An informative one day seminar for Teachers of the Deaf, Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals working with BAHA recipients, both adults and children. Given by Cochlear Europe, the day will cover an introduction to BAHA technology, current indications and selection criteria for candidates as well as an overview of the product, accessories and FM appliances. With Claire Ratcliffe from Cochlear, BAHA users and members of The Ear Foundation Education team.

Do you have a deaf child in your class?

Did you know that one in five children in Foundation Stage and KS1 have a significant hearing loss that fluctuates and may remain undetected?

Phonics is recognised as a key tool in the acquisition of literacy skills for all children and therefore should be made accessible to deaf children.

NDCS has produced Phonics guidance for mainstream teachers (available early May) and is delivering training days to support this document. The guidance contains information on childhood deafness; how it can impact on learning; and advice on teaching specific phonics lessons. The training days are relevant for all mainstream teachers working in Foundation Stage and KS1 as well as teachers of deaf children who are supporting mainstream staff. This course will provide:

• an introduction to understanding the impact of deafness on language and literacy development

• consideration of the role of phonics within a full literacy and language curriculum

• practical strategies for delivering a phonics programme, including assessment and adaptation for hearing impaired children

• experience of adapting some aspects of a phonics programme for hearing impaired children

• awareness of some resources that have been specifically developed for use with the hearing impaired.

 

Cochlear implants and radio aids can work together effectively, but the combined technology needs to be carefully managed and understood. This day provides a combination of theory and practical sessions to enable delegates to become more confident in using radio aids with cochlear implants, explore how to test the system using a test box and explore speech testing to ascertain the functioning of the systems.

There will also be the opportunity to discuss the implications of the Quality Standards document and how the recommendations it makes can be applied.

 

BAHA technology is developing rapidly and recently there have been significant developments in the technology. The day will be split into a morning and afternoon session. The morning aims to bring professionals up to date with current devices, assessment and referral criteria. There will be two separate professional groups in the afternoon, one group focusing on rehab strategies and classroom management, and the other focusing on the audiological aspects of BAHA and consideration of BAHA for single-sided deafness including outcomes. Representatives from the manufacturers of the three devices currently available will be present throughout the day, providing hands on experience. This course will give you:

• A general overview of BAHA technology.

• An update on the current research.

• Overview of the assessment process and referral criteria.

• Discussion about the different rehab strategies.

• Opportunities to consider the challenges of managing and improving classroom acoustics and the use of soundfield and FM systems.

• Consideration of BAHA for single-sided deafness including outcomes.

• The opportunity to discuss current devices in detail with manufacturers.

• Time to get hands-on experience with all the devices and accessories.

• Opportunities for discussion with colleagues and to share good practices.