More than 10 percent of Americans have some form of hearing loss.
Even with a hearing aid, deciphering sounds in places like airports,
theaters and places of worship can be tough. However, a not-so-new technology, commonly used in Europe, could help change that. Read more about these T-coils and hearing loops that are beginning to spread better hearing quality for those with hearing aids or cochlear implants globally.

Link: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Hearing-Aids-Common-in-Europe-Turn-Up-Volume-in-US-135877258.html

California has been a leader on
several fronts of health care’s evolution. California innovations and
maturations in integrated delivery, managed care, stem cell research and
electronic health records often set the agenda for national trends. Now California is poised to do it again with a 21st century innovation — telehealth.

New state legislation (AB 415)
passed this fall has the potential to move two-way audio-visual
technology out of the realm of wonky oddity and into the mainstream,
according to some industry experts. Read more about the California Telehealth Advancement Act and the benefits and timing of this great law.

Link: http://www.californiahealthline.org/think-tank/2011/how-can-california-make-most-of-telehealth-law.aspx

Families often are anxious about their child’s language development. View this tele-intervention session conducted by a therapist from Wisconsin’s Center for Communication, Hearing, and Deafness. This video depicts the use of tele-intervention in coaching families and building their confidence.

Link: http://www.infanthearing.org/flashplayer/disclaimer.htm?file=http://www.infanthearing.org/ti-guide/videos/VID00005.mp4

View a video interview with a parent of a child with hearing loss
that describes how the Listen and Talk Early Intervention program used
tele-intervention to provide services while they were away for several
months.

Link: http://www.infanthearing.org/flashplayer/index.htm?file=http://www.infanthearing.org/flashvideos/teleintervention/parent_interview.mp4

The Clerc Center will offer a two-part webinar for families in January and February 2012. Part 1 will provide an overview of ASL/English Bilingual Early Childhood Education and the research supporting its positive impact on ASL and spoken language acquistion. Part 2 will discuss how families can support their child’s successful bilingual bimodal development.

Target audience: Parents of young deaf or hard of hearing children

January 12 and February 9, 2012, 7-8 p.m. (EST)

This webinar is presented by Susanne Scott, a cochlear implant bilingual specialist at the Clerc Center, and Dr. Laurene Simms, a professor of education at Gallaudet University.

Link: http://bit.ly/ASLEngwebinar

The December Edition of Probes and Tips is now available: Putting Your Hearing Screening Practices in the Spotlight! This edition includes such items as:

• A call to spotlight the high-quality hearing screening practices that are being provided to children in various programs.
• An easy way to send a simple email to colleagues telling them about OAE screening and a specific template that is encouraged to be used in creating a press release for local media to highlight your programs efforts.
• A 30-minute mini-webinar that helps to give more ideas on shining the spotlight on your programs hearing screening activities.

Link: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs073/1102782899287/archive/1108901662291.html

Link: http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/how/care_partnership_support.aspx#marketing

An award-winning physician and professor has launched MDHearingAid(R),
www.MDHearingAid.com ,
a company that provides affordable, high-quality hearing aids for people
with mild to moderately-severe hearing loss. As an attending physician in Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery)
in Munster, IN., Sreekant Cherukuri, MD, says he saw too many patients
with hearing loss going home without a solution. After evaluating
several hearing devices and sound amplifiers in the under-$200 range, he
found that most failed to work well on amplifying the human voice
clearly. Hearing loss affects approximately 36-million Americans. Untreated, it
can lead to depression, anxiety, paranoia and isolation, according to
The National Council on Aging. Yet, 28-million Americans who need
hearing assistance do not wear hearing aids. Half say cost is an
obstacle.

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/physicianprofessor-launches-mdhearingaidr-to-provide-low-cost-hearing-aids-to-americans-who-need-to-hear-clearly-2011-11-10

The Rhode Island Hearing Assessment Program will be hosting their 18th Annual Seminar on Monday, May 21, 2012 from 8:00am-4:30pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Crossings (801 Greenwich Ave., Warwick, RI 02886). The event entitled “Creating Positive Environments for Children with Hearing Loss” will cover such topics as: Programs that provide support for families or interventions for children birth to 3, 3-5, or early school age; research focusing on assessment or management of infants or children with hearing loss; and quality improvement initiatives. Students and professionals are now being invited to submit abstracts for poster presentations. Please follow the link to read more and be sure to submit abstracts if interested by February 3, 2012.

Link: http://www.infanthearing.org/ncham_news/docs/ri_hearing_assessment_program.pdf

November Issue of AAP’s EHDI E-Mail Express is now
available and includes some great information on subjects such as:

     -A
new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers and published in the
November 14 Archives of Internal Medicine  finds that nearly a fifth of
all Americans 12 years or older have hearing loss so severe that it may
make communication difficult.
     -Book/resources for parents of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing
     -Useful resources for families provided by Hands & Voices

and more!!  Check it
out to find current news and information from the American Academy of
Pediatrics!

Link: http://www.infanthearing.org/ncham_news/docs/EHDI_Email_Express_November2011.pdf