9August2017

Sign language in early childhood education

Early use of sign language is advocated as a way to protect
against linguistic and cognitive disadvantage if spoken
language is not acquired within the critical period.

Haydns story
I admire any hearing impaired person, or Deaf person, who
holds down a job and or maintains their social life as there
seem to be difficulties at every turn. It is only by close contact
with someone with a hearing loss that you get to understand
the problems they have at work and in social situations in
communicating.

Hearing implant for iPhone users

Apple and Cochlear launch the first iPhone-compatible cochlear
sound processor implant. It streams sound directly from a
compatible iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to the sound processor.

Growing inner ear organs

Researchers have grown inner ear tissue from human stem
cells -- a finding that could lead to new platforms to model
disease and new therapies for the treatment of hearing and
balance disorders.

American hip hop artist coming to Sydney

Deaf from infancy, Sean Forbess upbringing in a musical
family led to becoming a prolific rapper.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, community, sea, and waters where we live and work. We pay our respects to
elderspast,presentandfutureandvaluethecontributionsIndigenousAustraliansmakeinoursociety.Weacknowledgethechallengefor
IndigenousleadersandfamiliestoovercometheunacceptablyhighlevelsofearhealthissuesamongfirstAustralians.
Debate continues
The 26 July 2017 edition of One in Six included an article, The debate that never ends by Jane
Madell. The author referred to The Geers study by clinician and researcher Ann Geers.

In the article, Jane Maddell wrote: Children who have good listening and spoken language and
good literacy skills have opportunities in life that those who do not have those skills just dont
have. Learning sign language later is always an option but learning it early destroys possibilities.
That is the point it only works if children have early exposure to spoken language.

Readers expressed their opinions on the article. Names have been withheld.

Comment
I was so disappointed and shocked that an article of this bias was not counter balanced with the
alternative arguments. I understand that the views expressed may not be yours directly - but
come on - I work in the deafness sector with parents of deaf children and after reading this article
- I would believe I am harming my child's chances of reading English by teaching them Auslan - all
from studying three (Ed: groups) children? There are so many articles that contradict this article
but you chose to run this one? I hope you balance out this article with the facts from the other
point of view - Parents are choosing to raise their children bilingual - this is because they can
through NDIS funding - not through audiologists who receive their funding from technology!!

Comment
A note of recognition and thanks for the Jane Madell article in the latest One in Six Newsletter. As
Jane has stated, the issues raised in this piece have been long debated, are emotive and will
undoubtedly challenge many so I would just like to acknowledge the courage required to publish
this article.

Comment
I understand the interest in Geer's research but publishing only one side of the story is
disingenuous at best. It's disappointing that you chose not to publish the wealth of responses
disputing the research. I hope you will do so in the next edition! Just a few examples:
Opportunities and Shared Decision-Making to Help Children Who Are Deaf to Communicate at
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2017/06/08/peds.2017-1287.comments and Deaf
Scientists Call Out Biased Research in Historic Move https://dpan.tv/series/dtv-news/episode/deaf-
scientists-call-out-biased-research-in-historic-move Alternatively, Facebook users could
try https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=https%3A%2F%2Fdpan.tv%2Fseries%2Fdtv-
news%2Fepisode%2Fdeaf-scientists-call-out-biased-research-in-historic-move Thanks for considering.

Comment
I am so impressed that you led with the Ann Geers article. I know its very challenging for some
of your members but it is something no one should ignore.
Your child has a cochlear implant: why include sign
language?
By Debra Nussbaum, Audiologist and Coordinator of the Cochlear Implant Education Center at the
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University.

Each child with a cochlear implant is unique, and there does not appear to be a single approach
that is the one right approach to develop language and communication for all children with
cochlear implants. For this reason, the Cochlear Implant Education Center (CIEC) at the Laurent
Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University is focusing on examining a variety of
ideas and strategies for children with cochlear implants that value and develop spoken language
while also valuing and developing sign language and Deaf identity.

Maybe youve heard the frequently expressed opinion associated with cochlear implants within
some parts of the medical and deaf education community that the use of sign language will limit
the outcomes for spoken language development through the cochlear implant. We continue to
find that families are counselled to either never sign with their child (even prior to a young childs
getting a cochlear implant) or to stop signing with their child (even older children who have used
sign for quite a while) once they get their cochlear implant. When this notion is conveyed to
families of children getting cochlear implants, it is difficult for families to provide evidence and
support for why sign language should be included.

