Three pediatric audiologists and speech pathologists from Hear and Say are conducting the “first training program” for 30 of China’s professionals in auditory-verbal therapy for children with hearing loss. The training will take place from November 15-19 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, the organization providing hearing services to children announced.
Auditory-verbal therapy using Hear and Say’s Listening and Spoken Language therapy coupled with access to assistive hearing technology is said to help expand the possibilities for children who are deaf to develop the ability to speak and hear, allowing them to access mainstream education and future employment opportunities.
Dr Dimity Dornan, Hear and Say founder, will be traveling with the team members to officially launch the training partnership.
“We are thrilled that Hear and Say will play a role in equipping China’s professionals, helping to deliver improved outcomes for China’s children who are deaf,” she said.
The provision of this inaugural training has been made possible with sponsorship from Sonova, Australia; philanthropy group Fletcher Philanthropies, and the Lee Long Family, who have subsidized part of the cost of delivering the training to improve the affordability for Chinese professionals.
Dornan explains that Hear and Say’s involvement in training in China is indicative of the role Hear and Say undertakes to work globally to enhance speech and language for all children who are deaf.
“We have 26 years of expertise, knowledge, and intellectual property and we can now use this capability to make a global impact by training China’s professional workforce of audiologists and speech pathologists in this technique.”
While in China, Dornan will present at the China Rehabilitation Center & China Rehabilitation Research Center for Hearing and Speech Impairment in Beijing. She will discuss Hear and Say’s approach to telepractice and remote training for professionals and parents, as well as teaching listening and spoken language to children with hearing loss.
“This is just the first of many training programs we hope to undertake in China to ensure China’s audiologists and speech pathologists are equipped with world-leading knowledge to give the children who are deaf in China a speaking future.”
Hear and Say has been operating for 26 years and over this time thousands of children with hearing loss are said to have been helped to hear, listen, and speak—helping to create a future where they are not limited by deafness.
It is a hearing and speaking future that Hear and Say envisages for every child no matter where they live.
Source: Hear and Say
