Jane Madell

Jane Madell, PhD, has a consulting practice in pediatric audiology. She is an audiologist, speech-language pathologist, and LSLS auditory verbal therapist, with a BA from Emerson College and an MA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin. Her 45+ years experience ranges from Deaf Nursery programs to positions at the League for the Hard of Hearing (Director), Long Island College Hospital, Downstate Medical Center, Beth Israel Medical Center/New York Eye and Ear Infirmary as director of the Hearing and Learning Center and Cochlear Implant Center. Jane has taught at the University of Tennessee, Columbia University, Downstate Medical School, and Albert Einstein Medical School, published 7 books, and written numerous books chapters and journal articles, and is a well known international lecturer.

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What If Your School District Does Not Have an Educational Audiologist?

Unfortunately, many school districts do not employ an educational audiologist on staff. This glaring absence means no one working there thoroughly understands hearing loss and its impacts on learning. Without audiologists, schools lack professionals who can properly monitor students’ hearing devices, advise on classroom acoustics, oversee remote mic usage that assists hearing impaired kids, and empower those students to self-advocate.

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When Kids Reject Hearing Aids

I had a phone call last week from the mom of a 10th grader whose hearing loss I had identified at 5 weeks of age. He has what we called a “mild” hearing loss. (How I hate that word mild when referring to hearing loss; topic for another blog.) This young man, who we will call Jake, has decided not

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The Listening Bubble – What is it and Why Does Size Matter?

The listening bubble refers to the area around a hearing impaired child where speech is sufficiently clear for comprehension. Its size depends primarily on degree of hearing loss and whether hearing technology adequately compensates to access normal acoustic environments. When parents speak from inside this bubble, children can hear, absorb language and learn effectively. But falling outside it prevents adequate

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When Their Child Is Born Deaf, Parents Need Accurate Information

I just returned from the EDHI (Early Detection of Hearing Impairment) Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the first EDHI meeting I attended so I was unsure what to expect. The meeting is attended by representatives of state early intervention programs and by professionals who work with early intervention. The professionals include speech-language pathologists, auditory-verbal practitioners, audiologists, teachers of the

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Goals for the New Year

What should we be looking for in the new year? Just a reminder about what we need to be monitoring for children with hearing loss. Monitor technology You cannot assume because a child has technology on that it is doing what it should do. NEVER ASSUME. Technology needs to be checked daily. Do a listening check with the right technology

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A Mild Hearing Loss is NOT a Mild Problem

Mild hearing loss is a misnomer. I do not know what word to substitute but mild hearing losses are not a mild problem. The data is clear. Children with mild hearing loss are at risk for academic, speech-language, and social-emotional difficulties. Newborn hearing screening does not always pick up mild hearing loss so babies with mild hearing loss may not

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Helping Children with Hearing Loss Succeed Academically

It is not enough that we send children to mainstream schools. It is important that children with hearing loss succeed in school. The first thing we need to do is to monitor performance. It is not just okay to look at grades. We need to really evaluate what a child is hearing because what they are hearing will determine what

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Dealing with Behavior Issues for Children with Hearing Loss

Behavior issues can be complicated. All children have temper tantrums and all children refuse to follow parental rules at one time or another. Children with disabilities, including hearing loss, have similar behavior issues as children with typical hearing but families may not treat them the same way. Many families feel that they cannot discipline their children with hearing loss because

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When Your Child’s Hearing Journey Continues After Leaving Home

This week’s blog is written by Gael Hannan. Gael is an adult with a progressive hearing loss which began when she was a child. I asked her to write this blog because she writes very well about her experiences learning to advocate for herself as a young adult. As those of you who read my blog know, I feel strongly

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Let’s talk about talking to children

Infants and children in strollers The primary thing that concerns me most about cell phones is that they seem to interfere with communicating with children. Walking down the street with a little one in a stroller or in a pack on your body is a wonderful time to talk to them. Talk about what you see, what you hear, where