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?




Valentine Go Together and Auditory Association


Many children across the age range have auditory association goals. Auditory association is the process of attaching meaning to something heard by relating it to previously learned information. For example, if a child hears shoes he says socks or dog - dogs bark, wag their tail, eat bones… based on previous experiences. By targeting auditory association children learn new vocabulary, concepts and language then store these new experiences for future LSL learning (auditory memory and recall).

For young LSL learners after being introduced to the holiday often by reading a well-chosen book we transition and talk about things that go- together. For example, Daddy and Mommy (if appropriate). We play with my boy and girl stuffed Hallmark Bears that have hidden magnets in their snouts. When they come together the magnets attract and they kiss! This leads to a whole discussion involving hugs & kisses etc.

Then we introduce the Go-Together toys and talk about each one. The size of the set and the specific toys are dependent on the child’s LSL level). For example, a table, an umbrella, candles, a spoon, a toothbrush, and so on. To keep with the Valentine theme the toys could be a valentine and an envelope, flower/rose and a vase...The associated toy is hidden from the child's view. Through hearing alone the parent and I take turns saying something along the lines of “I have a chair. I'm sitting on a chair....etc.  What goes together with a chair? – Either the child chooses the “table” or we model the correct match. Yes, the table and chair go-together.
It is important to ask -Why? Once again we model the “because” as needed. I have the child put the set of go-together objects either in a Valentine bucket or mailbox.
http://www.doodlebugblog.com/

Courtney Huellen Future LSL Therapist - Recognized By ISU


Congratulations Courtney Huellen on her recognition by the  Illinois State University CSD Department · January 28

Courtney "would like to earn the Listening and Spoken Language certification from AG Bell after she graduates with her master's degree because working with people who have hearing loss is something she is passionate about. Courtney’s dream job would be to serve on a pediatric cochlear implant team as the SLP and help children reach their Spoken language goals!...

At ISU she has served as both the secretary and Vice President for NSSLHA. She has also volunteered with Alpha Phi Omega and Choose to Shine. During spring break 2017, Courtney had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Spain!"

Courtney is the oldest of four children.  Two of her siblings have Usher's Syndrome, are Listening and Spoken Language SUPERSTARS and hear with cochlear implants.Courtney's sister Brittany is one of my AVT graduates now a freshman in college pursuing special education as a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing.

I am proud of these sisters and their desire to give back making it possible so other children who are deaf or hard of hearing learn to listen and talk, which powers language, literacy, and lifetime success.

Today In History: LSL Trivia


On Jan. 25, 1915, Alexander Graham Bell, made the first transcontinental telephone call from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco over a 3,400-mile wire. 

Years earlier in 1876, at the age of 29 Bell is widely credited with the revolutionary invention of the telephone device that turned sound into electricity then back into sound. 
In 1956, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf was developed, with the aim to “help with aspects of living with hearing loss such as early diagnosis in children and providing resources to parents who wish their children to learn speech (and speech-reading/lip-reading) in order to ‘thrive in mainstream society’.”
We have come a long way and today as LSL makes it possible for children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to listen and talk, which powers language, literacy, and lifetime success.

Oprah Winfrey said, “To move forward you have to give back.”

 
How are you planning to give back in 2018? 

Snowman, What’s Missing?


We stand up snowmen on paper cups and play a fun game -
What’s Missing?


 I begin by the parent and the child playing together. We auditory modeling the possible answers then the child is asked to observe and reply. This activity targets;
- What questions
pronouns
is/are
regular and irregular plurals
relative clauses 
/s/ /z/ and more!

Snowman, What’s Missing? is much more than a perception task.