Baby Ayla Can Learn To Listen and Talk


The beautiful story from an Auditory Verbal family the day after one-year-old Ayla hears with her cochlear implants for the first time. Dad and Mom talk about the power of hearing for children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to listen and talk. 



 At Hearing First, we want all children to benefit from the availability of newborn hearing screening and for parents to learn the status of their baby’s hearing first. Hearing is a foundational building block for children to learn to listen and talk, become healthy readers, and do well in school.
Today, children who are deaf or hard of hearing can learn to listen and talk and achieve learning and literacy outcomes on par with their hearing friends. The earlier a child with hearing loss is identified, amplified, and receiving help, the more opportunities that child will have. We want all children to have the opportunity to take advantage of access to sound
 – a critical building block for future success. 
Want to learn more? 
Click HERE

A Mom's Story and Not Being Thankful

 A must read blog post beautifully written and posted this week in Coffee + Crumbs which is a "collection of stories about motherhood, love, and the good kind of heartache".
Colleen Powell, mom to Liam shares her personal story, thoughts, and emotions about her journey with cochlear implants for a listening and spoken language outcome. For me, this article was such a reminder of what parents go through - not always what we think they will. 
How as LSL professionals do you allow space for the range of emotions that families experience?




S.T.A.R.R. - Parent Coaching Strategies for Listening and Spoken Language

S.T.A.R.R., a new parent coaching tool for LSL was published by Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children of San Antonio, Texas.  S.T.A.R.R. is a simple acronym yet the materials are powerful when guiding parents and caregivers in effective listening and spoken language strategies.

S- Stay close
T- Talk, talk, talk
A- Auditory Environment
R- Reciprocity
R- Repeat Routines

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The S.T.A.R.R. strategies are used as a script to guide those who have chosen a Listening and Spoken Language outcome for their child that is deaf or hard of hearing. The points on the STARR can be introduced in isolation or all 5 skills collectively to be used by throughout the waking hours of the child

The Parent Coaching Strategies for Listening and Spoken Language - Booklet - $15 – sold individually
   
S.T.A.R.R. Parent Coaching Strategies for Listening and Spoken Language - Magnetic Stars - $20. - Sold in sets of 10 magnetic stars.




Hearing First - Family Support Community


Dear All,
 
Over the last year, I have been serving as an ambassador for an online platform for Listening and Spoken Language professionals who work with children with hearing loss and their families called Hearing First.
 
I am reaching out to families because there is a new platform just for you. I know every one of you has had an amazing journey and could potentially provide support to those who may just be starting out.  This community is designed for families to share resources, tips, successes, failures, fears and to ultimately provide support wherever you feel you can or would want to assist.. 

There is no agenda. There is absolutely no commitment and you wouldn’t have to do anything you didn’t feel comfortable doing. So if you have a little one or years of experience join in the journey.  

Here is the link to sign-up. https://hearingfirst.org/familyregistration 
 
Take a peek when you have some time. 
 
Warmly,
Lynn