It’s important that children with hearing loss and their families have outside support. The University of Michigan Department of Otolaryngology developed Sound Support to assist children, families, educators and professionals throughout the state of Michigan. The Sound Support team is comprised of a pediatric otolaryngologist, audiologists, and auditory-verbal therapists/speech-language pathologists. It is our mission to improve the quality of care for children in Michigan who are deaf or hard of hearing, recognizing hearing loss as a neurological emergency requiring timely diagnosis, treatment, and habilitation for the development of language.
Funding
Late identification and intervention of hearing loss can result in significant delays in speech, language, literacy, social and academic skills. Sound Support seeks to minimize these delays in children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and is generously funded via a matching grant between Michigan Medicaid and the University of Michigan Department of Otolaryngology.
Supporting Families
Family outreach comes in many forms with the goal to provide education and support on hearing loss. Support includes:
- Providing education and information about hearing loss
- Hosting family events to provide networking opportunities for families of children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
- Creating podcasts and educational webinars focused for parents on a variety of topics
- Peer mentor program to match parents with families that have been through the process of cochlear implantation
Supporting Educators & Professionals
A child with hearing loss is best served by a community of professionals. Each professional plays a vital role in helping a child reach their full potential. Sound Support works with a child’s educational team, professionals and/or daycare providers to:
- Review the child's hearing history, plan of care, and technology
- Discuss listening and language development
- Review accommodations and troubleshooting of equipment
- Provide support to professionals through lectures, in-services, roundtables, and webinars on topics related to hearing
- Provide classroom presentations to children about hearing loss and cochlear implants
Take the next step:
Contact us at 734-998-8119 or by email: [email protected]