Hello, I’m Shon Halacka, President of the Michigan Chapter of the AG Bell Assoc for the
Deaf. I also serve as a Governor Appointed Disability Advocate for the Michigan
Rehabilitation Council. I am a parent who raised three children all of whom have
hearing loss ranging from severe to profound, and are now successful, self-sufficient,
contributing members of society.
Hearing loss affects 12,000 children born each year in the US. Over 90% of these
children are born to parents who have normal hearing and have no knowledge about
hearing loss. Because babies and children learn language by listening to the people
around them, undetected or untreated hearing loss can have a devastating effect on the
child’s ability to develop speech and language. A child with limited speech and
language skills has a difficult time receiving an education. Hearing loss is an invisible
condition. Because most parents have limited knowledge, and the child can’t tell you
what they’re missing, educators of the deaf and hard of hearing play a more significant
role with this particular handicap than others. Families must rely on the school systems
to provide the expertise and services their child needs.
The link between hospitals that perform newborn hearing screenings, clinical
audiologists that diagnose hearing loss in children and the educational systems in the
state need to be strengthened. Every baby should have their hearing tested by one
month of age. If a baby fails this newborn hearing screening, that child should be
referred to an audiologist for further testing before they are three months old. If the
child’s hearing loss is confirmed, the child should be in early intervention by six months
of age. Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs are striving to decrease the
loss to follow-up numbers, but their progress is painfully slow – if they show progress at
all. Some vital component seems to be missing that continues to allow loss to follow up
in every state. Nationally, only slightly more than half of the infants who do not pass
hearing screening receive follow-up diagnostic testing and only a third diagnosed with
hearing loss receive intervention by 6 months of age.
http://www.asha.org/docs/html/tr2008-00302.html
Early intervention is absolutely critical in order for children with hearing loss to develop
the communication skills they need to receive a free and appropriate public education.
Children learn language during their pre-school years and this establishes their
communication skills for the rest of their lives. School districts that underfund early
intervention end up spending far more in later years to educate children with hearing
loss. These children will ultimately fall short of their potential to earn a living and thus
will return less in tax dollars than those who develop good communication skills and are
well-educated.
Children with hearing loss need proper amplification and educational audiologists to
service them. They need teacher consultants of the hearing impaired, and speech and
language teachers who are qualified to teach spoken English to children with hearing
loss. In an attempt to cope with economic challenges, some school districts are laying
off teacher consultants and audiologists and forcing the remaining staff to service
exceedingly large numbers of students. Schools are placing assistive technology,
educational audiology and teacher consultants on the IEP as "Other Services". Under
this heading, there are no caseload restrictions. Unreasonable caseloads make it
impossible to provide adequate service to students with hearing loss. IDEA needs to
establish case load maximums for educational audiologists and teacher consultants
who provide either direct or consultative services. IDEA needs to specify who is
responsible for implementing the IEP where goals are related to hearing loss.
Some school districts are combining the jobs of teacher consultants and audiologists –
these professionals are being asked to perform both jobs so school districts can
eliminate one position. Neither is qualified to do the other’s job. This is caseload
manipulation to the detriment of services for children with hearing loss. Between the
ages of birth and five years old, children absorb language like thirsty sponges. Every
dollar spent on early intervention and early primary services to children with hearing
loss is repaid ten-fold later in their education. By providing high quality, appropriate
amplification that is serviced regularly by an educational audiologist, schools are
ensuring children with hearing loss have access to spoken language. By providing
early, high quality instruction by a well trained teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, -
a Listening and Spoken Language Certified Auditory Verbal Educator (LSLS Cert.
AVEd), schools will reduce the number of hours of special education necessary later.
Children with hearing loss also need speech therapy by a speech and language teacher
specifically trained to work with the deaf and hard of hearing – a Listening and Spoken
Language Specialist who is a Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist (LSLS Cert. AVT).
Hiring professionals with these certifications guarantees high quality educators and
speech and language instruction. In the Dec. 2010 issue of The Volta Review, the
results of a 50-month study on the outcomes of auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) on
children with hearing loss “Is Auditory-Verbal Therapy Effective for Children With
Hearing Loss?” was published. Results indicate that children with hearing loss who use
listening and spoken language are well-adjusted and have language skills on par with
their peers with typical hearing.
Many school districts are pushing students with hearing loss into basic 504 Plans
instead of IEP’s. Under a 504 Plan, there is no right to due process if a school district
fails to provide necessary services. Another cost-saving strategy being implemented by
some school districts is to eliminate or curtail periodic hearing screenings in the early
elementary years. Unidentified hearing loss can lead to educational struggles or
inappropriate labeling of children.
Children with hearing loss are the victims of all these strategies. Standards need to be
developed for educational programs of deaf and hard of hearing students in the
mainstream or in center-based programs. Standards need to define: the qualifications
for professionals serving these hearing impaired students, their job descriptions, their
responsibilities and additionally, specify caseload limits. Every IEP needs to state who
is responsible for implementing the IEP where goals are specifically related to a child’s
hearing loss.
Thank you.
Shon Halacka 4481 Chisholm Trail, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 (248) 626-9541
I testified at the Summit in Detroit, MI on Dec. 2, 2010.