Short Courses
Short courses are intensive 3.5-hour workshops that reflect the tremendous advances in early hearing detection and intervention, hearing technology and educational opportunities. They are aligned with the nine domains of knowledge that comprise the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS™) certification necessary for proficiency as an educator or therapist in listening and spoken language, and reflect evidence-based practice. Short Courses are $85 per session – an outstanding value for continuing professional development.
Thursday, June 28 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, June 28 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, June 29 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, June 28
8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Mentoring Today’s LSLS™ for Tomorrow’s Children and Families
Teresa Caraway, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. Learning Innovation Associates, LLC
Cheryl Dickson M.Ed., LSLS Cert. AVT. AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language
Mentoring is recognized by the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language as an essential component to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills to teach children with hearing loss and their families spoken language through listening. Yet, training programs for professionals have emphasized the development of technical experts who either make recommendations or perform highly skilled tasks with no emphasis on mentoring. This highly interactive session will utilize small group discussions, videotape excerpts and role-playing to equip participants with specific, ready-to-implement strategies with which to provide a quality mentoring experience for those seeking the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS™) certification. Practical insights and strategies to promote greater mentee learning will be emphasized. Turning mentoring challenges into opportunities, such as mentoring by distance and initiating critical conversations, will be discussed. Participants will learn how to mentor today’s professionals to reach previously unsurpassed listening and spoken language outcomes for tomorrow’s children and their families. For more information about mentoring, participants may want to consider attending the Thursday afternoon short course on “Mentoring Models and Strategies.”
Late Bloomers: Developing Core Language Structures
Susan G. Allen, M.E.D., CED., M.Ed., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVEd. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech – Jacksonville
Cynthia S. Robinson, M.Ed., CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech – Jacksonville
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech – Jacksonville has earned a reputation for successfully nurturing late bloomers – children with hearing loss who were identified and/or received cochlear implants late or children who have not had the intervention necessary to develop age-appropriate listening and talking skills. Such children often demonstrate limited functional listening or spoken language skills or use robotic phrases, and may also have splintered skills and may be remedial learners. Both classroom teachers and therapists should recognize basic language concepts and core structures, and they should have techniques for teaching them. By applying these concepts/structures as building blocks, children can move beyond the development of isolated snapshots of functional language and become the language experts they must be to understand and use, comprehend and read higher level language structures – skills they will need to succeed in inclusive educational settings.
TeleIntervention: Fundamentals of Effective Practice
Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. The University of Akron
Melissa McCarthy, B.A., M.Ed., LSLS Cert. AVT. Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
As telecommunication technology continues to evolve, opportunities for telepractice to meet the communication needs of children with hearing loss in rural or hard-to-reach areas are emerging. In addition, documented shortages of well-trained educators, speech-language pathologists and pediatric audiologists are leading some centers to augment their service delivery through telepractice to coach students and families in language facilitation techniques. This short course will present evidence-based best practices that have been developed in Australia and the United States to address gaps in service provision for children, students and families in rural and regional areas. Presenters will discuss how to establish such a program, types of technology to support teleintervention, lessons learned from experienced providers and how to conduct sessions in this manner. The aim of the short course is to assist participants to develop confidence in this unique service delivery option and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to include telepractice as a service delivery option.
Foundations in Listening, Language and Learning for Infants and Toddlers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, LSLS Cert. AVT. College of Wooster
This course will present foundational information on audiology, hearing technology and the connection between listening and spoken language so participants can begin to understand the critical role they can play for infants or children who listen with hearing aids, cochlear implants and/or FM systems. We will explore the exciting opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing as a result of universal newborn hearing screening, advanced hearing technologies and qualified professionals. An ideal program for professionals seeking Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS™) certification, professionals entering into the field of listening and spoken language, students, or anyone seeking a comprehensive refresher on the foundations of listening and spoken language.
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Thursday, June 28
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Mentoring Models and Strategies: A Global Perspective
Mary D. McGinnis, Ph.D.c, LSLS Cert. AVT. John Tracy Clinic
Lynda Close, LSLS Cert. AVT, BSpPath Hear and Say Centre
Elizabeth Tyszkiewicz, B.A.Hons, M.Sc., LSLS Cert. AVT. Midlands Hearing Implant Programme Children’s Service
Karen Stein, LSLS Cert. AVEd, The Moog Center
Presenters from four settings in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia will outline the components of their LSLS mentoring programs. Each program represents a unique perspective with regard to the type of intervention setting where mentors and mentees practice (homes, schools, clinics, universities), backgrounds (education, audiology, speech-language pathology), and the means by which mentoring effectiveness is documented (mentee-based and child outcomes). Each group will present topics and strategies that they have found to be especially effective, including reflective mentoring, mentor-mentee negotiated learning, mentoring across distances and approaches for managing difficult conversations. Through presentations and group discussions, participants will make connections and highlight steps needed to add components to their current mentoring practices that will improve and/or enhance the listening and spoken language professional community. For more information about mentoring, participants may want to consider attending the Thursday morning short course, “Mentoring Today’s LSLS.”
