term 3 commences
FRIDAY 24TH JULY
Bright Start commences
THURSDAY 6TH AUGUST Dr John Rice visiting Toddler Talk
THURSDAY 20TH AUGUST (TBC) Port Power Players visiting Toddler Talk
We are looking for more volunteers for Westfield’s Giveability Day on Saturday 4th July. If you have a few hours free to volunteer at any
of their locations (Marion, TTP or Westlakes) please contact Louise Baida on 8267 9200 or [email protected]
Important dates
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
The difference between water-resistant and waterproof hearing aids
A number of hearing aids are
available that are water-resistant.
Water-resistant hearing aids are
useful for wearing in the rain,
around the side of the pool or
anywhere likely to get splashed and
in humid environments. They are
not appropriate for submersion in
activities such as swimming or use
in the shower.
There are only a few available
which are actually waterproof, such
as Siemens Aquaris hearing aid.
Waterproof hearing aids are
appropriate for all of the above,
including swimming and showering.
They are also able to be used in
dusty environments without damage.
What makes the hearing aid waterproof?
Normal hearing aids are unable
to be submerged due to the
likelihood that water will enter and
damage the housing and battery
compartment.
Waterproof hearing aids have
a completely sealed casing,
preventing water from entering.
There is also a membrane around
the body, providing further
protection.
Limitations
Waterproof hearing aids are only
tested for depths of up to 1m.
They cannot be used in activities
involving submersion in deeper
water. They are also only tested for
up to 30 minutes submersion time.
There is little research available
on any acoustic limitations of
waterproof hearing aids when
compared to conventional models.
However, as only the casing is
altered and not the actual electronics,
it is unlikely to be different.
Waterproof hearing aids are
currently only available for a mild
to moderately severe hearing
loss. Those with a greater hearing
loss requiring a stronger aid or a
cochlear implant, currently have
limited waterproof options.
Waterproof Hearing Aids
Waterproofing with a cochlear implant
Currently, the Advanced Bionics
Neptune is the only fully waterproof
cochlear implant model on the market.
This model is suitable for use
when in the shower, in humid
environments and for full
submersion in water when
swimming to depths of greater
than 1m.
Implant accessories that
waterproof normal cochlear
implant devices, such as the
Aqua+ are available.
It is strongly recommended that
waterproof hearing aids are only
worn during water use and the
regular aids are worn during all
other times.
If you are considering putting
waterproof hearing aids on your
NDIS plan please speak with
Cindy Marples on 8267 9200.
www.cochlear.com www.medel.com.au www.siemens-hearing.com
Hannah loves wearing her Nanmu hat when she is swimming.
PAGE 4
Looking for new ways to do the LING sounds with your child? There is now a free App available for both iPhone and Android phones.
Ling 6 Sound Application allows a
quick and easy way to check and
see that a child detects
those sounds that lie within the
speech spectrum of hearing.
The Ling 6 Sound test can be
used daily to ensure that aids and
cochlear implants are functioning
properly. The test allows parents,
professionals, and teachers to
know the child’s distance hearing
or earshot. Knowing the status
of hearing in young implanted
children is vitally important for
sounds must first be detected
before the brain can be stimulated.
For the first few weeks, maybe
months, the child is happy to
comply. Then boredom sets in.
This is the problem that was
faced by many parents when
the child refuses to play along.
To keep interest, this iPhone App
was developed for the purpose
of playing those sounds. The App
was developed to entice a three
year old bilaterally implanted child
to encourage response to the Ling
sounds. Where once we received
an emphatic "No" to testing the
sounds, he will sit and play sound
games on this App until the battery
runs dry. After a long debate, it
was decided that although simple,
this app may help many children
and adults.
Both Zack and Riley are trying out New Sound through demo Bone Anchored Hearing Devices available at the Centre.
Zack was fitted with two of our
demo Bone Anchored Hearing Aids
(BAHAs) on a soft band in March.
He is still wearing one but is now
the proud owner of his own BAHA
that was generously donated
to him through a non-profit
organisation based in America
called Look At Us Alliance.
Riley was fitted with one of our
demo BAHA devices this month.
