May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!  In celebration, OSEP’s Early Childhood Assistive Technology Model Demonstration grantees and Center on Technology and Disability is partnering with the Office of Head Start’s Early Childhood Hearing Outreach (ECHO) Initiative to join the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in celebrating this year’s theme “Communication:  The Key to Connection.”  Throughout the month of May, ASHA partners with national and local stakeholders to engage in a multifaceted public education campaign to raise awareness about the critical need to intervene early when young children are identified with communication disorders.  The Coffee Break Webinars will focus on raising awareness about the use of assistive technology and the importance of frequent hearing screenings.  Please join the Coffee Break webinar series to learn more about assistive technology and hearing screening.  There is no pre-registration to join the webinars.

• Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 2:00-2:15 p.m. EDT

Debunking Common Myths about Using Assistive Technology with Young Children

Bridget Gilormini, Director, Simon Technology Center    PACER Center Bridget Gilormini Bridget.Gilormini@pacer.org

https://ncham.adobeconnect.com/bhsm/

• Wednesday, May 3, 2017, 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. EDT

Don’t Wait to Communicate! Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Jacqueline Hess, Director, Disabilities Studies and Services & Early Care and Education  jhess@fhi360.org

https://ncham.adobeconnect.com/bhsm/

• Friday, May 5, 2017, 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. EDT

Quality Hearing Screening Practices for Children Birth to 5 Years of Age

Will Eiserman, Early Childhood Hearing Outreach (ECHO) Initiative 

https://ncham.adobeconnect.com/bhsm/

• Monday, May 8, 2017, 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. EDT

Using a Multi-Modal Approach to Support Children with Hearing Loss

Karen Latimer, Assistive Technology Specialist, Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative, Center for Disabilities Studies Karen Latimer klatimer@udel.edu

https://ncham.adobeconnect.com/bhsm/

• Tuesday, May 9, 2017, 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. EDT

Center on Technology and Disability: Free Resources to Support the Use of Assistive Technology in Young Children with Disabilities

Jacqueline Hess, Director, Disabilities Studies and Services & Early Care and Education  jhess@fhi360.org

https://ncham.adobeconnect.com/bhsm/

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

Link: http://www.heartolearn.org/tutorials/hearing-device-management/hearing-aid-care.html

Looking for books to share with young children? No matter the communication mode you use, reading books to children is a nurturing experience! Here is a list of 101 books to read to kids before kindergarten.

Link: http://growingbookbybook.com/101-books-read-kids-kindergarten/

Webinar: Engaging Diverse Families in Leadership for Systems Change

April 20, 2017, 3:00pm – 4:30pm ET

Family organizations, professionals, and state and local agencies are increasingly seeking to engage diverse families in leadership to improve systems. This webinar will provide tools and strategies to help organizations and agencies:
assess and improve agency and staff readiness;
identify, recruit, prepare, engage and support diverse family leaders in meaningful leadership roles; recognize family leader contributions; become an organization more focused on and capable of supporting diverse leadership.

Link: http://www.asd-1817.org/page.cfm?p=1473

If she hadn’t been pregnant, Erin Swetnam might never have known that there was something different about the “cold” she had.

Read more about CMV at the link below.

Link: http://ijr.com/2017/04/846260-mom-devastated-to-learn-her-infants-deafness-came-from-a-common-virus-she-didnt-know-she-had/

Closing the “word gap” between babies from low- and high-income homes is more than just an educational issue—it could help decrease the risk of significant health problems too, according to a group of researchers.

Link: http://leader.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2615535