STRONG FOUNDATIONS:

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STRONG FOUNDATIONS

• Literacy skills and educational support in
  achieving goals

Presented by Tyler Smeltekop
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Currently

• Second-year Junior at Michigan State University
• Majoring in Professional Writing
• Minors in Psychology and English
• Board member
• Michigan Association for Deaf Hard of Hearing
• Michigan Hands Voices

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Hearing Loss

• Fluctuating bi-sensorineural loss
• Diagnosed at two years old
• Equipment
• Two hearing aids
• Lexis FM system

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Beginnings

• Exposed to reading early on
• Reading aloud was a family activity

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Mainstream Education

• Kindergarten
• AM at Red Cedar Elementary
• PM at local Williamston Elementary
• Benefit of a full day of school

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Speech Therapy

• Kindergarten through sixth grade
• Highly beneficial
• Essential for filling in the blanks

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Technology

• Wide range of technological assistance is
  available
• Hearing aids
• FM systems
• Cochlear implants
• Closed captioning/subtitles
• RealTime captioning
• Instant messaging/text messaging
• Email

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Being hearing-impaired, at all levels of loss,
means being visual!
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Teacher Consultants

• Essential to navigating the academic landscape
• Provide assistance in getting accommodations and
  more

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Teacher Consultants, cont.

• More than just assistants to fostering education
  for their clients
• Provide understanding and knowledge
• Parents should develop a relationship with their
  childs TC

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Educators

• A good teacher will try to understand hearing
  loss a great teacher will try to work with a
  childs hearing loss
• Teachers have a responsibility to make learning
  as accessible to every student, regardless of
  what their needs are

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Strategies for Educators

• Teachers can do much to improve the environment
  in which a child who has a hearing impairment
  learns in
• Still, much rests with the child itself

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Parents

• Provide support, understanding, and a listening
  ear
• But keep in mind there is such a thing as too
  much support

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Strategies for Parents

• Keep channels of communication open
• Monitor the strengths and weaknesses of your
  child
• Provide encouragement when needed
• Allow your child to be independent encourage it!

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What Can Kids Do?

• Self-advocate
• Be conscious
• Be positive
• Be open and willing to answer questions

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Society and Disability

• Technology facilitates communication
• Hearing loss has no visual signal