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Special Education |
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Preschool Hearing ServicesStudent Disability: Preschooler with a Disability (Hard of Hearing and Deaf) Student Age: 3 to 5 Hearing Services provides a comprehensive full-day educational experience for children who have varying degrees of hearing loss. The early years are considered crucial for children with hearing losses, particularly for the development of auditory skills and the acquisition of language. The Preschool Program uses the latest assistive technology to maximize access to sound, and auditory training activities are integrated throughout the educational program. An auditory/oral approach to communication by means of spoken English is encouraged. For those children who need a more multisensory approach to learning, the auditory/oral communication may be paired with signed support, presented by means of signed English. The program has a team of professionals who have extensive experience working with young children with cochlear implants. However, any child with a hearing loss significant enough to warrant the use of hearing aids is considered a possible candidate for the program. The Hearing Services Preschool Program uses a curriculum that is specifically designed for children with hearing losses. Yet, while it focuses on the development of auditory skills, receptive and expressive language and speech skills, it also incorporates a preschool curriculum that stresses the readiness skills needed for kindergarten. Classes are team-taught by a licensed teacher of the deaf and a speech teacher, using a collaborative instructional model. The program is located in Levittown at the Nassau BOCES Early Childhood Center, a preschool complex specifically designed for early childhood special education. The Island Trees School District SCOPE Preschool Program is also housed at this site, thus providing our students with opportunities for integration with hearing peers. Children are referred to the Hearing Services Preschool Program by their local school district Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). A multidisciplinary team screens each student and the program's Audiology Department reviews their audiological status. Once a child is accepted into the program, strategies are developed to meet the goals and objectives of the student's individualized education plan (IEP). The Audiology Department provides assistive technology, in the form of a classroom amplification system, for use during the school day. This system maximizes auditory access to sounds and provides optimal listening conditions within the classroom by improving the signal to noise ratio. Within the preschool setting, every aspect of the program is designed to develop auditory skills and stimulate language acquisition, as well as provide a meaningful learning experience. Through interactive language-based activities, emphasis is placed upon receptive language skills and students are encouraged to use their emerging expressive language and speech skills. Lessons also target academic and developmental readiness skills, including turn-taking, social communication, cooperative play and self-help skills. The collaborative classroom model allows for greater flexibility by creating a variety of learning environments and interactive experiences. Activities may take place in large groups, small groups and on an individual basis at various times throughout the school day, thus addressing each student's strengths, needs and learning style. An integrated program of speech/language, occupational and physical therapies may also be offered to each student on an as-needed basis. Additionally, within the preschool complex, students participate in physical education classes, spend time in the computer/learning center, enjoy activities on the playground and bicycle paths and participate in school assemblies and educational field trips. Parent education and support is also an integral part of the Preschool Program. Educational workshops are offered throughout the school year. Individual parent conferences take place regularly or can be arranged on an as-needed basis. The classroom teachers send home a weekly guide to the classroom themes, target words and activities at the start of each week. Daily contact with the parents is maintained through a notebook that the student brings to and from school each day. All resources of the Program for Hearing and Vision Services are available to families enrolled in the Preschool Program. Parents may meet with our team of educational audiologists in order to discuss amplification options, cochlear implant candidacy or changes in hearing status. Our audiologists will consult with the student's private audiologist in order to help determine which amplification equipment is best suited to the child's hearing loss and auditory functioning. Additionally, the program psychologist moderates a weekly parent discussion group and is available to meet with individual families as needed. Communication with the student's local school district is maintained through the Committee for Preschool Special Education, and the program psychologist will assist the parents in understanding the transition to school age (Committee for Special Education) services. The goal of the Hearing Services Preschool Program is to help children achieve age appropriate language, academic and social skills so that they can return to their local school district within a general education classroom setting. Students who continue to need the specialized expertise of a Deaf Education setting may transition to the Hearing Services Elementary Program, located in a district-based, integrative setting. Contact: FAX: (516) 931-8566 TTY: (516) 931-8596
Hearing Services Preschool Program Karopczyc School 72 Farmedge Road Levittown, NY 11756 Phone: (516) 414-6150 FAX: (516) 414-6155 |
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