AVCC Newsletter
Volume #3, Issue No. 1,  March 2005

A publication of  The Auditory-Verbal Communication Center

Written by Lea Watson

What’s New At AVCC?

• AVCC team “EAResistables” !
•  

The "EAResistables" came in second at the 3^rd Annual Charity Ski Race for hearMEnow at Shawnee Peak, ME on March 6, 2005.

The now famous "EAResistables" team consisted of fast skiers; Jim, our son Fraser, his friend Sam, and yes, ME! Yes, I did pretty well beating my 6 year old student by 1 second but I did not beat her parents or her 70 year old grandmother!

We had so much fun skiing with some "old" AVCC families, the professionals from "hear ME now", and all the friendly people at Shawnee Peak. What a fabulous ski area. I went up with two cute girls on the chairlift;  first grader Sarah N and fifth grader Sarah P who came to AVCC when they were first learning to listen with their cochlear implants. Sarah N now has bilateral CI!  I enjoyed talking with them about school, their families, and all that they like to do. They had a lot to talk about! I was delighted. And, I could just barely keep up with them on the slopes!

 Miss America 1995 Heather Whitestone was part of the festivities. She is very friendly and inspirational now listening well with her cochlear implant. We posed for a picture with her and AVCC parents Shirley and Chet Homer, owner of Shawnee Peak.

 Jim and I enjoyed supporting this charity ski race for "hear ME now", the oral school started by some of the AVCC families who live in Maine. AVCC parent Greg Novick is president of the Board of hearMEnow. Congratulations to him and all who helped organize this wonderful fundraiser event.

I encourage everyone to join us for the 4^th Annual Charity Ski race next year! Mark your calendars for the first weekend in March 2006. See if you can beat the “EAResistables”.

 Other News?

• SLP from hearME now wants to pursue her Certification in Auditory-Verbal Therapy at AVCC. Plans are underway to help her mentor with us and fulfill the requirements set by Auditory-Verbal Interantionl for certification
• Larry Hott from Florentine Films visited AVCC and interviewed us. He is doing a PBS documentary called; "History Through Deaf Eyes".
• AVCC Mom, Kerry Dowling, was quoted in the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Volta Voices article “Get With The Beat!” Call the AGBell Association to get a copy of this interesting article. Kerry’s daughter Hadley is featured in two of the photos. Hadley knows the lyrics and can sing hundreds of songs. AVCC student Rachel Chaikof is featured in this article accepting an award from the acclaimed percussionist Evelyn Glennie who is deaf. Children who are deaf and their families who come to AVCC have been singing songs, learning nursery rhymes, and enjoying all kinds of music for over 25 years. Music is part of every lesson at AVCC. The benefits of singing songs with young children who are deaf are immeasurable as well as pleasurable. This article attests to that.
• Jim and I met with AGBell members who are trying to re-establish the Massachusetts Chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. We encourage all AVCC families –past and present-- to join up and then be sure to continue your membership with the AGBell Assoc. www.agbell.org. 

Call the A. G. Bell Association Toll free 1-866-337-5220 today!

• AVCC Family Get-Together is scheduled for Saturday April 30, 2005 at noon. Call or e-mail for details. All AVCC families  “past and present” are welcome to join us for some fun.

AVCC Parent Meeting March 6, 2005

With Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapists Jim and Lea Watson

Throughout the year, parent meetings are scheduled to bring parents together to share where they are with their children in the process of Auditory-Verbal Therapy. This meeting covered;

• Sensory Integration therapy
• Ideas and books for behavior. Tips for parenting those challenging moments!
• Your favorite kid’s book and its effectiveness for AVT

Sensory Integration

Mom LM shared how one year of Sensory Integration Therapy for her 8 year old son who has a moderate-severe hearing loss has changed her life. Jim had asked her to come prepared to share this information with the group. She brought information to share.

What is Sensory Integration?

 Jim described:

“Most children develop sensory integration as they grow and develop doing ordinary childhood activities; swinging, jumping, rolling, all the fun and crazy antics that kids do. The vestibular sense is the most basic of all your senses. It helps you orient yourself in space. When your body is in homo stasis, it is balanced you integrate sight, sound, touch, movement, body awareness and the pull of gravity. As I sit here

I hear the keys clicking on the computer. I feel the pressure on the back of my chair, my feet on the floor, and am ready to converse with you. These feelings, sounds, and what I see are not confusing to me because my brain has organized and interpreted this information. How the brain processes and organizes this sensory information is called “sensory integration”. Many children who are deaf and hard of hearing have sensory integration needs. Sometimes they are not diagnosed because they are seen as minor compared with children who have severe SI needs. When we worked at the Helen Beebe Speech and Hearing Center, all of the children were screened for SI issues. Many of them required SI therapy or SI suggestions.”

 Mom LM said; My son was constantly in motion. He did not just walk. As he walked, he’d slide. Now I realize he could not walk because he could not hold himself up for that long. He needed to get down and slide.

He got gross motor stimulation --PT and OT therapy in preschool, but then that stopped when he went to Kindergarten. In first grade it started to become a behavioral issue. Once we started the Sensory Integration Therapy, he got the feedback he needed and the bad behaviors started to go away.

 The SI therapy helped stimulate that part of his brain that needed to develop more. The SI therapy helped it develop. We can go out to eat in a restaurant now. We can go shopping now. Before we couldn’t because he was not able to stand in line.

 I always thought sensory was you don’t like to get your hands dirty, don’t like the feel of glue, etc. Well, my son did not like some of those. Cutting the toe nails was so bad.

Now I can cut his toe nails without a scene. My kid refused to tie his shoes. During his SI therapy, they help him. They have a huge shoe that has color coded laces. They help and guide him to learn in the best way that he can. If I try to teach him, he just fights me and says he can’t do it.”

 MOM DL came to the meeting saying that her son who is in kindergarten was having a hard time paying attention in school and at home. Sometimes he seemed to be in a daze.

Mom LM suggested; “I wonder if having an SI evaluation might be a good idea. It can’t hurt. The evaluation is fun and if he needs the therapy, that is fun, too.”

 For more information contact;