If your child has a mini contact or
bone conduction hearing aid and
you would like them to try one of
the demo BAHA devices available
at the Centre please contact:
Cindy Marples on 8267 9200 or [email protected]
Demo New Sound FREE LING Sound App
By Eric Seneca
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ling-
6-sound-application/id369219608
The Ling 6 Sound test can be used daily to ensure that aids and cochlear
implants are functioning properly. Knowing the status of hearing in young implanted children is vitally important
for sounds must first be detected before the brain can be stimulated.
Photo: Zack
PAGE 5
During your individualised Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT) sessions your Listening and Spoken Language Specialist ‘guides and coaches’ you through a range of activities with your child. The aim of these sessions is to equip you with the confidence to incorporate the goals into your day-to-day lives. Guiding and coaching parents is a consistent message within the 10 principles of Auditory-Verbal Therapy and at the Cora Barclay Centre we aim to guide and coach you in a range of ways.
How can you obtain information
at the Cora Barclay Centre to
support your child’s learning?
Request information from
your Listening and Spoken
Language Specialist (LSLS)
on any topics of interest
during your therapy sessions.
Guiding and Coaching Parents
Speak to any of the clinical staff
in the Cora Barclay Centre team
including the Audiologist, Child
and Family Counsellor, Speech
Pathologists, Teachers of the
Deaf and Listening and Spoken
Language Specialists.
Attend ‘Time out for Parents’
during Toddler Talk to discuss
relevant issues around parenting a
toddler. These sessions are led by
our Child and Family Counsellor on
Thursday’s at 10.30am - 11.00am.
Read articles from the ‘Big
Question’ folder that is located
in the Rainbow room. This folder
contains questions and answers
on a range of topics including;
maintaining interest in therapy,
stages of language development
and the role of Dads in AVT.
Please take a copy of the articles
from the folder.
Read Parent Information
Boards located in the kitchen
downstairs and upstairs outside
the Family Room.
Request to loan a book from the
Child and Family Counsellor. Books
are advertised in the Family Room.
Attend Parent Education Sessions
in the first week of each school
holiday. Guest speakers and staff
from the Cora Barclay Centre
present on a range of topics. In
term 1 the presentations were
Understanding Audiology and
Parenting. The Parent Education
sessions not only provide you with
new knowledge they also give
you an opportunity to socialise
with other families from the Cora
Barclay Centre.
If you have ideas around other
ways we can continue to ‘guide and
coach’ families at the Cora Barclay
Centre please let us know.
We encourage you to attend the
next Parent Education Session
on Wednesday 8th July.
Rachael Ward
Toddler Talk Parent Discussion Groups
In Toddler Talk, this term we
introduced Time out for Parents,
a parent discussion group on
Thursdays, between 10.30am –
11.00am. During this time, parents
are invited to join in a small group
session in the Family Room whilst
the children continue Toddler Talk
activities, under the supervision
of Robyn Gardner and volunteers.
Discussions are centred on a
range of toddler-related topics,
including toilet training, tantrums,
friendships, and being a parent.
The discussions are informal and
flexible, to adapt to parents’ needs
on the day. This opportunity
Time out for Parents
aims to give families a chance to
further connect with each other
over topics of mutual interest,
to provide further support to
each other and learn from each
other’s experiences.
The process of developing topics
for discussion is continuing, as we
want to cover areas that are most
relevant to families. Each session
will be accompanied by a topic
information sheet which can be
taken home on the day. Should
you have a suggestion for a topic
to be covered, or want to follow
up individually on any topic
with me I am more than happy
to hear from you!
Belinda Dunne Picture by Leon
PAGE 6
Book of the month: Where’s Spot?
PAGE 7
Describe each animal under
the flap before showing them
the animal.
Say the ‘Learning to Listen’ sound
at the end of the description e.g.
This animals swings in the trees,
he likes to eat bananas, he says
ee ee ee.
Think of songs to go along with
each animal in the book e.g. we are
going on a bear hunt, snakes are
slithering. Use props and make the
animals dance to the song. Pick
songs that also have actions e.g.
crocodile snapping.
Remember, the most important
aspect of reading with your child
is enjoying the book together.
Be guided by your child’s interests,
make it relaxing and fun so your
child looks forward to this time
together. When you are able to
connect with your child during
story time, they absorb all the
language around the book and
the need to embellish each page
and picture will flow naturally.
