NCELSSP-HI Newsletter
Winter 2020
North Carolina Early Learning Sensory Support Program For Children With Hearing Impairments
NC Department of Public Instruction
Exceptional Children Division
Sensory Support and Assistive Technology Section
Each Child Will Be Honored, Respected, And Empowered To Achieve Success In School and Life
Website
RUTH ANNE EVERETT, Lead Program Administrator
how to make a referral
Contact Mandy Hice, BS, ITFS
Social Worker II and Intake Coordinator
828-448-9353
Table of Contents
Cute Corner
Exceptional Children Conference
Charlotte HITCH-UP Party
Reading with a Side of "Auditory Sandwich"
Learning to Read with Signing Babies: Joint Attention
Resources and Opportunities for Families
Staff Spotlight
Cute Corner
Eloise
Teacher, Candi Garrett
Khyler
Reading with mom and teacher!
Teacher, Cindy Tedder
Lincoln
Teacher, Candi Garrett
Conference on Exceptional Children
by Chris Czajkowski
The 69th North Carolina Annual Conference on Exceptional Children took place on November 20-22, 2019 in Greensboro, NC. It was packed full with informative sessions from experts on a variety of topics that educators absorbed and took back to their schools to implement, and in turn, improve education for all children.
Professionals from the Early Sensory Support Program attended and facilitated sessions in order to assist in delivering quality information to educators across the state. These professionals included Bethany Mayo, Ruth Anne Everett, Heather Lister, Becky Lowrey, Chris Czajkowski, Valerie Best, Donna Snipes, Vanessa Bishop, Debra Graham, and Karen Huffman.
Pictured below left to right are Debra Graham, Heather Lister, Karen Huffman, Vanessa Bishop, Bethany Mayo, Becky Lowrey and Ruth Anne Everett
Charlotte HITCH-UP Holiday Party
by Jenni Campagna
On Saturday, Dec 14, 2019, Charlotte area families of children with hearing loss experienced a wonderful, fun-filled Holiday Party! Organizers of Charlotte HITCH-UP, Kristen Monteith and Nancy Yu, planned an awesome event, including snacks, crafts, games and photos with Santa! Such a great experience for so many families!
To view more pictures of the event and to keep up with future events through the Charlotte HITCH-UP Facebook page, click here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/694770480653587/permalink/1697628450367780/
Learning to Read with Signing Babies: Joint Attention
Jon Henner Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
Specialized Education Services Department
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Joint Attention is a necessary first step for helping deaf and hard of hearing babies begin to understand how to read. Joint Attention happens when caretakers and children pay attention to the same thing at the same time. Joint attention is a critical component of communicating and building relationships between language and the physical world, especially for signing babies.
In general, babies do not develop depth perception until about five months of age. Until then, babies prefer to examine things that are closer to their faces, like their caretakers! Because very young babies do not have good control over their eyes, it may appear that their attention is wandering. During this time period, caretakers should practice establishing joint attention with the child while they are being held.
Older infants will eventually take control over the joint attention process by looking or pointing at an object, and then looking at their caretaker. Some caretakers assume that joint attention only happens when the child is looking at them. This is not true. When reading, for example, infants can look at the book, then at the caretaker who is reading. They do this while maintaining joint attention. When the child does look at their caretaker during joint attention periods, they should be rewarded with language. Eventually, the child will learn to associate joint attention with language from their caretakers and seek it out more. When children learn to associate books with language, they will begin to interact with the books as well as their caretakers during joint attention times.
Many caretakers may be worried that they do not sign well enough to help their child learn to read through signed language. However, slow, exaggerated signing with lots of repetition is actually the best way to help infants develop and maintain joint attention with both the book and the caretaker. Caretakers should not worry about their sign abilities when working with their children to develop language. They should instead focus on developing and maintaining joint attention while signing as much as possible. Joint attention should be employed even if children are also developing listening and spoken language skills in addition to signing skills. This encourages children to maintain eye contact with caretakers during communication which allows for more language input.
