Subject: HearingExchange News Week of 7.05.01 HearingExchange News http://www.HearingExchange.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Welcome to the latest edition of HearingExchange News! You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to it at HearingExchange.com. Feel free to forward this to anyone else who might be interested in HearingExchange. Subscription and removal information are at the end of the newsletter. If the links don't work or you are an AOL user: please copy and paste the links into your browser. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IN THIS ISSUE: * Letter from the Editor * What's New * Feature Article * News * Contributing Articles * Message Boards * Featured Site * Upcoming Events * Featured Book * Ask the Experts * Poll Results * Featured Product * Get Involved * Sponsor Message ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Hi Everyone! Our first, live chat was a terrific success! Several members of the HearingExchange community came to talk and get to know one another. Our next chat will be tomorrow night, Thursday, July 5th at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Our topic will be "Coping with Hearing Loss." I hope you can join us. Simply click on this link: http://www.hearingexchange.com/chat/chat2.htm and enter your name or a screen name and click on "Sign on." (You do not need a password.) Please be patient while the chat software loads. We are planning to host weekly chats on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST. Is this a good time and day for you? Please let us know your thoughts about the time and send us your ideas for chat topics that would interest you. Post your remarks here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000111.html Have a good week! ~ Paula ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " W H A T ' S N E W " " " " " " " " " " Help spread the news about our supportive and informative HearingExchange community. Do you have a doctor, teacher, therapist, audiologist or friend who you would like to tell about HearingExchange? We will send them a color postcard by U.S. Mail fREE for the asking. Just fill out the form at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/postcards/index.htm We also offer an online "refer a friend" service at http://www.hearingexchange.com/recommend/index.html. Meet the founder of HearingExchange! I'll be participating on a panel of parents offering their perspectives on transitions and raising hearing impaired children at the AG Bell Summer Conference, July 27-29 in Bethesda, Maryland. Valuable information on genetics and hearing loss as well as parenting, mainstreaming, cochlear implants and many other topics will be offered. Childcare is available. The AG Bell conventions and conferences give you a valuable opportunity to meet other people with hearing loss, parents and professionals. If you can go, don't miss it! The pre-registration deadline is July 6th. For further information please click on the links below: http://www.agbell.org/escd.html http://www.agbell.org/genetics.html http://www.agbell.org/gnoregis.html - Prices and Registration The articles in the Paula's Pearls section on the main page of HearingExchange are now available for syndication. We have received many reprint requests from hospitals, teachers, therapists, childcare providers, parents, website publishers and others. If you are interested in reprinting any of these articles, please send an email to mailto:reprints@hearingexchange.com. You can sign up to be notified when new articles are available by entering your email address in the Sign Up box on the main page of the site and select HearingExchange Syndicated Content. ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Sponsored by: F E A T U R E A R T I C L E Barnes & Noble " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Saying Words Correctly - What to Expect by Dorothy P. Dougherty, MA, CCC-SLP Saying words clearly and correctly is easy for some young children. However, others need a lot of practice before they are able to say all of the sounds of their language correctly. Many times your child's pronunciation of words is endearing and not a cause for concern. However, since the age at which a child masters all speech sounds may vary as much as two to three years, parents often ask: Is this a stage? Will he outgrow it? When Should I seek professional help? Read the article here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/featured_article070501.htm ============================================================ " " " " N E W S " " " " TDI to Honor Vinton Cerf, Ben Soukup, Richard Ellis, Harry Lang and Prestigious Law Firm of Swidler Berlin Shereff & Friedman, LLP in 2001 Awards Luncheon at TDI Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota July 10th. Read more here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-070201a.htm = = = = = ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 27--A first-of-its-kind worldwide university network officially begins this week as top educators from Russia, Japan, China and the U.S. meet at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Read more here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-062901.htm = = = = = CUPERTINO, CA - June 25, 2001 - DURECT Corporation (Nasdaq: DRRX) announced today that it has filed a Special 510(k) pre-market notification with the FDA for its next generation ear delivery catheter. Like its predecessor IntraEAR® catheters, the Microdose Cath® is intended for the site-directed delivery of fluids to the round window area of the middle ear for the treatment of ear disorders. Additionally, DURECT announced that the Naval Medical Center San Diego ("NMCSD") will be evaluating the IntraEAR® Microdose Cath® as part of an FDA accepted physician-sponsored Investigational New Drug ("PIND") study. NMCSD will use the catheter as part of a blinded, non-active controlled study evaluating the use of gentamicin for the treatment of Meniere's disease. Due to the nature of the progression of Meniere's disease, the clinical evaluation period for this study may last up to two years. Read more: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-062601.htm = = = = = Consumer Information Bureau seeks additional comment on the provision of improved telecommunications relay service. Click here for more on this: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-070201c.htm = = = = = These and other news briefs and articles are all available on the main page of HearingExchange. Go to http://www.HearingExchange.com and review the News and Articles sections of the site as well as their archives. ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " C O N T R I B U T I N G A R T I C L E S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Lip Reading and How to Make It Work Better by Margie Littell Ulrich, CCC-A, Clinical Audiologist When our ears begin to transmit an unclear speech signal to our brains, our eyes kick in with a back up system called lip reading. Even people with normal hearing will use this technique when they find themselves in difficult listening environments; such as, after church in the foyer, or in a gymnasium during a basketball game. However, eyes have several disadvantages when they try to help us hear. Click here for the full article: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/article-070501a.htm Talk, Talk, Talk by Mary V. Rivers As a mother of a grown, deaf son I would like to pass along what was most helpful to me. I was in a total shock to find out our son Carl was born deaf! My biggest concern was to find the right school and educate him. Read this mother's heartwarming story here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/article-070501b.htm ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " M E S S A G E B O A R D S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Have something to say? Say it on our Message Boards! You don't need to register to participate. You can easily post a new topic or reply to current threads. A social worker in our Cochlear Implants forum posted this recently: Would like to have information on cochlear implants of children deaf since birth from CMV (cytomegalovirus). Mother lives in WV would like to talk with someone about prognosis, struggles etc. Click here to respond: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000033.html - - - - - Can you help this person? I am in process of filing for VA compensation with VA for military sustained hearing loss while in US Army Reserves in the 1960s. At that time, my disability was rejected by my reserve unit because I could not prove that injury was a result of howitzer firing while in training. I did not learn until recently that I could file a claim through the VA. I would be interested in knowing how I can sustain my claim with what might be scant records at time of injury.I am not sure of what is in my medical records about this injury. I feel that I need to know how to negotiate my way through "the system" in sustaining my claims. Any assistance would be appreciated. Click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000109.html - - - - - I am the new mom to a beautiful 3 1/2 month little girl named Grace. Grace was born profoundly deaf. After extensive blood work and a CT scan, it appears that the only thing that points to the cause of her hearing loss is the absence of a bone in both ears. It appears that the part of the temporal bone known as the petrous ridge did not develop in either ear. The pediatric ENT states that it appears that that must be the cause of her deafness because nothing else shows up. (He is still consulting with other doctors to find out more.) My husband and I are unsure as to where to turn to next. If any of you have ever heard of this, or know who we might turn to for help, please let us know. Thank you in advance for any information that you may offer. Blessings!! Click here to post on this topic: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000087.html - - - - - We will soon be going through the IEP process for the very first time for my son, who will be three in September. He is moderate-severe in one ear; mild-moderate in the other. There are several Community Preschool programs available in our school district that we are looking at. He will be entitled to itinerant services by the HI teacher as well as speech therapy. The preschool we are focusing on is a mainstream one, with a couple of HI children mixed in. Our "home school" has a preschool for children with any type of special need (where "typical" kids are the minority). I am planning to ask that our son be placed into the mainstream preschool, so that he can have good speech examples to draw from. His current (private) speech therapist agrees wholeheartedly. Since I am new to this process, I would like to read other parents' experiences with speech therapy and itinerant services provided by the public school system-- Good? Bad? How frequent are the services received/needed? Offer your insight: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000021.html - - - - - Active message threads on Meniere's Disease and Sudden Hearing Loss are available to anyone who is interested. Click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Late+Deafened&number=5&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin= - - - - - Are you a professional working with people or children with hearing loss? Join in our Professionals forum for networking and information exchanges. Don't forget, you can change the "show topics" default to show ALL the topics posted in a forum. Click here to visit the Professionals forum: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Professionals+Section&number=7&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin= - - - - - Are you a student in high school, college or graduate school? Visit our Students forum to meet others with like interests in hearing loss and ASL. Click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Students&number=8 These topics and more can be found on our message boards. Click here to see a list of all the forums available: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Ultimate.cgi ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " F E A T U R E D S I T E " " " " " " " " " " " " " The Oberkotter Oral Deaf Education site is dedicated to promoting the idea and providing resources for deaf and hard of hearing children so that they can learn to talk. The site offers a comprehensive listing and information about oral school programs in North America and the United Kingdom. Free videos for parents and professionals as well as an exceptional parent resource kit are available. Good library of information and listing of professional job opportunities. Learn more about this site - click here - http://www.oraldeafed.org ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " U P C O M I N G E V E N T S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " July 13-16 - Cochlear Implant Association Convention Minneapolis, Minnesota http://www.cici.org/convmain.html July 14-18 - Educational Audiology Association Summer Conference - Portland, Oregon http://www.edaud.org/Conference/conf.html July 18 - HearUs Long Island Chapter meeting in New York. RSVP Laura Miller (516) 794-5268 or e-mail mailto:HearUSLongIsland@aol.com by 7/13 July 19-22 - Say What Club Chicago Convention - Chicago, IL http://www.saywhatclub.org/swc-events/chicon/chicago.html For further information on these and other events, visit our Event Calendar