Special Events and Sessions
Special Events
EFAS General Assembly
The NHS2010 is hosting the General Assembly of the EFAS (European Federation of Audiology Societies) National Representatives on June 10, 2010.
A satellite event held by the England NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, on June 7, 2010 at the Regina Olga Hotel (Cernobbio). Information
Oticon Paediatric Symposium
Oticon is happy to host yet another Paediatric Symposium - this time held in corporation with Interacoustics. The Symposium will take place on Wednesday, June 9th from 10.30 - 13.45 PM, including lunch.
The paediatric hearing aid fitting has become a more complicated process involving many different instruments and multiple measurements on which the fitting and validation is based. The Symposium will take a holistic approach from diagnosis to fitting and verification within paediatrics.
Widex Special event
Mild hearing loss in childhood – consequences and intervention strategies
This Widex special event will be hosted by Anne Marie Tharpe, PhD, from Vanderbilt University. We will be focusing on the educational and psychosocial consequences of permanent mild bilateral hearing loss in children. Strategies and guidelines for assessment, intervention and amplification will be discussed.
Keynote address
Plasticity, Development and Re-organization of Central Auditory System in children with Hearing Impairment – Anu Sharma
Special Sessions
International Report on EHDI Programs: reports from the CDC/National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (EHDI Team) and the IGCH
The purpose of this Session is to describe two major surveillance activities developed by the EHDI team of CDC-NCBDDD (USA) and from the International Working Group on Childhood Hearing (IGCH). The CDC collects aggregate data from States in USA. The International Working Group on Childhood Hearing (IGCH) collects survey data from more than 30 areas worldwide. National and Regional representatives of EHDI Programs from all around the world will present reports on the current situation of EHDI programs worldwide. These collection instruments provide valuable information that describe activities in a particular geographic area. On a global level, improved surveillance of EHDI programs and data sharing fosters an international understanding of the burden of hearing loss and provides opportunities for worldwide collaborative research.
EHDI in Developing Countries –Opportunities & Challenges (moderators: Bola Olusanya, Claudine Störbeck, De Wet Swanepoel)
Annually an estimated 800 000 infants are born with, or acquire, permanent bilateral hearing loss within the first few weeks of life. More than 90% of these infants reside in developing countries around the world where they face very meager prospects of receiving early detection and intervention services. In recent years however an increasing number of reports on pilot programmes in developing countries have shed more light on this hidden health care concern. Although the challenges are still daunting and resources limited, the combined efforts and individual commitments of many are creating more opportunities to initiate and develop services. This session will provide a special platform for the presentation of findings from early detection, diagnosis and intervention programmes for hearing loss in developing countries. In conclusion to this session a discussion forum will be held towards gaining consensus on the way forward for early hearing detection and intervention in developing countries. Through the shared experience and emerging evidence from programmes in developing world regions contextually appropriate models will be considered and the mobilization of global advocacy discussed.
“She’ll Hear the Music Like the Other Girls, Right?” Audiologic Counseling, or When NOT to Answer a Question - Kris English, PhD – President of the American Academy of Audiology
Audiologic counseling has been traditionally defined as the act of conveying information: explaining anatomy, reviewing test results, demonstrating technology, etc. However, research indicates that when parents ask questions, they often are not actually seeking information. Instead, questions are often used as a test – for instance, to broach another topic altogether and gauge our reaction. Questions might be posed to find out if the audiologist is open to talking about personal struggles, or is genuinely interested in the challenges of raising a child with hearing loss. These kinds of questions are often a way to help a parent decide, “Can I trust you?” A question might also be expressed to simply “get the conversational ball rolling,” to open a discussion on a topic that even the parent doesn’t quite yet understand but wants to talk through.
By virtual of our training, audiologists are inclined to answer a question as it appears on the surface. When we do, we might inadvertently miss an opportunity to develop a trusting and supportive relationship with the parent. Since trust and supportive relationships have been shown to have a positive impact on outcomes, audiologists might want to ponder this dilemma: how are we to know when a question is actually something else? This presentation will describe three types of responses designed to explore the intent behind parent questions. Our ability to understand the real purpose of a question reflects our profession’s interest in expanding our definition of counseling to provide personal support as well as information.
Global Coalition of Parents of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children (GPOD)
Recommended Family Support Practice in UNHS: A Position Paper from the GPOD International Family Survey.
"Family Support" is often the term used to define the practices that ensure the holistic nature of the process for families from the time their baby is screened through identification of hearing loss and early intervention services. What exactly constitutes "family support" is unique for each family, but a 2008/09 international survey by the Global Coalition of Parents of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children (GPOD) identifies clear themes. The amount and type of family support experienced has a direct relationship on variables including configuration, cultural considerations, beliefs, values, emotional reactions, coping styles, family dynamics and other issues that play a role in how effectively a family will be able to navigate the system.
The recommendations in the GPOD position paper presented in this session are the synthesis of input from families, parent leaders and family support organizations worldwide (over 38 countries) who have participated in the GPOD family support survey. They reflect parent feedback on the most effective and appropriate practices in family support from a consumer perspective, as well as a foundation in current research supported data.
Workshops
England NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme
During the NHS2010 conference, the NHSP England is running a series of linked workshops on the theme of “delivering an effective screening programme”
These are:
1.Delivering an effective screening programme: how good are your screeners?
2.Delivering an effective screening programme: ABR interpretation and quality assurance mechanisms
3.Delivering an effective screening programme: the medical management of early identified infants with hearing loss
4. Delivering an effective screening programme: the practical challenges and measures of success in early hearing aid fitting
5.Delivering an effective screening programme: risks and fail-safes
6.Delivering an effective screening programme: measuring quality throughout the full care pathway – safety, effectiveness and the parent experience
Programme