Just when things are wonderful in the Cochlear Implant world, they get even better for kids in Nebraska.
We received a note today letting us know about new Internet Therapy for Nebraska families who have children with hearing loss from the St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. (see our iHear Nov 2011 blog post)
Our beloved Omaha Hearing School, although now formally closed, has reformed as a foundation and has funded this opportunity to provide speech and language therapy services over the internet to children in Nebraska and Western Iowa. Services will be provided though St. Joeseph's innovative and groundbreaking internet therapy program called iHear.
“By working with St Joseph Institute for the Deaf, the mission of the Omaha Hearing School Foundation to teach young children with hearing loss how to listen and speak remains vibrant,” says Britt Thedinger, MD, an otologist and neurotologist and a board member of the Omaha Hearing School Foundation.
SJI’s ihear program enables children with a range of hearing impairments — from cochlear implant recipients to those who use hearing aids — to work with skilled listening and spoken language specialists via the secure internet link.
Essential to the program’s success is its collaborative coaching model, in which the ihear staff coach a parent or educator present with the child in each ihear session. The coaches are then able to reinforce the exercises and lessons learned in between the therapy sessions. Children enrolled in the program typically are scheduled for two, half‐hour therapy sessions per week.
Thanks Dr. Britt Thedinger for your commitment to Nebraska's kids. We'll provide more details on this program as we receive them.
For more information about ihear, visit www.ihearlearning.org
Wow! I wish we'd had something like this in Alaska when my son was small. This looks like an incredible program! Lily is just precious. Good Job!
Posted by: Michelle | March 28, 2012 at 03:21 AM
Thanks Michelle. I think it should be a great program especially for our families in rural areas.
Posted by: Lily's Mom | April 02, 2012 at 10:54 PM