As there is not yet enough research, why should the use of sign language be considered for a
child with a cochlear implant? Here are a few
things to think about:

For young children, cochlear implant surgery does not typically occur until approximately 12
months of age. By the time the speech processor of the implant is turned on and the child has
even a brief opportunity to access quality sound, at least 14-15 months of prime language
learning time has passed. Recognizing the crucial importance of establishing language
foundations early in a childs life, it makes sense that sign should at least be considered as a
foundation of early language for a child until the auditory sense has time to develop and the
child has opportunities to listen.

For older children (beyond the early language acquisition years) who are established,
successful sign language users and who then get a cochlear implant, the transition to
becoming an auditory-only learner may not be realistic. The cochlear implant may offer the
child awareness and enjoyment of sound and the ability to develop some important skills in
communicating via spoken language and developing literacy. However, spoken language may
not become the childs primary way to communicate. Some children, even with a cochlear
implant, may struggle to develop listening and speaking skills. They are wired to learn more
visually. It is often not clear what a childs learning style will be with a cochlear implant and
whether sign language could and should be an integral part of the language and
communication practices. If a child with a cochlear implant does acquire a greater
 competence and a preference for using sign and does not develop equal competence in
spoken English, it is important that the childs proficiency in sign be valued and the child not
seen as a failure with their cochlear implant.

A cochlear implant is a physical device. It can break; the batteries can die; it can get lost;
children may refuse to wear it; the internal device can fail; and nobody wears it 24 hours a day
(contact sports, bathing, etc). A childs competence in sign language offers language and
communication abilities that are beneficial when the cochlear implant may not be available.

Bilingual development and use of both American Sign Language and spoken English as
separate languages should be strongly considered as a first choice option for children with
cochlear implants. If both ASL and spoken English are developed and used before and after a
child receives a cochlear implant, this approach can promote competence in two languages
which can benefit the child in their learning, social interactions, and identity as a deaf
individual.

If an oral environment is being considered for a child with a cochlear implant who also uses
sign language, it is beneficial to consider using guidelines to confirm whether the child is ready
for such a transition. For an example of such guidelines, see: Children with Cochlear Implants
Who Sign: Guidelines for Transitioning to Oral Education or a Mainstream Setting at:
http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2143/Documents/transition.pdf These
guidelines also can be used to document the functioning of a child in an oral environment to
determine whether he or she could be better served in an environment that includes signing.

At the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School at the Clerc Center, we have designed a bilingual
ASL/spoken English model to meet the needs of children with cochlear implants and are
evaluating its effectiveness. We are finding that with appropriate planning and supports in place,
many children with cochlear implants are developing language foundations in both ASL and
spoken English, and that sign is not limiting their spoken language development. In fact, we are
finding that use of sign is beneficial in helping children build their skills in spoken English.

Use of cochlear implants and a bilingual ASL/spoken English model is gaining momentum with
both hearing families, deaf families and the greater Deaf community. We are observing a recent
trend with deaf families beginning to consider cochlear implants for their young deaf children. In
addition we are seeing emerging discussion within the Deaf community regarding the benefits of
using both ASL and cochlear implants. For more information refer to the ASL-Cochlear Implant
Community website at: http://aslci.blogspot.com/

Making choices about the best way to approach language and communication development for a
child with a cochlear implant is not always clear. While the goal of obtaining a cochlear implant is
to increase a childs potential to access sound for the purpose of developing spoken language, it is
important to keep this goal in perspective with all of a childs needs and look at how sign language
can be included. Yes, spoken language must be addressed and valued in the childs environment,
but sign language also can play an important role.
Using sign language in early childhood education
By Dr Breda Carty, published by the Victorian Deaf Education Institute.
It is ironic to many educators and deaf people to see the widespread interest in using baby sign
with hearing babies, when there is still confusion and apprehension about using sign language
with deaf babies. Many researchers have now demonstrated that early use of sign language with
deaf babies is effective for stimulating the development of language pathways in the brain (e.g.
Mayberry, 2007), and that it does not prevent the development of speech but may actually
enhance it (e.g. Yoshinago-Itano, 2006). Early use of sign language is advocated as a way to
protect against the likelihood of linguistic and cognitive disadvantage if spoken language is not
acquired within the critical period (e.g. Humphries et al., 2012).

