Issue 7.3
HEARSAY is a quarterly newsletter generated by the EARS Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Below are the full articles linked from our most recent e-newsletter.

Student Spotlight

During the first year of HEARSAY, EARS featured a student spotlight section to highlight a student who is D/HH and to celebrate the student’s success. Our intent was to feature at least one student each school year. In this issue of HEARSAY, we are making up for lost time and highlighting not one, not two, but three students and the work of the Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) at their school. Allow us to introduce, Connor (1st), Isaiah (1st), and Langstyn (K).

EARS_boys 2.pngJamie Jenkins is the Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) in their school district. One of the more striking, lasting impressions you encounter when meeting Ms. Jenkins and seeing her students interact is the sense of community and belonging you feel amongst them. Peer relationships, in particular those with other students who are also D/HH, are extremely important for our students who are D/HH. Ms. Jenkin’s comments, “Building a community for Deaf and hard of hearing students is top priority for me.” And that is very evident. Throughout the school year, Ms. Jenkins creates and displays materials in her classroom and adjacent hallway to educate her students about their hearing loss, hearing devices, and much more. Pictured here is the hallway outside Ms. Jenkin’s classroom decorated for the Holiday Season. Each reindeer’s antlers hold pictures of the different types of hearing devices each of the boys wear and use in the classroom. What a fun way for her students and others in the school to learn about hearing loss and hearing devices! Here’s what Ms. Jenkins has to say about her role as a ToD, “I love being on the front row seat…watching the boys take ownership of their hearing levels and using those Expanded Core Curriculum skills in everyday language puts a smile on my face and incentive in my soul! Watching the boys greet each other with a sense of belonging, talking about their [hearing] devices and strategies for communication…ohhh that encourages me to keep on keeping on.”

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  • Connor’s favorite subjects are P.E. and Math, and it's a good thing because Connor says if he could be the world’s expert on any subject it would be Math. Connor looks up to his mom because she values communicating with him and talks with him every day. Connor says the best part of his hearing aids is that sometimes he is so comfortable in them he doesn’t feel like he is wearing them.
  • Isaiah’s favorite subject is advocacy about his ears; and if he could be the world’s expert on any subject, it would be how people hear. We may have a future audiologist or otologist on our hands! Isaiah’s favorite Superhero is Aquaman because they look the same!
  • Langstyn’s favorite subject is Computer Class. His favorite Superhero is Spiderman because he can dress up like him. He looks up to his classroom teacher Ms. Musto. Langstyn says the best part of his Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is that it helps him to hear better.
Nominate a student you work with to be featured in our Student Spotlight by emailing [email protected] and asking for our Student Spotlight Packet.


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TikTake a Look at These TikTokkers

We all know TikTok soared to popularity during the height of the pandemic. While many users utilize this platform to learn viral dance moves, there are many Deaf/Hard of Hearing TikTokers using the platform to tell their stories. Many of these accounts bring awareness to Deaf Culture and salient issues surrounding being an individual who is Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Click here if you are interested in checking out some of these accounts.
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Reminder: Rachel Sievers Scholarship

The deadline for your students to submit their application for the Rachel Sievers scholarship is quickly approaching on February 25! This scholarship is awarded to one student in Arkansas each year. This year, the scholarship award amount will be $6,740. Click here for more information and application details.
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Upcoming Events

Virtual Events brought to you by Arkansas Hands and Voices (please register here):
1. Arkansas Hands and Voices Academy: 3/5/22
2. Tuesdays Together: 3/8/22
3. Champ Chats: 3/12/22
4. Lunch and Learn: 3/17/22

Sign. Speak. Run 2022 in March
Please encourage your students to join us for a 5k and fun run hosted by Arkansas Hands and Voices in Fayetteville this spring! Follow the AR Hands and Voices Facebook page for the latest information on both virtual and in person events!

Calling All TEENS!

Why not make 2022 the best year yet and apply for a program with A.G. Bell! The A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers in-person and virtual programs for teens in high school who are Deaf/HH and who use Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) as their primary mode of communication.

LOFT

LOFT is an in-person, week-long program held in Washington, D.C. LOFT focuses on growing leadership and communication skills and is open to students in 9th thru 12th grade. Act quickly if you are interested in attending LOFT as the deadline to apply for LOFT is February 25th, 2022. Note: Scholarships are available thru A.G. Bell to help with funding.

