The HRSA Webinar, on October 17th, will educate about the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH). The webinar will include an overview of its mission, objectives and activities, national partnerships and state level programs. The presentation will feature the work of two of NCCVEH’s state pilot programs- Massachusetts and Ohioand the steps they are taking to improve vision surveillance, pediatric quality improvement, parent engagement and key collaborations. Join us to find out how you can collaborate with the work of NCCVEH nationally and in pilot states and how it can lead to better vision in the children of your state.

Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=dzckje1ndkt7

In children, early detection and treatment of hearing loss is arguably very important. Infants and children who don’t hear properly are at risk of suffering from impaired or delayed speech and/or language development, which in turn affects their ability to learn and to interact in a healthy way with their environment and the people in it.

Link: http://www.bramptonguardian.com/shopping-story/4123135-early-hearing-loss-detection-and-treatment-is-a-must/

Jacob Landis, who was on the path to completing his bike ride to all 30 baseball stadiums across the U.S. to raise money for those who could benefit from a cochlear implant but cannot afford one, was struck on U.S. Highway 27 South while cycling towards Miami, Fla. He suffered a severe concussion along with other injuries, and was released from the hospital.

Link: http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/anne_arundel_county_/jacob-landis-ride-hindered-after-accident

Single-sided deafness (SSD), or being deaf in one ear, isn’t exactly the poster-child for disabilities. Rather, it’s an overlooked condition that is often misunderstood by the public. There is no way to see SSD, also called profound unilateral hearing loss, so those who suffer from it are often misperceived as “rude” or “unintelligent” when they don’t understand or quickly respond to others. That’s just one of the many hidden struggles associated with this condition.

Link: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-hidden-complications-of-single-sided-deafness-222426971.html

Google Glass has a new app, called SMARTSign, that makes communication much easier between parents and their children that are hearing-impaired.

Glass wearers can learn American Sign Language (ASL) through the SMARTSign app developed by Kim Xu and one of her professors. Xu is a recent Ph.D. graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Human-Centered Computing.

Link: http://www.hngn.com/articles/12450/20130916/new-google-glass-app-smartsign-helps-parents-communicate-with-hearing-impaired-children.htm

Professional Preparation in Cochlear Implants (PPCI) is an intensive program that strives to advance the career journey of listening and spoken language professionals providing early intervention services for children (birth-5) using ALL hearing technologies. The program will be held in Redwood City, CA on January 27 – February 8, 2014.

Link: http://www.infanthearing.org/resources_home/events/index.html

In this talk at TEDxStanford, Rhodes Scholar Rachel Kolb — who was born deaf — shares her story on “Navigating deafness in a hearing world.”

Link: http://www.infanthearing.org/videos/ehdi/rachel-kolb.php

What’s new in Pediatric Hearing Health? Read some of the latest in the spring edition of Sertoma’s magazine.

Link: http://www.sertomastore.org/magazine/fp-articles-read-more-2/170-pediatric-hearing-health-today-and-tomorrow

It’s a stunning but little known fact that cytomegalovirus or CMV is the most common cause of congenital defects in babies in developed countries.

Link: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/mother8217s-shock-after-her-baby-was-born-deaf-because-she-had-a-cold-during-pregnancy/story-fneuz9ev-1226703140556

A telemedicine initiative in Vanderbilt’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences is working to make follow-up hearing tests for newborns more accessible in rural areas of Tennessee, while teaching young pediatric audiology and pediatric speech language pathology students to treat patients remotely.

Link: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130906/Vanderbilts-telemedicine-initiative-conducts-follow-up-hearing-tests-on-newborns-in-rural-areas.aspx