AG Bell is gearing up for its
2012 Convention, June 28-July 2, at the Westin Kierland Resort in
Scottsdale, Ariz. AG Bell recognizes that young families with a child
who is deaf or hard of hearing have extra financial pressures. AG Bell
is once again offering its

Family Scholarship Program for deserving families who have never
attended an AG Bell Convention to access information and network with
other families. The application deadline is February 29, 2012. Families
awarded a scholarship will receive:

• One full 2012 Convention registration (includes up to two badges for adult family members).
• Up to two registrations for the 2012 Children’s Program. This program is for children from infancy through age 14.
• One hotel room with two double beds for up to four nights between June 28 and July 2, 2012, at the Westin Kierland Resort.

The
family is responsible for all travel arrangements, long distance as
well as local, and food and entertainment outside of what is provided
through Convention registration.
Visit the
AG Bell website to learn more and download an application packet.

Link: http://nc.agbell.org/page.aspx?pid=1468&srctid=1&erid=1940505&trid=7c36be82-cdbc-4ca4-abf6-a982aa1bbb6c

The
AG Bell 2012 Convention is the largest gathering of families,
professionals and individuals with hearing loss dedicated to listening
and spoken language outcomes.

Click here to access a PDF of the registration brochure and preview
the learning event of this summer. Paper registrations are currently
being accepted and online registration will open soon; stay tuned to AG
Bell Update for further details.

Link: http://nc.agbell.org/document.doc?id=897

To save more babies from experiencing hearing defects while growing up,
Mayor Christian D. Natividad conducted the first Universal Newborn
Hearing Screening Program in the Philippines this year. The program was
launched recently at the Malolos Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital.
Natividad said the program is beneficial to babies who may have or
develop hearing defects.

Link: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/348067/japan-build-health-center

Studies conducted in developed countries have shown that hearing loss is
the most common birth defect with an incidence rate of 3 for every
1,000 babies born every year. A newborn cannot communicate with
the parent, making it difficult for the doctor or parent to identify the
defect early on. Babies who do not hear your voice, a lullaby or a
nursery rhyme may have problems learning to talk. It is
important to have your baby’s hearing tested before you leave the
hospital after delivering the child. Hearing problems need to be
identified as early as possible so that you may take the necessary
actions that give your baby the best chance to develop speech and
language.

Link: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/218999/early-detection-key.html

Hundreds of children are being recalled for medical hearing tests at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital. The hospital said it had become aware that a child assessed by a doctor as normal was later found to have profound hearing loss. An investigation found nine patients assessed by the same doctor were misdiagnosed.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-16632234

The University of Utah Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders will be presenting the 22nd Audiology Conference by the Mayo Clinic Webcast on Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 8:00 am – 2:30 pm. This presentation is focused toward audiologists and students in doctoral audiology programs. CEU credits will be available for non-students. Please follow the link for additional information, including registration and a list of presenters. The link will also provide you with a downloadable registration form, and a U of U campus map to the Marriott Library Gould Auditorium.

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

A report published Online First by the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
shows evidence to suggest that children receiving cochlear implants in
separate, sequential surgeries, see overall improvements in their
quality of life. The study, led by Marloes Sparreboom, M.A., Radboud University Nijmegen
Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, stresses the importance of
collecting information concerning the quality of life of children
receiving cochlear implantations, given the lack of previous research on
the matter. Countless other studies solely look at speech perception
and sound localization, with clinical settings that do not accurately
represent a typical everyday environment.

Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240361.php

Audism Free America (AFA), a grassroots Deaf activist network, condemns
the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its approval of
a study which will use cord blood stem cells on infants as young as six
weeks old in an effort to eradicate the Deaf population of the United
States.

Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/01/16/prweb9108761.DTL#ixzz1jjjmkWgG

With early screening and diagnosis, cochlear implants for
profoundly deaf children, better hearing aids and more effective teaching
methods, children with hearing loss are having unprecedented success in general
education settings.

To meet the needs of its fast-growing deaf and
hard-of-hearing populations, however, California needs more specialized
teachers. And this school year, the CLU Graduate School of Education’s efforts to
remedy the shortage received a major boost year in the form of a $1.2 million
Education Department grant.

Link: http://www.callutheran.edu/news/news_detail.php?story_id=8247

Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Cord Blood Registry® (CBR) are
launching the first FDA-approved, Phase I safety study on the use of
cord blood stem cells to treat children with sensorineural hearing loss.

The study, which will use patients’ stem cells from their own stored
umbilical cord blood, is the first of its kind, and has the potential to
restore hearing. This follows evidence from published laboratory
studies that cord blood helps repair damaged organs in the inner ear.

The year-long study will follow 10 children, ages 6 weeks to 18 months, who have sustained post-birth hearing loss.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53686-cord-blood-childrens-memorial-hermann-fda-approved-stem-cells-hearing-loss

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/first-fda-approved-study-of-stem-cells-to-treat-hearing-loss-begins-at-childrens-memorial-hermann-hospital-2012-01-12