for the months of July and August at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/events/calendar.cgi ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " F E A T U R E D B O O K " " " " " " " " " " " " " IDEA Advocacy for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Question and Answer Book for Parents and Professionals. Written by Bonnie Poitras Tucker, a leading lawyer who is deaf, this is an excellent resource for parents of school age children. Chapters explain about the IEP process, the options and considerations for children with hearing loss and more. Click here to view the book: http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=34200770&bfpid=1565938968&bfmtype=book ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " A S K T H E E X P E R T S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Questions for our Cochlear Implant Expert, Dr. Pat Chute: Q: Which is the best childrens hospital to get an implant? Q: How do you decide which cochlear implant device to choose for your surgery? Read Dr. Chutes's response as well as previous questions and answers at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/cochlear_implant.htm Question for our Audiology Expert, Dr. Ira Springer: Q. How do you troubleshoot a hearing aid? Read Dr. Springer's response as well as previous questions and answers at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/audiologist.htm Question for our Parent Support Expert, Lisa Simmons Q: Is it reasonable to have to wait one year for our school district to provide the support my daughter needs? My daughter is currently bused to another school district where they have a special program for hearing impaired students. Because of social issues and busing issues we want to bring her back to our own district. However, the special education director said she will need a year to get a notetaker and an oral interpreter in place for our child. Any tips on how I can get services implemented so my daughter can start school (8th grade) in the Fall in our own district? Read Ms. Simmons' response as well as previous questions and answers at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/parent_support.htm ============================================================= " " " " " " " " " " " " P O L L R E S U L T S " " " " " " " " " " " " Our last poll asked: What do you do when you don't hear what is being said? Answers: 67% said: Ask for a repeat. 22% said: Pretend you heard. 9% said: Ask someone later. This week, our Who Helps You? Poll asks: Do you have a knowledgeable professional who assists you with your hearing loss? Be sure to vote in this poll located on the main page of the web site! http://www.HearingExchange.com ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " F E A T U R E D P R O D U C T " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Check out the SoundPlus WIR950 Listening System. Don't miss another program! The SoundPlus Listening Systems are perfect for TV listening, small group meetings, offices, and conference rooms. The receivers are compatible with large-area systems and can be used at most movie theaters. The transmitters connect directly to TV or audio output jacks, or can be used with the accompanying microphone. Click here to contact Harris and find out more: http://www.harriscomm.com (You will have to call or fax Harris as their site is down temporarily.) ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " G E T I N V O L V E D " " " " " " " " " " " " Link to Us! We now have terrific graphics and banners for those of you with websites. Grab one of our links today and let us know when you do. We will be happy to offer a reciprocal link to your website. Go to: http://www.hearingexchange.com/link_to_us.htm Refer a Friend! We've made it easy for you to tell your friends, family and colleagues about HearingExchange. Simply click on this link and fill out the form, we'll take care of the rest! http://www.hearingexchange.com/recommend/index.html Do you work with deaf or hard of hearing children or adults? Do you want to? Visit our free Employment Board! Post your resume or list an open position at your organization today. All posts must be related to hearing loss fields. Go to http://www.hearingexchange.com/jobs/ Like to write? HearingExchange is currently accepting article submissions. We encourage you to participate by submitting your original articles, tips or ideas for articles. Submissions should be 500 to 800 words maximum. Visit this page to learn about our Writers Guidelines: http://www.hearingexchange.com/article_submissions.htm Hosting an event of interest to the adults, parents or professionals who deal with hearing loss? Looking for workshops or seminars on this issue? Visit our Event Calendar and browse around, there are many great seminars around the U.S. Be sure to click on the actual date of an event to read more about it. Post your events by clicking here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/events/calendar.cgi Are You an Expert? We Need You! We're currently seeking qualified experts. If you're an expert or know someone who is, please send us their email address or have them contact us at mailto:info@hearingexchange.com. We especially need a teacher of the deaf and hearing impaired. All experts must have experience with hearing impaired adults and/or children. Our Resource Directory is growing! We now have 230 hand-picked links related to hearing loss for you to review. When looking for organizations, assistive devices, hearing aid manufacturers, listservs and much more, visit: http://www.hearingexchange.com/resources/ Use our Add a Site feature at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/resources/add.cgi to refer great links you have found. We will review and post them promptly. " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " S P O N S O R M E S S A G E " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Aural rehabilitation specialists recommend the use of books on tape to help cochlear implant users develop and enhance their listening skills. Start listening to NY Times Bestseller Audiobooks today! Click below to order audiobooks from RecordedBooks.com: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=6j5NMWZ2SlU&offerid=31231.4&type=3&subid=0 ============================================================ Your input is always welcome at HearingExchange. Send us your comments, suggestions and any news related to hearing loss. Looking forward to "hearing" from you, Paula Rosenthal, Founder & Publisher HearingExchange - http://www.HearingExchange.com Exchanging Ideas & Information on Hearing Loss To subscribe to this newsletter visit our site and enter your email address in the newsletter subscription box. All addresses are kept strictly confidential.