MED-EL Corp, Durham, NC, has launched BRIDGE to Better Communication, a program especially for hearing loss professionals, schools, cochlear implant users and parents to help close the gap between implantation and the development of improved listening skills and spoken communication.

BRIDGE to Better Communication consists of a wide variety of products, resources and tools for adult and pediatric habilitation, assessment, and device management, including the recently-released My LittlEars Diary and the LittlEars Auditory Questionnaire.  LittlEars materials are designed to assess age-appropriate auditory behavior of children in the preverbal development phase.  Many of the resource materials are available at no charge and can be downloaded for instant access.

Developed in part by teachers and therapists, the program strives to address needs along a developmental continuum, from early intervention in children, to teens, to adults working to maximize the benefits of their cochlear implant.  Parents of children with cochlear implants also provided feedback into tools that enhance their relationships with teachers and, ultimately, are designed to facilitate positive learning experiences.

Three new BRIDGE products, the Mainstream Assessment of Readiness for Children Over Five (M.A.R.C.O.F.), the Picture Perfect Preschool and the Murat Early Reader Series were launched at CI2007’s Aural Habilitation Seminar.

The program includes other materials developed by leaders in the hearing development field including the following: The Checklist of Auditory Communications Skills, by Nancy Caleffe-Schenck and Darla Franz; Identifying Early Phonological Needs in Children with Hearing Loss, by Elaine P. Payden and Carolyn J. Brown; and AUDITRAIN, SPEECHTRAX AND SYNTRAIN, developed by Geoff Plant, popular with professionals working with teens and young adults.

A catalogue of BRIDGE to Better Communications materials can be downloaded by visiting www.medel.com.

Source: MED-EL