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The SHHH Californian - SUMMER 2003 / Pages 1 & 2

TEACHERS LEARN THE LATEST
AUDITORY-ORAL METHODS OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
by T. Jordon Goulder, Ph.D., National University,
Center for Hard of Hearing or Deaf Persons

We are at the Crossroads of Education for Hard of Hearing or Deaf Children. Parents and teachers of Hard of Hearing or Deaf children only dreamed of the day when their children would be able to actually participate in the world of sound and read at grade level. For so many years hearing loss separated children from their parents, other children and from the normal process of learning language. This situation is changing due to three remarkable elements, 1) the success of Cochlear Implants, 2) the early identification and screening of infants and 3) revised auditory-oral methods of teaching language to Deaf children.

These three elements have converged on the world of Deafness and their impact will change forever how we educate Hard of Hearing or Deaf children. In the next 10 years it is estimated that 85 percent of children who are born with severe to profound hearing loss will receive cochlear implants. Others with mild to moderate loss will benefit from improved hearing aids and revised methods of teaching language. It is predicted that in this decade all children who are born in the U.S. will be tested in the first weeks of birth for hearing loss. If diagnosed with a hearing loss a team of specialists will work with the family and child in the process of early language development. While these are remarkable factors, the one area which is lagging behind is in the field of hearing loss is teacher training.

Lack of teachers trained in the Auditory-Oral methods of teaching language is a growing problem in California education. Teachers who were trained to teach Hard of Hearing or Deaf students from the mid 1970's to the present have generally not been exposed to revised Auditory-Oral methods of language development and new methods of teaching language to children with cochlear implants. There is a growing awareness among experienced teachers that the students now entering school have different resources and need revised language approaches.

To address this need for teacher and professional retraining National University, a private University with more than 12,000 students in teacher training programs is developing a unique program. The first step in this process will be a one week seminar, Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Auditory-Oral Education, July 7-11, 2003. This Seminar is open to all teachers and allied professionals who want to begin to understand current approaches to language development for Hard of Hearing and Deaf students. The seminar is being jointly sponsored by the Oberkotter Foundation and the National University Center for Hard of Hearing or Deaf Persons.

To register for this program, please contact National University, Continuing Education, by phone 619-563-7265 by Fax 619-563-7298 or go to www.nu.edu/conted click on Professional Development, scroll down in Current Professional Development Courses to the course name. The seminar will be held at 11255 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 123, La Jolla, CA. The faculty includes outstanding national speakers, Carol Flexer, Susan Allen and Gwen Suennen.

To meet the specific needs of teaching Cochlear Implanted and Hard of Hearing Children, National University through the Center for Hard of Hearing or Deaf Persons is in the process of planning a 15 hour Certificate Program in Auditory-Oral Education. Under the new California infant hearing screening law, about 1,200 newborns a year will be identified as having hearing loss. Ninety percent of hard of hearing or deaf babies are born to hearing parents. These hearing parents want teachers prepared to teach oral language options such as auditory-oral and Auditory-Verbal. It is important for educators to prepare themselves to teach according to the needs of their students.

In the story of Alice in Wonderland, Alice was lost and desperate to find her way home. She came to a place which had two paths and was labeled The Crossroads. She was perplexed as to which path to take in order to find her way. Suddenly she looked up and there sitting in a tree was the Cheshire cat. Alice, in desperation asked the cat, "Mr. Cheshire Cat, which road shall I take?" The Cheshire cat smiled broadly, and replied, "It all depends on where you want to be". Educators, parents and those with hearing loss are at the crossroads of history. Our decisions now, will take us to where we want to be!

Which road will we take? Today parents have a choice. Choosing teachers well trained in Auditory-Oral methods, is one more step toward helping our Hard of Hearing or Deaf children participate in the hearing world.

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES
CENTER FOR HARD OF HEARING OR DEAF PERSONS

In California, credentialing of teachers of the hard of hearing or deaf requires NO coursework on how to teach hard of hearing or cochlear implanted students. Opening of this Center is important because it is committed to training teachers in Auditory-Oral methods of language acquisition and will begin to fill this need.

National University (NU) is a member of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and recommends more individuals for teaching credentials than any other university in the state. Having teachers well trained in Auditory-Oral methods, is one more step toward helping our hard of hearing or deaf children participate in the hearing world.

National University System Chancellor Dr. Jerry C. Lee has announced that the U.S. Department of Education has appropriated $500,000 to launch the NU Center for Hard of Hearing or Deaf Persons. NU will match the $500,000 in federal funding for a total of $1 million in seed money.

The Center will serve the research, higher education and technical assistance needs of working age adults who are hard of hearing or late-deafened. It will also support related projects for children who are hard of hearing or have cochlear implants.

"Many teacher education programs prepare teachers to instruct deaf children, but few programs currently focus on children who are hard of hearing," said Dr. Lee, who was formerly President of Gallaudet University, an institution that serves the higher education needs of students who are hard of hearing or deaf.

NU’s Center for Hard of Hearing or Deaf Persons has also identified other critical needs for research, including study of the physiological and psychological stress experienced at work and in everyday life by persons who are hard of hearing or late deafened. The Center will pay particular attention to persons of Latino/Hispanic and/or Native American background.

The University was founded in San Diego in 1971 and is California's second largest private nonprofit university, with more than 17,250 full time equivalent students enrolled across the state, in 29 regional centers in 11 major metropolitan areas.

National University is an independent institution, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It is a recognized leader in online and distance learning, utilizing the Internet and videoconferencing to expand access to higher education domestically and throughout the world.

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