Stick writing: Drawing that supports oral and written language

Pictographs are simple stick drawings used to represent the chronology of events in a story or procedure. Children can use stick drawings as a means to support memory and organization for oral story telling or as a pre-writing task.
http://www.ecstresources.com/uploads/6/1/9/1/6191025/pictographydetails.pdf

Is childhood art key to developing language literacy?

image - The Vancouver Sun

Bob Steele, retired professor of art education at UBC, has spent his career raising awareness about the importance of fostering drawing in young children.  He describes spontaneous drawing as a medium for language and a developmental stepping stone towards written expression.   Raise-a-Reader: Is childhood art key to developing language literacy?

A Parent's Guide for Hearing Loss

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My Child has a Hearing Loss; A Parent's Guide, is an online resource for parents.  Phonak, a hearing aid manufacturer, provides a thorough and easy to read review of the causes and types of hearing loss, as well as suitable technology and practical communication tips. Click on the link to access the guide:
http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/b2b/Pediatrics/Brochure_BtC_Junior_Hearing_Loss_140x210_GB_V2.00_028-0289-02.pdf

Unilateral hearing loss - possible impacts on speech, language, behaviour and learning

UNILATERAL HEARING LOSS
Possible Impact on the Understanding of Language and Speech	Possible Social Impact	Potential Educational Accommodations and Services
·  Child can "hear" but can have difficulty understanding in certain situations, such as hearing faint or distant speech, especially if poor ear is aimed toward the person speaking. ·  Will typically have difficulty localizing sounds and voices using hearing alone. ·  The unilateral listener will have greater difficulty understanding speech when environment is noisy and/or reverberant, especially when normal ear is towards the overhead projector or other competing sound source and poor hearing ear is towards the teacher. ·  Exhibits difficulty detecting or understanding soft speech from the side of the poor hearing ear, especially in a group discussion.	·  Child may be accused of selective hearing due to discrepancies in speech understanding in quiet versus noise. ·  Social problems may arise as child experiences difficulty understanding in noisy cooperative learning, or recess situations. ·  May misconstrue peer conversations and feel rejected or ridiculed. ·  Child may be more fatigued in classroom due to greater effort needed to listen, if class is noisy or has poor acoustics. ·  May appear inattentive, distractible or frustrated, with behavior or social problems sometimes evident.	·  Allow child to change seat locations to direct the normal hearing ear toward the primary speaker. ·  Student is at 10 times the risk for educational difficulties as children with 2 normal hearing ears and  1/3 to 1/2 of students with unilateral hearing loss experience significant learning problems. ·  Children often have difficulty learning sound/letter associations in typically noisy kindergarten and grade 1 settings. ·  Educational and audiological monitoring is warranted. ·  Teacher inservice is beneficial. ·  Typically will benefit from a personal FM system with low gain/power or a sound-field FM system in the classroom, especially in the lower grades. ·  Depending on the hearing loss, may benefit from a hearing aid in the impaired ear.

School readiness begins with responsive relationships and stimulatng experiences

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In those early years, before formal education begins, a child's brain development is being influenced by his/her experiences.  The neural connections that are formed prepare a foundation for future learning.  http://www.examiner.com/article/school-readiness-for-children-with-disabilities

Virus Present at Birth Causes More Than 10 Percent of Hearing-Loss Cases in Kids

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common non-inherited cause of hearing loss in children. Newborn hearing screenings and following-up on a child's hearing until age 6 are necessary steps to detect delayed onset or progressive hearing loss from CMV.

Virus Present at Birth Causes More Than 10 Percent of Hearing-Loss Cases in Kids