Staff,
children and family members were thrilled to meet the Governor-General and Mr
Bryce. Songs were sung by deaf and hearing- impaired children to demonstrate
the children’s ability to listen and speak due to an Early Intervention program
that focuses on training parents as teachers. Skills are further developed
through integration of children into family
life and
the wider community, highlighting speech,
language and vocabulary. The aim is that children will enter their local
mainstream schools in a fully integrated environment once they are school aged.
The early
intervention program provides families with 1:1 auditory-verbal therapy,
audiology and family support sessions, and group sessions such as a weekly
playgroup and a parent support group.
Mother
Ingrid and daughter Maja, who is diagnosed with mild-to-moderately-severe
hearing loss, are regular participants of the Shepherd Centre and playgroup.
“Maja comes every week, she loves babies,” Ingrid said, explaining that Maja
has a hearing aid that compresses very loud and soft sounds. “She’s happy here,
she’s doing really well.”
Data just
released from the Shepherd Centre shows that the majority of children with
additional needs (children who have entered early intervention after 12 months
of age, have additional disabilities or are from a non-English speaking
background) scored in the “typical” range for vocabulary. One third of this
group scored in the typical range for language and the overall average language
score was just outside the typical range of their hearing peers. In addition,
almost all of the children without additional needs achieved scores within the
typical range for vocabulary and language.
The
Shepherd Centre is one of six charities represented by advocacy group, First
Voice, officially launched in October 2010 by the Governor-General, who is the
group’s patron. Ms Bryce said: “Nine to 12 Australian children in every 10,000
are born with moderate or serious hearing loss in both ears, 23 more per 10,000
will acquire a hearing impairment that requires aids by the age of 17, 54 per
cent of our Indigenous children suffer some form of hearing loss.”
Sheila
Salunke has 12 years experience as a listening and spoken language specialist,
and has been working at the Shepherd Centre since 2011. “We are specialising in
the AVT [auditory-verbal therapy] process,” she explained. “It’s so satisfying
working with these kids and knowing that there’s a good success rate for them
within age appropriateness in terms of their language and their speech.”
For more
information about the Shepherd Centre, including its First Sounds Cochlear
Implant and Residential Workshop programs, contact the Centre on 1800 020 030.
Photo:
Andrew Collis Governor-General
Quentin Bryce with children and parents at the Shepherd Centre’s playgroup in
Darlington
Youth of
Today, A regular article on local youth and related issues is kindly sponsored
by Appetite Café 82 Regent St Redfern 9699 4069.
Source: South Sydney Herald March 2012 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au