Here are some ways to reinforce
language concepts in the book
and have fun at the same time:
Story:
‘Where is Spot?’ is a part of a series
of ‘Spot’ books by Eric Hill. These
popular and engaging flap books
are designed for children ages
0 to 5 and tell of a little dog and
his adventures at the park, going
to his grandma’s, his first day at
school etc. In this particular story,
Spot does not come for his dinner
and his mother Sally sets out to
find him. Sally encounters many
different animals in many different
places, including a bear behind the
door, a snake inside the clock, a
hippopotamus in a piano and the
list goes on. Towards the end, Sally
comes across a turtle under a rug
who mentions ‘try the basket!’
Sally runs towards the basket,
opens the flap and finds Spot is in
the basket! Sally takes Spot back
to their dog bowls where he
finishes his dinner and mum is
pleased she has found him.
This book is perfect for teaching
about animals, ‘Learning to
Listen’ sounds, descriptions and
prepositions. To read this book
by audition and promote listening:
Hide toy animals around the
house and repeat ‘Where is the…
(hippopotamus?). Highlight each
preposition to find the animal e.g.
is it UNDER the couch? Nooo! Is it
IN the laundry basket?
Hide animals in sand and dig
through the sand to find them.
Make a sock puppet: Use felt for
eyes and ears and a button or
pom poms for a nose.
Pretend to be Spot and hide in
different places around the house.
Make a mask for every animal in
the story. Pretend to hide in similar
spots (if possible).
Walk around the house like a
hippo vs. a turtle.
Find a wind-up turtle, crocodile,
and penguin. Get a tub of water
and play watch them swim, flap,
float, dive etc. Make them swim fast
and slow, high and low. Sing ‘Swim
little turtle’ or ‘Swim crocodile’ etc.
PAGE 8
The Big Question: How do listening skills help with literacy development?
The textbook definition of reading is: ‘to look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, symbols, etc.’ (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Most people might assume from this definition that reading is a visual skill based on the first three words ‘to look at’. However, the key word that should be attended to here is ‘understand.’
Research has shown that children
who have typical hearing are
better readers than children who
have hearing loss. However, there
is evidence to say that children
who have hearing loss who attend
therapy to learn to listen are better
readers than those who do not
undertake this kind of therapy
(Robertson, 2012) … but why?
Skills for literacy begin developing
well before a child learns how
to ‘sound out words’ or even
recognise text. It begins when a
child first starts to listen. Before
phonics or spelling, in order to
understand what is read, a person
must have vocabulary. They must
understand meanings behind
words to be able to make sense
of what they are reading or to
be able to string these words
together to create written text. This
understanding of language begins
with everyday conversation which
exposes a child to information and
words in a variety of contexts,
routines and situations that help
reinforce their meaning on a
daily basis. Not only this, children
become used to the patterns
of language such as grammar
and sentence formation. Some
of the earliest learning of these
formations is through rhymes and
singing. This of course, all occurs
through…. listening!
For argument’s sake, let’s
pretend we can skip the whole
‘understanding’ and ‘vocabulary’
bit and jump straight into learning
phonics and how to sound out
words which is what most people
define as reading. It is great that
the child can read a sentence,
but then what does this sentence
mean to a child who doesn’t have
the vocabulary to understand
the words within it? Will they
remember what they read? Will
they learn anything from what
was read? For example read this
sentence: Le poulet est dans la
fenêtre. Did you sound it out?
Great! What did that mean to
you? Will you remember it? Can
you tell someone else about it?
No you can’t (unless you know
French) because it’s a language
you don’t understand. But for those
interested it means ‘the chicken is
in the window.’ The fact is a person
needs to have meaning attached
to words they encounter in order
to be able to read. Research has
shown that how much spoken
language a person knows will
actually predict how well they
can learn to read and write.
(Robertson, 2012)
Reading of course does not just
stop at a great vocabulary. The
next step of reading continues with
phonological awareness which is
‘the knowledge about the sound
structure of words, from syllables
to phonemes’ (the sounds a single
letter makes) and phonemic
awareness which is ‘awareness
of individual phonemes within a
word’ (Speech-Language-Therapy
Dot Com, 2015) This also means
that a person will know how to
identify the sound a word starts
with, ends with, what sound is
in the middle of the word and
how to count syllables, rhyme
words or manipulate words (e.g.
if I have the word ‘spring’ and
take away the ‘sp’ what word is
left?). Phonological awareness is
what helps us ultimately do the
‘sounding-out’ process that the
majority of the population refers
to as ‘learning to read.’