Deaf babies and young children will only receive these benefits if they have early and regular
exposure to fluent, meaningful sign language. Their families can be supported to provide such
exposure, however this can be challenging as it is a new language for the majority of families.
Effective early education programs include fluent deaf signers and mentors as part of the teams
working with families and children. Learning sign languages such as Auslan can be made more
successful and enjoyable with well-developed resources such as Deaf Children Australias
CommuniCATE kit, tailored programs and flexible, competent teachers. Its also important for
families to know about other communication strategies that will make signing (and all
communication) more effective (Harris, 2010):

Maintaining joint attention with babies so that they can see the signing around them. Once
babies start attending to other things in their environment, caregivers need to become creative
about moving their signing into the babys field of vision, signing on or near the object the
baby is looking at, or on the babys body.
Using signing effectively when reading or interacting with books, e.g. making name-signs for
characters in favourite books, signing on the pictures, and using depicting signs (classifiers) to
show how objects on the page might move.
Understanding that young children will make phonological errors when they begin to sign,
similar to the errors hearing children make when learning to speak. They will substitute easier
handshapes for more complex ones (such as signing DADDY with the point handshape rather
than the usual H handshape), or moving the whole torso rather than just the arms when
producing a sign like BABY.

Continuing research and improved design and resourcing of sign-inclusive programs will give deaf
children opportunities to stimulate the important language pathways in their brains as early as
possible, maximise their opportunities to learn spoken language, and become bilingual with all the
demonstrated cognitive advantages that bilingualism brings.

http://www.deafeducation.vic.edu.au/News-Events/Pages/Using-sign-language-in-early-childhood-education---new-
article-by-Dr-Breda-Carty.aspx?utm_source=threeware_enews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=VDEI%20-
%20October%202014
In the next edition of One in Six,

Early help tied to better language skills in kids with hearing loss
Children with permanent hearing loss may develop better language skills if they get hearing aids
or cochlear implants while theyre still babies, an Australian study suggests.

Kids who received hearing aids at age 2 had worse language outcomes than kids who got the
devices fitted when they were just 3 months old, the study found. Also, children who got cochlear
implants at age 2 also had worse language outcomes than kids who got these devices when they
were 6 months old.

Access to auditory cues in speech and language paves the way for language learning, said lead
study author Teresa Ching of the National Acoustic Laboratories.

Hearing is not one of Australias national health priorities. It means we do not have the adequate
investment in services and research we need. It also means there is not a focus on community
education. Its a barrier that is preventing too many Australians from reaching their potential.

Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children: We recommend that Hearing Health and
Wellbeing be adopted by the Commonwealth Government as a National Health Priority.

Audiology Australia: The Australian Government should make Hearing Health and Wellbeing a
National Health Priority

WA Foundation for Deaf Children: We offer our wholehearted support for hearing health and
wellbeing to be the next National Health Priority for Australia.

NT Council of Government Schools Organisation: In truth, we believe our nation is failing

generations of Australians by not making Hearing Health a national priority. NT COGSO submits
that hearing health and wellbeing should be considered as the next national Health Priority for
Australia and please ensure it delivers a National Partnership between the Commonwealth, States
and Territories to reduce Hearing Loss and its Effects.

Sign up to the campaign to Break the Sound Barrier at www.breakthesoundbarrier.org.au

American hip hop artist Sean Forbes will be performing in Sydney on Friday 15 September,
brought to you by The Deaf Society.

Deaf from infancy, Forbess upbringing in a musical family led to becoming a prolific rapper,
drummer and songwriter. Through the rhythm, the beat and the cadence of lyrics, he describes
feeling music, 'The anger of punk, the energy of techno, the raw sexuality of rock the emotions
come through just as powerfully for the deaf as they do for the hearing.'

His performances are a visual feast using sign language, graphics and captions along with the
music itself. Tickets at http://bit.ly/2stattd

Stay up-to-date with the NDIS

Keep in touch with news and a regular Q&A posted on the NDIS website under News. Visit
https://www.ndis.gov.au/latest_news.html or follow the twitter hashtag #ndisqanda

Subscribe to the NDIS newsletter to receive the latest up-to-date news straight from the NDIA.
Information in the last newsletter included a link to a short video about NDIS plans and budgets,
real NDIS stories from participants, and explanations about technical terminology to better help
participation in the scheme. Finding and engaging service providers is a featured story in this
issue of the newsletter. A number of resources have been developed to assist participants when
choosing a provider or employing a support worker. Find out more by clicking the link here
A comprehensive FAQ about assistive technology is also featured, which can be explored by
clicking here
 Name: Haydn
Location: Canberra

I met my wife, Sue, in 1975. She had always had a

hearing loss which was picked up at the age of 7. Later
she had two stapedectomies one of which was
successful and this gave her reasonable hearing.
Unfortunately her hearing has deteriorated and she
wears two hearing aids but the right ear tends to be
decorative rather than a help in hearing.

