Monday, July 20, 2009

Alexander Graham Bell Introduces New Listening and Spoken Language Workshop Series

Alexander Graham Bell Introduces New Listening and Spoken Language Workshop Series

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) today announced it will host a Listening and Spoken Language Workshop focused on educational and language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing from December 13 to14, 2010, at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago – Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 1, 2010

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) today announced it will host a Listening and Spoken Language Workshop focused on educational and language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing from December 13 to 14, 2010, at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago – Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill.

Established in 1890, AG Bell is a national organization that advocates on behalf of children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing who use spoken language and hearing technology to communicate. Its members consist of children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and the families and professionals who support them.

The two-day workshop features four 3-1/2 hour sessions by leading professionals in the field of listening and spoken language. The sessions are designed for early interventionists, teachers of the deaf, classroom teachers, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, program or school administrators, or anyone who plays a role in supporting the education and literacy and language development of infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The sessions will provide attendees with foundational knowledge about hearing loss and to develop strategies to support infants and children who listen, learn and talk with the help of hearing aids, cochlear implants and/or FM systems.

“As a public school administrator of a program that serves children who are deaf and hard of hearing, I have witnessed first-hand the dramatic changes in the educational needs and the expanded opportunities for children with hearing loss,” said Kathleen Treni, M. Ed., M. A., president of AG Bell and principal of the Hearing Impaired Programs of the Bergen County Special Services District in New Jersey. “With the incredible strides in identifying hearing loss during infancy and advanced hearing technology, children with hearing loss today need the support of professionals who possess greater skill levels than ever before.”

Continuing education credits will be offered for the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language and the Illinois State Board of Education and are pending for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association the American Academy of Audiology.

Presenters at the workshop include:

Donald M. Goldberg, Ph. D., CCC-SLP/A, LSLS Cert. AVT. Professor of Communications at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and consultant staff to the Hearing Implant Program at the Cleveland Clinic’s Head and Neck Institute, Goldberg is past president of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language and president-elect of AG Bell. He will present the session “Listening, Language and Learning for Infants and Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.”

Teresa Caraway, Ph. D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. Caraway is the co-founder and executive co-director of Hearts for Hearing in Oklahoma City, Okla., and founding president of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. She will be presenting the session “Play it by Ear! Current Trends in Teaching Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing to Listen and Talk.”

Rebecca Kooper, Au. D. Kooper is an educational audiologist who provides consultant services to New York Eye and Ear Infirmary’s Ear Institute, Lexington School for the Deaf and school districts throughout the New York City area. She will present the session “Classroom Strategies for Hearing Aids, FM’s and Cochlear Implants.”

Judy Horvath, M. A., LSLS Cert. AVEd. Horvath is an experienced teacher of the deaf and is director of the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Family Resource Center in Miami, Fla. She will be presenting the session “Literacy Development for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.”

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing helps families, health care providers and education professionals understand childhood hearing loss and the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. Through advocacy, education, research and financial aid, AG Bell helps to ensure that every child with hearing loss has the opportunity to learn to listen and talk. With chapters located in the United States and a network of international affiliates, AG Bell supports its mission: Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking! For more information, visit http://www. agbell. org.

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