Seven-year-old Dylan Fox has a big smile on his face as he bursts through the classroom door at UCF Downtown. He’s ready for summer camp — and this one is complete with toy axe throwing, board games, arts and crafts, and a day full of friendly competitions all centering around one goal — making children better readers.
Fox is one of 32 students ages 6 to 17 participating in iREAD, an intensive reading program developed by the UCF Communications Disorders Clinic to improve reading comprehension, spelling and writing. The four-week summer program just completed its fourth year. It’s become so sought out by parents — some of whom travel from across the country — that the clinic began offering the same specialized, individual therapies by appointment throughout the year.
When Fox arrives at camp, he’ll high five his campmates, drop off his backpack and scamper to the side of the room where his hearing technology will be tested, and a student clinician will affix a tiny remote microphone on her collar to be sure it’s transmitting correctly to his cochlear implants.
Fox, who was born with hearing loss in both ears, is one of four children in this summer’s iHEAR program (part of iREAD) who have atypical hearing. Three campers have hearing loss, and a fourth has an auditory processing deficit which causes a breakdown in how the central auditory nervous system efficiently processes speech information, particularly in noisy listening situations. The iHEAR participants learn alongside other campers with typical hearing, but who are there to gain additional help with reading and language development. Their camp fees are waived, thanks to the generous support of Manish Hirapara ’98 and Vieng Hirapara ’99 who created an endowed fund, the Hirapara Enriching Audiology Resources (HEAR) at UCF, to help people with hearing loss.
According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, hearing loss in children causes delays in the development of speech and language, which leads to learning problems that can result in reduced academic achievement, as well as social isolation and low self-confidence. Reading is particularly an area of difficulty for children with hearing loss, and the earlier a problem is identified and intervention begins, the less serious the ultimate impact.
Like Fox, some of the children in iHEAR have their own hearing aids and accessory technology they’re still learning and adjusting to. Other campers are outfitted with ear level hearing technology and remote microphone assistive technology by the camp: a chance to test out a new device or even use one for the first time. Faculty clinicians partner with multiple hearing manufacturers (Sonova, Cochlear Americas and Oticon) who offer access to a variety of products and technologies as well as financial support for the camp.
Other communities have reading programs for children and others may offer reading programs for the deaf and hard of hearing, but the UCF program is unique in that it combines the two, says Associate Lecturer Janel Cosby ’04 PhD, an audiologist and one of the iHEAR coordinators. “We have the expertise to develop children’s literacy and language skills and we have the expertise to match children with the right technology, specific to that child’s auditory system deficit.”
Cosby works hand in hand with Clinical Instructor Whitney Haas, who is a speech language pathologist and listening and spoken language specialist. Her certifications focus on helping children and families of individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.
For the children in iHEAR, their days will involve a series of one-on-one speech therapy sessions, group sessions and hands on activities, all carefully structured to target speech and language development. The program is based on the science of reading and uses evidence-based strategies largely centered around multi-sensory, physically engaging activities.
“We’ve seen what works well with typically hearing children to enhance their literacy abilities,” Haas says. “So, we’ve taken that approach and applied it to children who are deaf and hard of hearing, because it supports their development from an auditory standpoint, as well.”
Camp iHEAR also serves as a training opportunity for the more than two dozen graduate students in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders who provide the therapy sessions in the camp under the supervision of faculty clinicians.
“As future clinicians who will be working with deaf and hard of hearing individuals, our students need to learn how to manipulate the technology, know when it’s working, know when it’s not working, and know where the proper placement of the microphones should be so that that brings in the best auditory signal for the patient,” Cosby says. “In addition to earning the clinical hours required to graduate, they’re learning how to better serve the needs of this special population.”
“It’s so wonderful to be able to modify, not change, but just add in extra things that we know our kids that are deaf and hard of hearing need,” Haas says. “It gives them the opportunity to work alongside typically hearing peers, have that connection, and to have fun while learning and to have the experience of applying what they’ve learned with other kids. It makes my heart so happy.”
