As a future speech-language pathologist, I think it is easy to overlook the fact that I will most likely encounter clients who are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH). After all, I am going to school to specialize in helping those with speech and language disabilities- nowhere in my title does the word ‘hearing’ occur. Despite this, I will surely be part of an interdisciplinary team tasked with supporting those who experience hearing loss if I chose to work in the schools. Thus, the presentations from Presbyterian Ear Institute (PEI), New Mexico School for the Deaf (NMSD), and American Sign Language Academy (ASLA) were not only beneficial to my appreciation of the many approaches used to teach deaf and HOH children, they were critical …show more content…
The preschool serves 20-30 children with mild to severe bilateral hearing losses using the Reggio Emilia Approach to communication. This approach targets language acquisition by promoting multi-sensory learning activities, collaborations, and student-led teaching. Because the school uses a total communication approach, they nurture any communication mode available to the student and centers curriculum around the child’s particular needs. The school believes that in order to facilitate learning by promoting optimal engagement, children should have the opportunity to communicate in whatever mode works best for them. Additionally, the school has several community outreach programs that counsel families who are in the diagnostic process of hearing loss …show more content…
If faced with the choice for my own child, I believe I would be most interested in PEI’s auditory oral program because I want him or her to have the best opportunity to succeed in a hearing world. Although I have a strong appreciation for the Deaf community, I am a hearing person with limited exposure to manual communication. I do not know ASL and fear that I would not serve as a rich language source if manual communication was my child’s only communication mode. Further, I believe in PEI’s auditory oral curriculum and want my child to benefit from the numerous advantages the hearing world offers. Additionally, I enjoy the fact that a team of interdisciplinary professionals are readily available to support the needs of children who require specialized attention. Most importantly, I want my child to be a member of my hearing community where he or she will be able to interact and connect with hearing friends, family, and