NCELSSP-HI Newsletter
Winter 2017-18 edition
North Carolina Early Learning Sensory Support Program for Children With Hearing Impairments
NC Department of Public Instruction
Office of Early Learning
RUTH ANNE EVERETT, Director
Each child will be honored, respected, and empowered to achieve success in school and life.
Office of Early Learning Vision Statement
Happy New Year!
"Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding
and a forgiving heart. One who looks for the best in people.
Leave people better than you found them."
-Unknown
The Early Learning Sensory Support Program Website
We have a new website!
Check it out and share it:
http://www.ncelssp.com/
How to Make a Referral
Contact Mandy Hice, BS, ITFS
Social Worker II and Intake Coordinator
828-448-9353
mandy.hice@esdb.dpi.nc.gov
Table of Contents
Cute Corner
Community of Practice
Staff Development and Save the Dates
Resources and Opportunities for Families
UNC Cochlear Implant Study
Where Are They Now
Director's Spotlight
Kristen's Korner
Cute Corner
Eirick blowing bubbles with his mother and aunt.
Zaphir having fun with sisters Kaylee and Daphne and mother Gloria.
Levi playing and learning with his mother and father.
Community of Practice
On December 5, 2017, in Greensboro, the Early Learning Sensory Support Program for Children With Hearing Impairments held one of two annual face to face Community of Practice meetings. Nineteen of our ELSSP-HI teachers and leadership attended.
What is a Community of Practice? Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. The teachers at our Community of Practice meetings are focused on deepening their knowledge of Natural Learning Environments, Coaching, and Resource Based Practices.
ELSSP-HI teachers have the opportunity to meet regularly via the computer, but this day was special as they were able to gather together in person. It was a fun and engaging day where teachers were able to take a self-assessment to ascertain where their current skill level is in using these practices, as well as have lively discussions where they were able to share information, solve problems, and discuss insights learned. Through the Community of Practice, our ELSSP-HI teachers are supporting each other, promoting best practices, and developing their professional skills. Our next face to face meeting will be held on May 23.
The Community of Practice is led by Kristen Steele, master coach, Preston Collins, Mary Lou Wright and Cindy Boyd.
Staff Development and Save the Dates
Monthly Staff Meeting Webinars
3:00-4:30
January 10
February 14
March 14
April 11
May 9
June 13
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"Diagnosis of Autism in Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing”
Sponsored by The North Carolina LEND Program Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC and The North Carolina EHDI Program Women’s and Children’s Health Section Division of Public Health, Raleigh, NC
Speakers:
Robert Nutt, MD.
Dr. Nutt is a Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrician in the Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte, NC. Deaf from birth, he is fluent in both ASL and spoken English. Dr. Nutt’s areas of specialization include the interactions between deafness and developmental disabilities, and reduction of health disparities in underserved or socially vulnerable populations.
Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, PhD
Dr. Yoshinaga-Itano is both a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and an audiologist. She has conducted research in the areas of language, speech, and social-emotional development of deaf and hard-of-hearing infants and children for over thirty years, and has presented nationally/internationally on diagnosis of autism in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
When:
Friday, April 6th, 8:30AM – 4PM
Where:
Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC
The meeting will be of interest to:
Professionals involved in screening, diagnosis, or treatment of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and who have, or are suspected of having, an autism spectrum disorder
Students in a relevant professional discipline
There is no charge to attend this meeting but registration will be required. Watch for further information in January including a link to register.
Questions? Contact Jackson Roush, PhD, Director, NC-LEND jroush@med.unc.edu
http://www.cidd.unc.edu/docs/save%20the%20date.pdf
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Resources and Opportunities for Families
Charlotte HITCH-UP
The Charlotte HITCH-UP group hosted their annual Holiday Party earlier this month complete with tasty snacks and fun crafts! About 50 were in attendance this year! Nearly 25 kids lined up for photos with Santa! Some liked him more than others! If you would like to know more about HITCH-UP groups in your area, visit Facebook and search for: Charlotte HITCH-UP, Triangle Area HITCH-UP or Triad Area HITCH-UP.
Eleanor (Jenni's student) and her sibling Evelyn
HEARING FIRST: Family to Family Support
The Hearing First Family Support Community is a connection point for families, using listening and spoken language, who are looking for a supportive online community, not limited by geography, schedules or time zones, to provide encouragement, insight, leadership and guidance. For more information:
Henry, Amelia and Aidan
Luke with his mom Stephanie
June with her mom Emily and Santa (aka Jeff Campagna)
Hearing Awareness Night with the Charlotte Checkers!
March 13, 2018
SAVE THE DATE! MORE DETAILS TO COME!
This date has been reserved by the Hearing Loss Association of America – Charlotte Chapter. It promises to be a fun night focused on hockey and hearing awareness! The Charlotte Checkers will setup a special link for guests to use when ordering tickets so all can be seated in the same section. Many organizations within the hearing loss community are spreading the word and, hopefully, planning to join in the fun! Anyone with hearing loss, young and old, all communication modalities, is invited to attend! For more information as it becomes available, check the HLAA-Charlotte, NC Facebook page, HITCH-UP Charlotte Facebook page.
Where Are They Now?
Hollis
Submitted by Lara Pike, Hollis's mother
My daughter Hollis was diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss at 3 months old. She failed her newborn hearing screen at 2 days old and then the follow up visit twice. To the best of our knowledge, congenital hearing loss was not known of in either of our families. Hollis was our first child so not only did we know nothing about raising a child… we knew nothing about raising a child with hearing loss.
