My Best Friend or My My Best Friend or My Worst Nightmare?Worst Nightmare?

My Best Friend or My My Best Friend or My Worst Nightmare?Worst Nightmare?Collaboration to manage Collaboration to manage

hearing losshearing loss

EHDI ConferenceMarch 4, 2005

Atlanta, GA

• Presented by:• Jan Stroud, M.S., CCC-A• Tracy Pate, M.S., CCC-SLP, Cert.

AVT

Don’t forget!• Please sign up for a handout

delivered through email.

Presumptions• We are talking specifically about

children having severe to profound hearing loss.

• Parents have actively chosen to use technology to access residual hearing.

• Parents have chosen to teach their children oral communication.

• Presumptions are based on our professional experiences, which may be different than your own.

Why this title?

Where do we start?• It’s like building a house…..

*Parents are the foundation*Audiologists are the walls &

roof (External structures)

*Early Interventionists are the internal structures that make the house work.

Parents• Need foundations to build the house• There are different types of

foundations, but most types are equally viable

• Should family differences change recommendations and information sharing?

• Don’t deprive parents of their responsibilities.

Audiology

• Walls, roof (external structures)• Effective audiological management

is the starting place in this process.• Weak link could be based on

experience and/or skill set.

Physical Barriers to Sound1. Medical complications

• Otitis media (in various forms) Potential conductive hearing loss in addition

to sensori-neural hearing loss Chronic condition can have negative effects

on development and well beingWhat can we control/not control?1. Frequent tympanometry to monitor middle

ear status2. Vent in earmold3. Referral to a good ENT physician4. Referral to allergist/other medical

intervention

Physical Barriers to Sound

2. Inconsistent hearing aid useParent acceptance of diagnosis Do they believe you? Do they REALLY

understand what hearing loss is? Do they believe that technology will help the situation? Do they believe technology will cure the situation?

Family dynamics Parent/child bonding; parent/child

interaction; marital dynamics

Parents need to understand why it is so important. Explain auditory brain development to them. Parents should actively choose a

plan to accomplish this goal. Provide them with options or ideas to help the process along, BUT don’t let them forget the goal.

Incentive + Means +

Reinforcement = Goal accomplished!

Early Intervention• They are the internal structures of

the house. • These structures are necessary to

turn the house you are building into a functioning home.

• Functional listening skills = auditory brain development

Who teaches what?• How to read an audiogram, how we

hear, how we learn to communicate, & the value of technology

• Sound awareness• Function/care/maintenance of

technology• Concepts of listening age versus

chronological age versus language age

Don’t overstep your bounds!

• Parents often ‘shop’ for information in the beginning.

• Realize that parents often tell the wrong person what they are concerned about (I.e. tell early interventionist that they don’t think that the earmolds fit correctly).

• Refer back to the person who is primarily responsible for final ‘say-so’.

• It’s okay to say “I don’t know” BUT it should always be followed with “I will help you find the answer”.

Collaboration barriers• Same level of seriousness

conveyed to the parents.• Understanding the big picture.• Issues with “too much knowledge”

outside our field. Role releasal is fine, BUT don’t take it too far.

• Undermining other professional’s validity (not intentionally)

ContactsJan Stroud or Tracy PateArkansas Children’s Hospital800 Marshall Street, Slot #113Little Rock, AR 72202(501) 364-4319stroudjs@archildrens.orgpatetb@archildrens.org