Reading with a side of "Auditory Sandwich"
by Roxanne Falls and Elizabeth Hopkins
What is the Auditory Sandwich strategy? It is putting a visual clue such as a gesture, sign or action in between two good helpings of spoken words. It is giving a direction and pausing to see if the child is understanding through listening or if a visual cue is needed to help with comprehension. If so, then it is important to then put the request back into listening (say the statement again). So, to shorten these directions we Say-Show-Say. It is natural to point and gesture as we are talking but when children are learning to listen, we need to think about how we are giving away free information!
How might this strategy be implemented during book reading time?
First, think of some actions, directions or requests you can make of a child while reading. Many of these will be gestures. According to First Words Project, a child should have 16 gestures by the developmental age of 16 months. https://babynavigator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Glimpse-of-16-Gestures-by-16-Months.pdf.
Gestures and actions by 16 months predicts better language by the age of two. Imitating motions comes before imitating then saying words.
Here are some direction ideas for book reading:
Turn the page
Pat-pat
Say bye-bye
Blow a kiss
Point to the...(dog)
Put the book back
Show…(Daddy)
Eat the …(carrots)
What are some you can think to do with your child?
Also, First Words Project says that children should have 16 actions with objects by the developmental age of 16 months. https://firstwordsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/16-Actions-with-Objects-by-16-Months-document.pdf.
The Rossetti Infant Toddler Language Scale states that children play with two toys together between 18 and 21 months, follows one-step command by 15 months and a two-part direction by 24 months.
Feel free to bring toys and objects to your reading routine!
Here are some phrases with corresponding objects:
Wash the... (dry wash cloth)
Stir the……(spoon)
Make the ... go (train)
Feed the……. (doll bottle)
Cover the….. (small blanket)
A cup, spoon and washcloth are available near the book
Mom says: Give a drink to the horse. (repeat and pause)
Mom shows the child the cup
Mom says: Give a drink to the horse
A blanket, spoon and washcloth are available near the child.
Mom says: Put the blanket on the baby. (Repeat and pause for understanding)
Mom shows where to put the blanket by pointing
Mom says: You put the blanket on the baby.
Child has spoon. Chicken in book and baby on book in sight.
Mom says: Feed the baby. (Repeat and pause for understanding)
Child feeds baby by placing spoon in her mouth.
She got it without showing!!!
Resources and Opportunities for Families
HITCH-UP Parent Support Groups
These parent lead support groups provide support to parents of children with hearing loss.
Charlotte HITCH-UP
https://www.facebook.com/groups/694770480653587/
Triad HITCH-UP
(Guilford County/Greensboro Area)
https://www.facebook.com/triadhitchup.greaterguilford
Triangle Area HITCH-UP
(Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Area)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1536664679895197/
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Hearing First
This website focuses on developing listening and spoken langauge in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. It provides a family support community, podcasts, resources, and much more.
Vroom App
Available on any smart phone and is available in both English and Spanish. This app provides easy ways to encourage learning and development throughout natural routines. It boosts learning from birth-5 years old with 1000+ fast and fun tips!
Knowledge and activities in the tip of your fingers!
CDC's Milestone Tracker App
Milestones matter! Track your child's milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with easy to use illustrated checklists; get tips for encouraging your child's development, and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.
Staff Spotlight
Renee Barnes
Renee is the baby of nine children who grew up in a very small town surrounded by family and to this day family continues to be extremely important to her. She was the only one of those nine children to graduate from college. She graduated in May 1989 from the Deaf Education program at Atlantic Christian College, now known as Barton College. She landed her first and only job as a teacher of the deaf in Wilson at the Eastern School for the Deaf serving and educating 2-5 year olds in their homes with their parents. When the Newborn Hearing Screening was mandated in the late 90's, changes occurred within the program and teachers began serving children birth to 3 years old. Renee has continued to serve and affect great change, guidance, and influence on the families she worked with for 30 years. She is a dedicated teacher and professional and her legacy will long be remembered amongst her colleagues and the families she served.
Renee is retiring and beginning a new chapter in her life and she will do what she absolutely loves most, which is spending time with her family. She is married to Scott and is the mother of two awesome children, Gabe who is 18 and a senior, and Reagan who is 15 and a sophomore. She will enjoy spending every moment with them especially during their annual beach and ski trips.
Newsletter Committee
Chris Czajkowski
Donna Snipes
Contributors
Roxanne Falls
Jenni Campagna
Elizabeth Hopkins
Jon Henner, Ed.D.