From this explanation of phonological
awareness, you might then come to
the conclusion that the physical act
of reading is not about knowing the
name of a letter, it’s about being
able to identify the sound that
corresponds with that letter.
Melodies and fluctuations in pitch and rhythm capture a child’s attention and are therefore more memorable.
Think about when your child learned their first words to a song (e.g. ‘twinkle twinkle little star’). They probably were able to sing this four word phrase before they were able
to use any other four word phrase in conversation.
PAGE 9
A person needs to be able to listen
in order to learn to read and luckily,
Auditory-Verbal Therapy’s main
aim is to promote the acquisition of
spoken language through listening.
Building your child’s audition skills
from a young age is putting them
in a very good place for building
those strong foundations for later
literacy skills.
Some examples as mentioned
previously for doing this are
exposure to music and singing.
Melodies and fluctuations in pitch
and rhythm capture a child’s
attention and are therefore more
memorable. Think about when your
child learned their first words to
a song (e.g. ‘twinkle twinkle little
star’). They probably were able to
sing this four word phrase before
they were able to use any other
four word phrase in conversation.
Singing and children’s rhymes are a
stepping stone to building auditory
memory, connecting words to
meaning, and understanding
sentence structure.
In addition to this, reading books
with your child even before they
can recognise print or have any
idea of what a word is will create
opportunities for learning or
reinforcing new words as these new
words spoken are paired with a
visual story that can be followed or
discussed. The words on the page
at this stage are actually a lot less
important than your joint attention
to the book and commentary and
expansions on what is happening
in each picture as you can tailor
the words to suit your child’s age
and level of interest in the story.
Remember, interest and motivation
equals more memory retention.
Last but not least, lots and lots of
talking to your child in these early
stages will help them build their
vocabulary and memory for when
and how to use specific words,
how to form questions, answer
questions, make statements or
exclamations and how a sentence
is simply strung together.
In summary, it is important to
understand that literacy is a
continuum and it begins from the
moment your child is listening!
References
Merriam-Webster: An encyclopaedic Britannica Company (2015). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/read
Robertson, L. (2012). What does auditory-verbal therapy and education have to do with reading and writing? In W. Estabrooks (Ed.), 101 frequently asked questions about auditory-verbal practice (pp. 312-315). Washington, DC: Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Speech-Language-Therapy Dot Com. (2015). Phoneme awareness therapy. Retrieved from http://speech-language-therapy.com/index.php?option=com_ontent&view=article&id =81:pa&catid=11:admin&Itemid=118
Photo: Victoria - Practising her prepositions
PAGE 10
“Having a hearing
impairment has not impaired Olivia and the activities she does. Olivia
loves attending Music Matters”
My husband Steve and I were
very excited with the prospect of
expanding our family and having
a sibling for Nicholas. My second
pregnancy felt very similar to my
first one, it was enjoyable, stress
free and our baby was developing
well, according to our obstetrician.
Olivia was born 4 days after her
due date in a fast yet normal
delivery weighing 7 pound 13
ounces. We were extremely
happy to have a beautiful little
girl in our family.
Olivia had her newborn hearing
screening test in hospital and it
showed that she had failed it.
We weren’t too concerned about
the reading as the nurses had
told us that this was a common
reading from newborns and that
there could be fluid in Olivia’s ears.
We didn’t think too much about it
when we got home and enjoyed
every moment with our daughter,
watching her grow and develop.
At Olivia’s 3 week home visit, the
nurse came and repeated the
screening test on two separate
occasions. In both cases, Olivia
failed the test and she was referred
to an audiologist. Olivia saw a
Olivia’s Story – By Maria (Mum)
Paediatric Audiologist and had
an Auditory Brainstem Response
assessment at 6 weeks of age.
She was quietly sleeping in her
pram oblivious to what was
happening around her. We were
praying that the test would show
something different and that
our life would return to normal.
We felt some comfort that we
knew Olivia responded to loud
sounds at home and there was no
family history of hearing loss. Our
mood quickly changed when the
audiologist informed us of Olivia’s
results. Olivia was diagnosed
with sensorineural bilateral mild–
moderate hearing loss.
