More new research shows that the successful integration of hearing-impaired children into hearing classrooms is dependent upon how well the child can speak. Children with hearing loss, their parents, and their teachers can aid successful integration by focusing on speech development.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121217140736.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Fhearing_loss+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Health+%26+Medicine+News+--+Hearing+Loss%29

Watch the video of Dr. Karl White, founding director of NCHAM presenting at a TEDx event!

Over the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in ensuring that families have access to hearing screening when a baby is born. Approximately 95% of babies now receive a hearing screen shortly after birth. Now, greater emphasis must be placed on training early childhood education and health care providers.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfN1RPVuzl0

Infants and young children have developmental milestones that parents can watch for to identify a possible hearing loss. This recent post by hear-it presents some common indicators parents should watch for during baby and toddler development.

Link: http://www.hear-it.org/Indicators-of-hearing-loss-during-baby-and-toddler-development

The Texas Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Summit will be held in Dallas-Fort Worth on May 14 – 16, 2013. 
Mark your calendars now and plan to be part of an amazing collaboration
of health care and early intervention service providers, families, and
state and national representatives who will join forces to exchange best
practices, discuss program improvement and raise awareness of
successful strategies for improving the early hearing detection and
intervention process at state and local levels throughout Texas.

Registration opens in January 2013!

Link: http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2c5657f68ccf9885ff39d6b37&id=0edab962a5&e=93cde7a9fb

The December edition of Probes and Tips is now available: Part of the ECHO, Spotlight on Tennessee. This edition includes such items as:

• A recognition of Tennessee as a state where training in ECHO Initiative efforts have kept the Tennessee Head Start State Collaboration Office and the Part C (Early Intervention) Program very, very busy throughout 2011.
• Tennessee’s keys to success that made all the difference in their efforts
• A special thanks: “To all of you in TN and across the country who are
  giving the gift of hearing health to so many young children each day,
  the ECHO Initiative Team wishes you many gifts in return!!”

Link: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs154/1102782899287/archive/1111671251540.html

Imagine trying to learn biology without ever using the word “organism.” Or studying to become a botanist when the only way of referring to photosynthesis is to spell the word out, letter by painstaking letter.
 
Now thanks to the Internet — particularly the boom in online video — resources for deaf students seeking science-related signs are easier to find and share. Crowdsourcing projects in both American Sign Language and British Sign Language are under way at several universities, enabling people who are deaf to coalesce around signs for commonly used terms. Read more of this article as published in the NY Times. 

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/science/sign-language-researchers-broaden-science-lexicon.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

Do you suspect that your child may have
difficulties hearing? Detecting your child’s hearing difficulties early
enough means they can receive effective treatment immediately. Dr. Vijay
Soni (ENT) offers answers to common questions on the types of hearing
loss, options for hearing tests, and commonly suggested treatments.

Link: http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=%2F2012%2F12%2F2%2Fhealth%2F12382598&sec=health

Some researchers are
recommending that newborns delivered by caesarean section should not be given
the otherwise routine hearing screening in the first few days after delivery.
This will reduce the number of failed hearing tests.

The problem arises if hearing screening tests are done within a baby’s first
two days of life, researchers say. At that point, newborns delivered by
C-section have a higher failure rate than babies born by vaginal delivery.

Link: http://www.hear-it.org/False-positive-hearing-screenings-in-caesarean-newborns

The
Trustees of the Oberkotter Foundation are pleased to announce the Spring 2013
Program Support grant cycle.  Through
their Program Support grants, the Trustees are currently funding projects that
increase opportunities for families of children (0-3) who are deaf or hard of
hearing to access affordable, quality early intervention services in listening
and spoken language as early as possible. 
For Spring 2013, they will be accepting proposals that specifically focus
on one of the following areas to achieve that goal:

·        
Reducing
loss-to-follow-up for newborn hearing screening;

·        
Improving
timely entry into early intervention;

·        
Supporting
transitions from early intervention at age (3); and

·        
Other
innovative projects

Interested
applicants are requested to submit a Letter of Intent to apply between December
1, 2012 and January 4, 2013, through the Oberkotter Foundation’s online
application process.  Applicants will be
notified by January 18, 2013, whether they have been invited to submit a full
proposal in March 2013.  Please visit www.oberkotterfoundation.org for
more information about the Oberkotter Foundation’s Program Support grants and
about accessing the Foundation’s online application process.

Link: http://oberkotterfoundation.org/program-support-grants/

The leaves are down and the turkey has been carved. You’re getting ready
to put up the holiday decorations and, in many parts of the country,
that means throwing on a hat and gloves to accomplish outdoor chores. It
also means protecting your hearing aids
as colder weather and the loud sounds emitted by equipment of the
season make it necessary for you to take a few extra precautions. Read more about some tips on how to protect your hearing aids during the winter season.

Link: http://www.healthyhearing.com/content/articles/Hearing-aids/Types/50862-Top-five-hearing-aid-tips-for-winter