Authors: Dr. Mary V. Compton and Dr. Judith A. NiemeyerTo contact the author for permission to use this PowerPoint, please e-mail mvcompto@uncg.eduTo use this PowerPoint in its entirety, please give credit to the authors.

Auditory-Oral Meets Birth-Kindergarten: Integrating Early Childhood and Deaf Education

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Award #H325A000133.

Dr. Mary V. Compton andDr. Judith A. Niemeyer

Specialized Education Services, University of North Carolina at

Greensboro

National Needs

Prevalence of 1-6 in 1,000 births (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999)Newborn & Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999Recognized need for early intervention by 6 months of ageEarly identification recognized by professional organizations (Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, 1994)Majority of parents with children who have hearing impairments are hearingAdvances in amplification technologyMore parents selecting Auditory-Oral options

North Carolina Needs

North Carolina is one of 32 states that has passed a law requiring all newborns to receive hearing screenings, thus allowing for early intervention services for infants with hearing impairments.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services estimates that during the next year approximately 600 infants will be diagnosed with hearing impairments.

NC ICC Council Report

March 1999 NC Legislative Study – NC Interagency Coordinating Council Report indicates the urgent shortage of teachers who have training and expertise in Auditory-oral teaching. The study recommends that:

all communication options be made available to familiesprograms increase services for infants/toddlers with hearing impairmentsnumbers of adequately trained professionals increasecurricula in pre-service programs be revisedservices with other providers/agencies in the early intervention system be coordinated more effectively

Program Design

Parents

ProfessionalsPractitione

rs

A-O Progra

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Collaborative Partnership

Program Components

Interdisciplinary: Theoretical and applied knowledge from child development.

Early Childhood Education Early Childhood Special

Education Hearing Impairment Auditory-Oral

Birth-Kindergarten Courses

HDF 410: Cultural Variations in Families and Children

HDF 452: Child Observation and AssessmentHDF 532: Foundations of Preschool EducationSWK 584: Social Services for ChildrenCED 310: Helping SkillsSES/HDF 441: Young Children’s Learning

EnvironmentsSES/HDF 425: Infant/Toddler Programs:

Foundations and Methods (4 s.h.)SES/HDF 435: Preschool/Kindergarten

Curriculum

Hearing Impairment Courses

CSD 250: Concepts in Communication SciencesCSD 334: Introduction to AudiologySES 243: History and Psychology of DeafnessSES 577: Teaching Speech to the DeafSES 578: Teaching Language to the DeafSES 450: Audition Development of Deaf ChildrenSES 470: Parent Guidance and Hearing ImpairmentSES 451: Spoken Language Facilitation in Deaf Children SES 452: Amplification Technology for Deaf ChildrenSES 483: Methods of Teaching Deaf Children

Teacher Licensure Courses

SES 242: Intro. To Exceptional ChildrenELC 381: The Institution of EducationCUI 516: Emergent Literacy and

Mathematical UnderstandingNUR 345: Basic Health Management of

ChildrenSES 461/HDF 460: Student Teaching

Internship (12 s.h.)

New Course Descriptions

Four new courses have been added to the existing required courses in Special Education:

SES 450 Audition Development of Deaf Children Listening processes and auditory development, procedures and techniques for assessing audition development in children who have hearing impairments, and the history and philosophy of Auditory-Oral practice.

SES 470 Parent Guidance and Hearing ImpairmentThe impact on the family of having a child with a hearing impairment, and strategies to develop the parents’ abilities as communication facilitators for their child’s auditory-oral development.

SES 451 Spoken Language Facilitation in Deaf ChildrenAssessment procedures and strategies for the development of spoken language in naturalistic settings for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with hearing impairments including deafness.

SES 452 Amplification Technology for Deaf ChildrenDesign and management of assistive technology available for children who have hearing impairments, such as hearing aids, FM systems, and cochlear implants.

Program Delivery

Class discussionsSmall group interactionsVideo viewingsReadingsCase study discussionsWeb searchesOn-line discussionsExploration of assistive hearing technology

Learning Activities

Reflective journalsLesson plan developmentAssessment of young children with hearing impairmentsDevelopment of IEP/IFSPParent interviewsCase studiesTeaching portfolio

Fieldwork

Students will gain experience in a wide range of settings including:

Inclusive preschool and kindergarten classroomsItinerant service settingsConsultative service settingsFamily-home based settingsCommunity based programs

Student Teaching

One semester (18 weeks)Inclusive settingChildren with hearing impairmentsChildren without disabilitiesJoint with Birth-Kindergarten program

Student Seminars

Students attend monthly seminars on topics related to the field. Examples:

working with parentscollaborating with other professionalsservices available to familiesethical issues and responsibilities of

professionals

Competencies

North Carolina Dept. of Public Instruction competencies for Birth-KindergartenNorth Carolina Dept. of Public Instruction competencies for Hearing ImpairmentCouncil for Exceptional Children (CEC) – Division of Early ChildhoodCouncil for Exceptional Children (CEC) - Council on Education of the DeafNational Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of HearingAuditory-Verbal International, Inc.

Student Outcome Data Collection Protocol

Evaluation ofStudents

EmployerField Placement SupervisorUniversity SupervisorCourse Instructor

Other

Student evaluations: field placementsduring program after graduationcoursework

Outside consultants:Birth-KindergartenAuditory-Oral

Student Performance Outcomes

Impact of hearing loss on spoken language development.Philosophy, theory, and history of Auditory-Oral and Auditory-Verbal approaches for developing auditory learning skills.Impact of various audiological, environmental, and medical factors on the reception, perception, and production of speech.Assessment of auditory learning skills of children with hearing impairments. Requirements of developing spoken language in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have hearing impairments.

At the completion of all coursework, students will demonstrate an understanding of and be able to explain the following:

…more student outcomes

Facilitate a child’s understanding and use of auditory input.Plan and implement auditory skill development activities within all classroom curricular areas.Promote the development of the young child’s spoken language by family members and caregivers.Evaluate comprehension and production of spoken language formally and informallyCreate appropriate spoken language facilitation plans based on evaluation results.Identify and explain the function and use of all types of hearing devices.Demonstrate care and use of cochlear implants in the educational and family environment.

At the completion of all coursework, students will be able to:

So, in the new millenium ...

professionals will be prepared to meet the needs of infants, toddlers, and young children with hearing impairments and their families.