I admire any hearing impaired person, or Deaf person, who holds down a job and or maintains
their social life as there seem to be difficulties at every turn. It is only by close contact with
someone with a hearing loss that you get to understand the problems they have at work and in
social situations in communicating. Of course technology has been a great help over recent years
but nothing replaces your original hearing. A hearing impaired person has to struggle to hear in
most situations. Hearing requires concentration and various skills like lipreading and recognition
of body language. Often not all the words are heard and the brain has to go into overdrive to fill
in the gaps. It is no wonder that the hearing impaired person gets tired.

Now that I also have a hearing loss and wear aids myself I can understand better the challenges
faced by those unfortunate to have a hearing loss. Although there is more understanding of
hearing loss and deafness in the community there are still huge gaps. For example if you go to a
lecture or presentation often the room is not looped. The lecturer may want to move back and
forth across the stage and hence lipreading is difficult, they may want the light on them turned off
so the audience can see the slides (and hence lipreading is made impossible) and so on. Music on
TV while people are speaking is another problem. Announcements at airports and railway stations
are often not understood by those with reasonable hearing so you can imagine how those with
hearing loss get on. Doctors surgeries and hospitals with the TV blaring (rather that captions)
make the hearing of ones name when called out very difficult.

Surviving in the hearing world that we are part of is tough but it is not all bad. There are pockets
of success, the captioned plays offered by The Canberra Theatre Company since 2005, the
wonderful hearing augmentation system in Llewellyn Hall are two positive examples.

Our story is dealing with all these problems and assisting others with the knowledge we have
gained over the years. We are also committed to supporting the Deafness Forum in changing the
political landscape to make Deafness and Hearing Loss better understood and technological and
other assistance part of the normal process in everyday life so that we dont have to continually
explain why we want the hearing loop to work or the sound quality to be good and so on.

This real life story was brought to you by

Apple & Cochlear launch hearing implant for iPhone users
Apple has joined Australia-based company Cochlear to launch the first iPhone-compatible cochlear
sound processor implant.

Cochlears Nucleus 7 Sound Processor can now stream sound directly from a compatible iPhone,
iPad or iPod touch to the sound processor.

The approval of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is a turning point for people with hearing loss,
opening the door for them to make phone calls, listen to music in high-quality stereo sound,
watch videos and have FaceTime calls streamed directly to their Cochlear implant, said Chris
Smith, CEO at Cochlear.
http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/apple-cochlear-launch-hearing-implant-for-iphone-users/782110/

Welcome to new member, Centrefit Services

Centrefit Services is Deafness Forums newest member. The company is a service, maintenance
and Installation company working in the health and wellness industry. It is the global distributor
of a new product called hearTV. The product is designed with hearing and visually impaired
people in mind and comes in two commercial and one domestic version. A small unit sits behind
any TV and distributes the audio to your smart phones and transmitted t Bluetooth enable hearing
devices. The free Apple and Android apps can be downloaded to any smartphone or tablet.
Visit https://www.centrefit.website/pro-connect

The Belvoir is one of Australias most celebrated and

acclaimed theatre companies, based in Sydneys Surry
Hills.

As well as an induction hearing loop, the Belvoir offers four

shows a year where patrons who are hard of hearing can read
the lines of the play using the GoTheatrical! app on their
mobile device. The Theatre supplies iPhones to those who do
not have the app or a smart phone.

For more information, contact Anna Booty via anna@belvoir.com.au

The remaining captioned performances this year -

Hir 2pm Saturday 2 September 2017 Ghosts 2pm Saturday 2 October 2017
https://belvoir.com.au/productions/hir/ https://belvoir.com.au/productions/ghosts/
Resources for people with a disability affected by breast cancer
People are shocked and scared when they are told they have breast cancer. For those who are
living with a disability who are diagnosed with breast cancer, there are often additional challenges.

These new Easy English fact sheets and audio resources provide accessible information and
support to all people diagnosed with breast cancer, and their supporters.

The first set of fact sheets and audio resources are about anxiety, depression and breast cancer;
bone health and breast cancer; lymphedema; and breast cancer and sleep.
https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/resources/accessible-resources/

Hearing Awareness Week at Macquarie University Sydney

Free hearing checks and information at the Macquarie University Open Day. People 16 years
and older will have the opportunity to get their hearing checked and learn valuable information on
protecting their hearing and much more. 19 August 2017, 10am to 4pm.
https://openday.mq.edu.au/plan-your-day/#hearing-awareness-how-to-achieve-optimum-hearing-health-
10-00-am
from Sunday 20 August 2017
www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au

Download a free PowerPoint presentation - http://www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au/resources

Changes beginning next year

World Hearing Day, presented by the World Health Organisation, is scheduled for Saturday 3
March 2018. Hearing Awareness Week in Australia will be brought forward next year to the week
running up to the international day.