When Hollis was diagnosed with profound hearing loss, we learned that her inner ears are both severely malformed. Due to the severity of her malformation, it was unclear if she would receive any benefit from a cochlear implant. The audiologist and ENT suggested our family use a visual mode of communication with Hollis. Even if she received sound awareness from her implant, the support of a visual mode of communication would be necessary for spoken language success.
Around this same time, our family had begun receiving services from Alison McKown, a Teacher of The Deaf with Early Learning Sensory Support Program for Children with Hearing Impairments. Alison was a huge support to our family from the beginning and still is. Alison supported our family’s decision to use Cued Speech and she herself cued with Hollis during all sessions.
Hollis’ cochlear implant surgery was successful and she is receiving more sound than ever expected with now two implants! We still use Cued Speech with Hollis, as it is her primary mode of communication, but she is make great progress through listening. We worked weekly with Alison until Hollis’ 3rd birthday. I wish it could have continued forever, but am grateful for the time we had! There was never a moment we felt we didn’t have a place to turn when we needed advocacy or resources during our time with Early Intervention.
Director's Spotlight
Roxanne Falls
Roxanne Falls earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education, with a Pre-K add on, from the State University of New York at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo) in 1988 and her Masters of Science degree in Deaf Education, also from SUNY Geneseo, in 1993. She has been teaching since 1988. She started in New York State where she taught first and fourth grades. She then moved to North Carolina and taught students with autism for three years. In 1996 she began teaching children with hearing loss and continues to this day. She loves traveling from home to home and working with the birth to age three population and their families. She knows that this was the job meant for her and that she is doing what she is supposed to in this life. (There was a one year time span in there that she lived and worked in Hawaii as well. Can you imagine a field trip taking students on a plane from the Big Island to Oahu to see a Deaf Santa and to mingle with other children with hearing loss? Or a field trip to an active volcano? It was a great year of Aloha and learning!) She has also worked over 15 years as a freelance writer of teaching ideas for The Education Center for their Preschool Mailbox Magazine.
In her free time Roxanne enjoys baking (especially cupcakes), photographing nature’s beauty and exploring new places with her husband whom she just married in August of 2017 at Niagara Falls. Some of their new found explorations have led them to see the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies growing at Lansford Canal State Park in SC, glamping in Marshall, NC, the Chinese Lantern Festival at Stowe Botanical Gardens and hiking to Grimes Glen waterfalls in Naples, NY. They look forward to doing more exploration as they travel to visit Roxanne’s daughter and husband who live in Los Angeles, CA and son and daughter in law who live in Wilmington, NC. They just had a wonderful Christmas where all three of their children who live locally (Roxanne’s daughter in Mount Holly and her husband’s son and daughter in Charlotte) were able to gather together with those from far away, for the first time.
She looks forward to many more years of interaction with families of children with hearing loss in NC!
Kristen's Corner
Welcome Back & Happy New Year!!
“New Year, New You!” “This Year I will…” “I’d really like to change, fix, improve______.” “This year will be different…I plan to_____.” “This is the year I will make ______ happen!”
You are in good company if you are one of the many that resolve to do, try, be something different when the New Year rolls around. To most of us, the New Year signifies a fresh start, clean slate, and another chance to begin or try again.
According to Consumer Magazine, the Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions are:
1. Stay Fit and Healthy 37%
2. Lose Weight 32%
3. Enjoy Life to the Fullest 28%
4. Spend less, save more 25%
5. Spend more time with friends/family 19%
6. Get Organized 18%
7. Will not make any resolutions 16%
8. Learn something new/hobby 14%
9. Travel more 14%
10. Read more 12%
You may have heard the average person gains 7-10 pounds between Halloween and New Year’s Day. I decided to do some research. What I found was a recent research study done at Cornell University and published in the New England Journal of Medicine supported holiday weight gain. The researchers found that the participants’ weight began to rise through October and November, and peaked 10 days after Christmas. The change wasn’t large, but it was significant. On average, people’s weight increased 1.3 pounds during the Christmas-New Year season. The study stated that about half of that weight came off quickly after the holiday season, but the other half wasn’t lost until about five months later, after Easter. I think we can all agree that many of us indulge a little more throughout the holiday season, and many of us want to get back on track after the holidays.
It’s 2018, a New Year, fresh start~ you probably have your own ideas of what you’d like to try or begin,…now what? Another statistic- 40% of Americans make resolutions, and sadly only 8% achieve them. Some would say that making SMART goals help them stick to their goals, some say it’s a matter of willpower. Here’s an example that’s similar to a SMART goal-
Keep it Simple- I will exercise because it makes me feel good and keeps my body strong.
Keep it Tangible-I will walk ___mile(s) on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I will do strength training on Tuesday, Thursday. I will do Yoga on Saturday mornings.
Keep it Obvious-write it on your calendar, make it an appointment with yourself, share with a friend-helps keep you accountable, use a fitness app to track progress, write it on your mirror, etc (whatever helps you stay focused and keeps it on your front burner)
Keep Believing You Can Do It-Setting a goal increases your chances of achieving it, but if there is not action, perseverance, and accountability, its just an idea.
Cheers to Your New Year!!! ~Kristen
Newsletter Committee
Chris Czajkowski
Jen Dunn
Donna Snipes
Contributors:
Jenni Campangna
Kristen Steele