Life instantly became busy,
challenging and confronting after
receiving this news. Our wonderful
and thorough paediatrician
organised Olivia to have a range
of blood tests and scans to help
determine a cause to the hearing
impairment. Unfortunately
results didn’t provide us with the
answers we were hoping to find.
At 11 weeks, we met our Ear, Nose
and Throat specialist and after
consultation we decided to repeat
the ABR testing when Olivia was 6
months of age. Our family needed
this time to catch our breath again,
take a step back and enjoy our time
with Olivia. At 8 months of age,
Olivia had another ABR assessment
and this time her hearing was
more impaired with sensorineural
bilateral moderate–severe hearing
loss. Our ENT then recommended
Olivia use hearing aids.
As parents, we always want our
children to be healthy and have the
ability to achieve and succeed in
anything they have a desire to do
and never have to face difficulties
in life. Learning our beautiful and
innocent little girl had a disability
was very difficult for us to accept.
We needed time to come to terms
with our new reality and Olivia’s
condition. We became concerned
about Olivia’s future – What sounds
won’t she hear? Will her speech be
affected? Will she have difficulties
making friends? What challenges
will she face at school?
At 9 months of age, we went
to Australian Hearing and Olivia
was fitted for hearing aids.
My husband and I were very
anxious and uncertain what to
expect; concerned how Olivia
was going to respond.
PAGE 11
We came prepared with our video
camera to capture what may or
may not happen. Olivia might hear
us? The hearing aids were finally
switched on ... “Hello Olivia”, I said
and Olivia turned to me; “Hello
Olivia”, Steve said and Olivia turned
to Steve. Olivia turned to each of
us instantly when we spoke. This
was a moment I will never forget;
the moment Olivia heard our voices
with total clarity for the first time.
This one moment changed Olivia’s
life and our lives forever. Olivia
can hear!
The Cora Barclay Centre left an
impression on us when we met
with them 7 months earlier, so
our decision was easy. Accessing
the introductory trial sessions
only strengthened our choice and
commitment to the Cora Barclay
Centre. These sessions taught
us about the benefits of using
Auditory – Verbal Therapy and
introduced us to what Olivia’s
therapy would consist of. Olivia’s
therapist Chris came for weekly
AVT home visits for the remainder
of that year. Chris then encouraged
us to come to the Centre for
therapy during the following year
and this has proven to be a wise
decision. This change helped Olivia
concentrate more in Chris’ office,
she began to interact with other
children during group sessions
and it gave me an opportunity
to meet new parents and share
similar experiences.
There was a time when Olivia
would constantly take out her
hearing aids and she would either
throw them on the ground or
start chewing them. Over time,
Olivia has accepted her hearing
aids and now she helps me check
that they are inserted correctly;
will want help putting them back
behind her ear if they move and
will open the battery compartment
when removed before bedtime.
Olivia’s listening skills and speech
development is improving since she
began wearing hearing aids. She
responds to Ling sounds; follows
simple instructions and is starting
to say more words every day. This
week Olivia received a Roger FM
system and has responded well to
the change on being able to hear in
louder environments.
Having a hearing impairment
has not impaired Olivia and the
activities she does. Olivia loves
attending Music Matters, Tiny
Tots and Listen, Look and Learn
sessions at the Cora Barclay Centre.
She runs around and climbs the
equipment at Kindergym lessons
and also attends swimming lessons
every week. We love our getaways
and have travelled interstate and
overseas on several family holidays.
I only wish I could have known how
happy, energetic and independent
Olivia is now ... it would have saved
me all the tears and heartache I
experienced two years ago. Olivia
is our perfect little girl and we are
so proud of everything she has
achieved and will achieve
in the future.
This journey would not be possible
without the support and guidance
of Olivia’s therapist Chris and the
Cora Barclay Centre staff. We
would also like to thank Olivia’s
Paediatrician Dr Conway, her
ENT Dr Shultz, the Women’s &
Children’s Hospital Audiology
unit and the audiologists at
Australian Hearing. Also, a big
thank you to all our family and
friends for their constant support
throughout this journey and a
special thank you to Yiayia Olgie,
Pappou Telly and Uncle Phillip.
PAGE 12
