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.

Should Children with Hearing Loss Learn a Second Language?

Today’s blog is written by Dr. Mark Guiberson, an associate professor of communication disorders at the University of Wyoming and a bilingual speech-language pathologist and by his students, who interviewed him for the blog. Dr. Guiberson has extensive experience working with deaf/hard of hearing children (DHH) from Spanish-speaking families and has completed research in the United States and Spain that

Using Analogies in Patient Education

Having a child identified with a hearing loss or any other disability can be very stressful. Some parents can deal with the depression and move ahead at the same time, but others cannot. Every pediatric audiologist has experienced the problem of helping parents move ahead while trying not to be too pushy. My mentor, David Luterman, has always said that

Award-Winning Books for Children with Hearing Loss

This week’s blog is written by Wendy Kupfer, who has a daughter with profound hearing loss. She searched for books in which children with hearing loss were characters but could find none, so she decided to write one. The book, “Let’s Hear it For Almigal” (Handfinger Press, 2102), was named among the best in family-friendly media and received the Mom’s

Parents, Please Remember the Siblings of Children with Hearing Loss

In the last few months, I have spoken with several siblings of kids with hearing loss and with other disabilities who were feeling in need of support. It reminded me that not only does the child with hearing loss need support, but siblings do as well. When parents have a child with a serious illness or disability, it can be

Featured image for “Vision for a Cure: Treating Usher Syndrome type 1f”

Vision for a Cure: Treating Usher Syndrome type 1f

Today’s blog is written by Melissa Chaikof. I have known Melissa since her daughters were identified with hearing loss. Melissa K. Chaikof has worked as Donor Research Analyst since 2002 for Nonprofit Leadership (NPL), LLC. She is a current board member of the Coalition for Usher Syndrome Research; a past board member of the Gift of Hearing Foundation, Cochlear Implant

Does a Child Have to Fail to Get an IEP?

School districts are less and less willing these days to put children on IEPs (individualized education programs), preferring to keep them on 504 plans. On the surface, it may seem like this is okay – but is it? What’s the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan? An IEP sets out specific services a child will receive and

Some Things to Consider When Choosing a School

Choosing a school for a child with hearing loss can be difficult. The first question is whether to mainstream a child or whether to place the child in a special school or class. There are basically three types of school programs: Mainstream schools, Sign Language programs, and total communication programs. Mainstream programs provide good language models and the academic goals

Noisy Toys

The Sight and Hearing Association presents a list of noisy toys each year. They report on toys that tested at over 100 dB – way above the acceptable levels of safe noise. The federal threshold for hearing protection is exposure of no more than 85 dBA at 50 cm for 8 hours. Exposure to a level of 100 dB for

There Is a Shortage of Pediatric Audiologists

The US, is facing a shortage of pediatric audiologists. With newborn hearing screening becoming essentially universal, the growing need for more pediatric audiologists becomes very clear. The number of audiologists who consider themselves pediatric audiologists is not known. Each state manages the information in a different way and, until recently, there was no certification identifying audiologists as having pediatric competence.

Early Brain Development and Hearing

The National Center on Early Childhood and Policy at Harvard has an item on its website discussing early brain development and its importance in early childhood. This is critical information for clinicians working with children with hearing loss and for parents and family members. This summary provides good evidence about early brain development and its significance. Only through understanding the