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innamuri Srikanth

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Mar 1, 2008, 9:12:18 AM3/1/08

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From: Cochlear Americas <reply-...@elabs3.com>
Date: Feb 29, 2008 3:22 AM
Subject: HOPE: Cochlear Implants and Older Kids
To: audiol...@gmail.com

Featured
HOPE Notes

Are you looking for more information on working with older children and teens?

The following HOPE Notes provide a succinct discussion of considerations pertinent to working with adolescents with varying auditory needs and are available for download and duplication at any time.

HOPE Note: The Newly Implanted Teen

HOPE Note: The Newly Implanted School Aged Child

HOPE Note: The Experienced Cochlear Implant User: School Aged/Teenager

Cochlear Implants and Older Kids

The very youngest cochlear implant recipients are often the subject of both clinical and scientific research as well as the focus of stories in the popular media. Away from the spotlight; however, is a large and growing group of implant recipients not to be overlooked: older children and teens.

Within this larger group are subpopulations
of older implant users including:

Children who have grown up with implants and therefore have significant auditory experience and may or may not require extra support
Youngsters who have grown up with hearing aids but move to cochlear implants after a decrease in hearing
Adolescents who have decided along with their parents to explore hearing and speaking at a later age

While pre-implant experience with listening will set the stage for the goals and objectives that are recommended for this diverse group, common characteristics related to interests and motivation will shape the activities used. For example, even when simple auditory skills are targeted, materials must be age appropriate and relevant in order to keep the older child or teen interested in listening.

Some principles for working with adolescents and teens hold constant no matter a child's particular goals and objectives:

Keep materials age-appropriate and interesting so that they challenge the child cognitively, and engage them socially while motivating them auditorily. Anything considered too childish will meet with resistance; anything too outdated will be met with scorn.
Integrate content material into auditory activities to keep them relevant and overlap auditory and language skills to maximize therapy and instruction time.
Encourage the development of thinking skills through auditory activities to hasten generalization and highlight real world application of listening skills.
Work on improving self-advocacy skills throughout therapy sessions and within the classroom. Despite a child's auditory skill level, adolescence marks the time when a shift in personal responsibility should begin.

Throughout the early months of 2008, Cochlear has devoted its HOPE Online Sessions to issues relevant to older children who use cochlear implants. A follow up in the popular, idea driven "HOPE Tips" series was offered on February 12 when Ashley Garber presented "More Therapy Ideas for Elementary Students". (This is now archived and available for playback at anytime.) This session takes general principles for working with older children and expands them with creative activities.

On March 4, MaryKay Therres offers "Teenagers, Parents, and Auditory Therapy: It's Not All the Same". Join Mary Kay as she discusses various groups of teenage cochlear implant users, different approaches to evaluating and working with them as well as social/emotional considerations that likely apply across the board. From these sessions, participants can expect to review concepts and gather new ideas for therapy activities to inform and invigorate their work with older students with cochlear implants.

Archived Sessions on Older Children:

When looking for inspiration for working with older children, don't forget to cull our HOPE archives for previously presented sessions. Several workshops offer strategies and tips for auditory therapy work with this population. Among them are:

Take a Look: Nucleus Hear We Go! Cochlear Americas' Unique Software for Teens

For an easy approach to creating therapy activities or take home assignments for teen-aged cochlear implant users, try Nucleus Hear We Go. This program allows the user to choose from three auditory skill levels and 24 topics of interest (e.g. Sports, Health and Beauty, Vacation & Travel and TV, Film and Radio) to create a workbook with activities that can be done with a therapist, parent or friend. Included are tools for tracking outcomes, materials for use in telephone training, and information for parents on communication strategies.

Nucleus Hear We Go! is available for purchase online.

Not Working with Teens?

Cochlear Americas is pleased to announce its spring tour of the one-day workshop "Facilitating Spoken Language Development for Young Children with Hearing Loss". Take yourself to Miami, Los Vegas, Seattle or New Orleans in March and April to learn from nationally known experts, clinicians, and families from the local community about the importance of early intervention and the specific early intervention services children need to maximize spoken language outcomes with cochlear implants, Baha system or hearing aids. Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America 1995, will be one hand to discuss the opportunities available today that were not available when she was diagnosed with hearing loss.

More information and registration details are available online.

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