The international theme in 2018 will be Hear the Future. It will focus on the expected increase in
hearing loss prevalence in coming years.

If you would like to discuss this matter, please dont hesitate to contact us at
info@deafnessforum.org.au
 SUNDAY 13 AUGUST 11am-3pm
SCIC, Old Gladesville Hospital, Punt Road, Gladesville

TRIPLE TREAT:
*RESEARCH
*KANSO PROCESSOR
*NDIS UPDATE

Esti Nel Principal Research Audiologist Esti is well known to CICADA members.
She has been working in the field of cochlear implants for over 25 years. Growing up in
South Africa with a hearing-impaired mother, Esti studied audiology and speech
pathology at the University of Pretoria, gravitating towards implants and helping set up a
fund for South Africans without health insurance. She joined Cochlear in Australia in
2000. Now Esti sits between the engineers developing the technology and the recipients,
parents and teachers. "Often, the first time the technology would be used is here in this
office. We get the whole team around and they all get excited and want to see how
recipients react. It's cutting edge, nobody has seen it around the world and you never get
bored with it."

Katie Neal will present on Kanso - the new look one-piece

processor. She is a Clinical Specialist for Cochlear ANZ region with
degrees in Neuroscience, Speech & Hearing and Audiology . Prior to
rejoining Cochlear, Katie was Senior Audiologist, then Research
Manager at the Shepherd Centre Early Intervention and First Sounds
Cochlear Implant Programs. Katie continues to have a strong interest
in research, clinical practice and understanding hearing loss holistically.

Sharon Lown is the Government Partnerships and NDIS Manager

for RIDBC, working across all RIDBC services to provide the best
support for current and future clients accessing the NDIS. She will focus
on the process for adults and what needs to be considered when making
an NDIS plan. Sharon was formerly with the Northern Sydney Health
District and Royal North Shore Hospital.

The presentations are live captioned and free;

donations welcome
Our famous sausage sizzle $2.50 will follow. Drinks, tea and coffee also available.
Human inner ear organs grown
Researchers have successfully developed a method to grow inner ear tissue from human stem
cells -- a finding that could lead to new platforms to model disease and new therapies for the
treatment of hearing and balance disorders.

"The inner ear is only one of few organs with which biopsy is not performed and because of this,
human inner ear tissues are scarce for research purposes," said Eri Hashino at Indiana University
School of Medicine. "Dish-grown human inner ear tissues offer unprecedented opportunities to
develop and test new therapies for various inner ear disorders."

The study builds on previous work with a technique called three-dimensional culture, which
involves incubating stem cells in a floating ball-shaped aggregate, unlike traditional cell culture in
which cells grow in a flat layer on the surface of a culture dish. This allows for more complex
interactions between cells, and creates an environment that is closer to what occurs in the body
during development.

By culturing human stem cells in this manner and

treating them with specific signaling molecules, the
investigators were able to guide cells through key
processes involved in the development of the human
inner ear. This resulted in what the scientists have
termed inner ear "organoids," or three-dimensional
structures containing sensory cells and supporting
cells found in the inner ear.

"This is essentially a recipe for how to make human

inner ears from stem cells," said Dr. Koehler. "After
tweaking our recipe for about a year, we were
shocked to discover that we could make multiple
inner ear organoids in each pea-sized cell Computer simulation of something inside
aggregate." someones head.

The researchers engineered stem cells that produced fluorescently labeled inner ear sensory cells.
Targeting the labeled cells for analysis, they revealed that their organoids contained a population
of sensory cells that have the same functional signature as cells that detect gravity and motion in
the human inner ear.

Dr. Hashino said these findings are "a real game changer, because up until now, potential drugs
or therapies have been tested on animal cells, which often behave differently from human cells."

From Science Daily, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170502161029.htm

Take part in the National Disability Survey
The Government would like to know what you think about the lives of people with disability in
Australia and if or how things may have improved in the last two years.

The 2016 Progress Report Stakeholder Engagement Survey includes questions about health care,
employment, and access to the local community for people with disability. Your feedback will help
the Government understand what areas need to be improved under the National Disability
Strategy 2010-2020.
https://engage.dss.gov.au/the-2016-progress-report-stakeholder-survey/

Country music icon Glen Campbell, the Rhinestone Cowboy star who sold more than 45 million
records, has died at the age of 81.

Take a moment to enjoy Wichita Lineman, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFCuBLAjXo

Know someone who might like to receive One in Six?

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