AYUDANOS (HELPING)

Description: New technology, along with early identification, amplification, implantation, and intervention has greatly changed the way we teach deaf children. It has also opened the doors for us to improve our services to children whose home language is not English and may be faced with learning more than one language. This two day workshop will involve how auditory-based bilingualism is facilitated in children with all degrees of hearing impairment at the Center for Hearing and Speech in Houston, TX with a focus on the Hispanic population. The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate that children with significant hearing loss can be bilingual, regardless of their educational landscape and to help interventionists understand how to work with families when the home language is Spanish. Videotapes, data, and resources will be shared for children learning to speak English and another language simultaneously or sequentially. Considerations for assessment and intervention will be discussed as well as observable bilingual phenomenon. Participants will engage in group discussions, respond to written questions, contribute to discussions about videos, and take home a variety of printed resources.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn terminology integral to multi-cultural learning environments
2. Participants will understand why bilingualism should be encouraged and how it can be facilitated in different educational and home settings for children with hearing impairment
3. Participants will understand that some children may not be ready for bilingualism and discuss various options for accommodating their needs
4. Participants will discuss strategies that can facilitate second language learning for children with hearing impairments
5. Participants will learn different means of evaluating children’s bilingual progress
6. Participants will learn typical spoken language development in Spanish

Biography: Michael Douglas, MA, CCC-SLP, LSLS, Cert. AVT, Director of Speech-Language Pathology Clinic. Michael is a Speech Language Pathologist and a certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist with 12 years of experience teaching children to listen and speak in various settings including early childhood programs, schools, hospitals, private practice, and cochlear implant centers. He received his Bachelor of the Arts in speech-language pathology in 1994 and a Master of the Arts in 1996 from the University of North Texas. He received his certification in auditory-verbal therapy in 2002. He is the recipient of the Cochlear Americas Clinical Fellow Award, is a finalist for the Houston Business Journal’s “Health Care Hero” and the Helen Bebee Scholarship. Michael lectures annually at The University of Houston, Texas A&M, and The University of Texas Health Science Center. At The Center for Hearing and Speech, he is responsible for clinical practice, speech clinic program development, mentoring and supporting current and aspiring therapists in the greater Houston area, and serving as a member of The Center for Hearing and Speech’s cochlear implant team. michael@centerhearingandspeech.org

Location:
UNC - Carolina Center for Edu. Excellence
9201 Seawell School Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Details:
1. There is NO COST for NC Professionals; $50 for out-of-state attendees
2. Non ASHA CEU’s will be offered for all workshops.
3. (*) LSLS approved workshop (pending)
4. To Register: www.ncbegin.org (registration deadline = 2 weeks prior to workshop)