LEAP

LEAP is an entirely virtual program designed to connect teens who are D/HH while increasing confidence in a virtual environment. In LEAP, you’ll also identify your personal strengths. LEAP sessions typically occur on the weekend (Friday night and Saturday afternoon) and A.G. Bell is offering 5 LEAP sessions throughout 2022. Each session allows for only 50 participants, so do not wait to sign up!

Application Deadline Fast Approaching

High School Seniors who are D/HH and use Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) are also eligible to apply for the A.G. Bell Scholarship. Hurry! The deadline to apply is March 4, 2022.


Stop, Evaluate & Listen

Annual Hearing Evaluations for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing

When you need to obtain an annual hearing test on a student who has a known hearing loss for their school file, feel free to reach out to your EARS audiologist for guidance in the process. Ideally, it is strongly recommended and encouraged that students that are Deaf/Hard of Hearing obtain their annual evaluations from their clinical audiologist in a sound booth setting. By encouraging the family to set up an appointment for an annual hearing evaluation through the clinic setting, it will ensure that the student’s hearing devices are properly programmed and that they are able to obtain aided testing that can’t be completed in the school setting.

The EARS audiologist can assist in the process by requesting a Release of Information (ROI) to be signed by parents in order to share any reports from Arkansas Children’s with the school district. If there is a recent hearing test from the clinical audiologist and an active Release of Information has been signed, no additional annual hearing test is necessary. If there is not a current hearing test, we would first encourage the family to schedule an appointment with their clinical audiologist for their annual hearing assessment.

If the family is having difficulty scheduling an appointment with their clinical audiologist for an annual hearing evaluation, discuss with your EARS audiologist if a comprehensive hearing test in the school setting would be appropriate.


What is Auditory Memory?


Auditory memory involves the skills of attending, listening, processing, storing, and recalling. Without auditory memory, we wouldn’t be able to process, remember, or recall information. Memory impacts everyone, not just students that are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. We all depend on it to perform almost all daily activities.

Classroom tasks that require auditory memory:
  • Learning letter-sound associations in order to decode
  • Following directions
  • Building language
  • Sequencing events
  • Re-telling stories
Classroom teachers can support auditory memory in the classroom by implementing these strategies:
  • Chunk long information/directions into shorter pieces
  • Gain student’s attention prior to speaking
  • Minimize background noise
  • Provide visual supports for new learning
  • Pause to give students processing time
  • Ask open-ended questions to ensure comprehension of the material
Therapy Activities to Target Increasing Auditory Memory:
  • Rehearsal – Repeating the message either to themselves or quietly out loud
  • Chunking of information- Breaking or Chunking information into shorter pieces
  • Recalling digits
  • Expanded Sentences
  • Story re-tell

 

Unique Situation: Annual Hearing Evaluations for Students that Wear Cochlear Implants

Do you have a student with cochlear implants who needs an annual hearing test? What do you do? What’s the next step? We’re here to help!

First things first…what is the difference between a cochlear implant and a hearing aid? Hearing aids amplify the acoustic sound and send it through the auditory pathway, but a cochlear implant device allows the student to hear sound in a different way. Cochlear implants change the incoming auditory signal to electrical signals and send the signal directly to the hearing nerve. A student utilizes a cochlear implant when they have a significant hearing loss that cannot be amplified with a traditional hearing aid.

When a student is implanted with a cochlear implant, the surgery typically eliminates any residual (i.e., remaining) acoustic hearing. When a student is wearing their cochlear implants, they are able to hear at a normal or near-normal level. However, when they are not wearing their cochlear implants, they continue to have a significant hearing loss.

Due to the known hearing loss severity of cochlear implant users, it is not recommended to perform an annual unaided (with cochlear implants off the head) hearing testing for this particular group. Unaided testing would not provide us with a true reflection of the student’s hearing loss and performance student with cochlear implant.pngin the classroom. Aided testing (with cochlear implants on) is the best representation of hearing status for students who wear cochlear implants, and this process is completed with their clinical audiologist. The EARS team is unable to perform aided testing at the school due to the need for a sound booth and speakers. Therefore, it is recommended that students with cochlear implants schedule an appointment with their clinical audiologist for their annual hearing evaluation. If the student is seen at Arkansas Children’s, the EARS team can share a copy of that evaluation with school staff with the appropriate signed release of information. The report written by the student’s clinical audiologist will be sufficient to replace the request for an annual hearing test for a student with a cochlear implant.


EARS Resources

LiveBinder
Check out our NEW EARS LiveBinder here that has tons of great resources and handouts. Use Password Code: 12345

YouTube
Just a reminder to take a look at our YouTube Channel. We have many informational video clips which might be helpful to you when working with your students.