Music, Language and Literacy: Mother Goose Revisited
Christine Barton, M.M., MT-BC. Central Canal Creative Arts Therapies
Amy McConkey Robbins, CCC-SLP. Communication Consulting Services
The purpose of this presentation is to provide attendees with specific techniques for integrating music into the emergent literacy development of young children with hearing loss who are in a listening and spoken language environment. Music, an auditory experience, may aid in the development of phonemic skills required for literacy. Research has shown that early intervention music curricula are effective in enhancing prereading and writing skills of children enrolled in such programs. Participants will view video clips developed by Amy McConkey Robbins, CCC-SLP, and Chris Barton, MM, MT-BC, showing students engaged in music/literacy experiences. The course will be didactic, experiential, interactive and fun. Individual and small group opportunities will enable attendees to develop and share creative ideas.
Off the Page: Bringing Books to Life
Darcy Stowe, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. Hearts for Hearing
Lindsay Hanna, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. Hearts for Hearing
The use of children’s literature has long been an important tool for children with hearing loss to develop the complex language skills necessary for conversational competency. At Hearts for Hearing, the team has developed strategies and techniques used to coach families in how to “share a book” and extend conversations beyond the pages. This short course is an intermediate training for professionals who wish to use children’s literature in new and different ways. Classics and newly-released books will be shared and video clips will be analyzed to identify the strategies that are used to “grow” conversations. Participants will have the opportunity to practice the strategies with children’s books and even electronic books in small groups. The interaction will be energizing and participants will leave with a wealth of new ideas and opportunities for bringing the stories off the pages into the lives of children and their families.
Language versus Academics: The Battle is On (Or Is It?)
Krista S. Heavner, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Sherri Vernelson, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVEd. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Hearing technology has provided children with hearing loss more opportunities to access the standard course of study used in mainstream educational settings. Many U.S. states have now adopted the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, which will unify academic expectations at a national level. Despite technological advances, many professionals who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing are faced with the challenge of closing large language gaps while teaching academic skills that may be beyond the students’ language knowledge. These professionals may struggle with how to incorporate language and vocabulary goals with these expectations while helping their students “catch up” to peers with typical hearing. Presenters will demonstrate in practical ways how the Common Core State Standards can be addressed while targeting specific language needs. Videos, case studies and documented research as well as planning of short sample lessons will supplement the presentation.
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Friday, June 29
8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Professional Learning for LSL Professionals: Exploring the Craft of Learning Leaders
Mary Ellen Nevins, Ed.D. Professional Preparation in Cochlear Implants (PPCI)
Ellen Estes, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVEd. Georgia State University
Much thoughtful work has been done to identify and define the domains of knowledge for listening and spoken language (LSL) professionals. Sharing that knowledge base with novice and developing professionals has become the responsibility of university professors, experienced teachers and program administrators, expert speech-language pathologists, and other seasoned professionals. Yet while the content of our professional learning needs has been made explicit, there has been little discussion of the manner in which the LSL knowledge base and its concomitant skill set becomes known to the learner. Fortunately, businesses, the nursing field and other education professionals have taken a close look at professional learning craft and offer standards and strategies to engage adult learners.
This working short course will highlight evidenced-based professional development activities and engagement strategies that can be readily adapted to the LSL domains. Opportunities to explore immediate application to the skill set of professional learning will be offered through practical tasks and the creation of ad hoc learning communities during the short course.
Advances in Stem Cell Therapy for Hearing Loss
Linda Baumgartner, MS, CCC-SLP, Walt Disney Pavillion at the Florida Hospital
James Baumgartner, M.D. Walt Disney Pavillion at the Florida Hospital
This short course will describe research that has the potential to reverse acquired hearing loss in children. Participants will learn about the differences between adult and embryonic stem cells and presenters will explain two proposed methods of stem cell generation. Presenters will also discuss the current FDA-licensed and IRB-approved trial exploring the use of umbilical cord blood to treat acquired hearing loss in children, including inclusion/exclusion criteria, pre- and post-stem cell treatment evaluation, and outcome measures.
Ling’s Legacy: Speech in the 21st Century
Mary D. McGinnis, Ph.D.c, LSLS Cert. AVT. John Tracy Clinic
Dimity Dornan, AM, A/Prof UQ, PhD UQ, HonDUniv USQ, BSpThy, FSPAA, CpSp, LSLS Cert AVT. Hear and Say Centre
Carol Flexer, Ph.D., CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT. University of Akron
Christina Perigoe, Ph.D., CED, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT. University of Southern Mississippi
Daniel Ling was one of the most influential educators of children with hearing loss in the past century. His pioneering work in creating the world’s only system of teaching speech to children with hearing loss became the research-based, philosophical foundation for auditory-verbal practice worldwide and the impetus for the international certification process for Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS™) through the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Professionals who were taught, mentored or inspired by Daniel Ling come together in this workshop to share Ling’s legacy in developing his speech system. The workshop will cover current research supporting the auditory approach to spoken language, the basic concepts of the Ling system, assessment for speech targets, practical strategies in using prerequisite behaviors and facilitating contexts to develop specific phonemes, taking suprasegmental development to prosody in language, and remedial strategies in speech.
Are We Fostering Environments for Real Conversations?
Judy Horvath, M.A., LSLS Cert. AVEd. University of Miami, Barton G. Kids Hear Now Cochlear Implant Family Resource Center
Imitation has long been utilized successfully as a listening and spoken language strategy. Transitioning to meaningful conversations in clinical, classroom and natural settings can be challenging. This presentation will examine discourse and why children with hearing loss might not engage and participate fully in meaningful, sustained conversations. Participants will listen to lecture, observe video, engage in discussions and create a personal plan to implement in their practice that will promote higher levels of discourse.
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