Programs For Professionals

The mission of Chattering Children is to build productive partnerships in research, professional training, and collaborative outreach programs to promote best practices in language learning for children with hearing loss. Our professional team is committed to modeling and promoting research-based practices with the goal of impacting children and families on a local, state, and national level. Chattering Cnlldren is building partnerships with a number of private and public organizations, and welcomes collaboration in our efforts.

Research:

At Chattering Children we are deliberate about gathering information on our children through ongoing assessments and data collection, recognizing that within our practice there is a "critical mass" of a "low incidence population." The objective of data collection is first to design an optimal therapy plan for each child, and second to expand our knowledge base of how children with hearing loss learn language. Our team regularly reviews current research in the field, and is committed to applying research to practice, as well as developing on-site and collaborative investigations.

Several new studies are in the works at Chattering Children including:

  • An investigation of the needs of culturally Deaf families who choose cochlear implants for their children;
  • Development of an Auditory-Verbal service model for non-English speaking families;
  • An investigation of auditory processing disorders for children with hearing loss;
  • Development of professional training modules to improve services to rural families of children with hearing loss.

Professional Development:

Chattering Children's transdisciplinary team engages in an ongoing program of professional development across disciplines of audiology, speech and language, child development, technology, and education with the objective of ensuring research based, best-practices. Development activities are regularly open to professionals in the community hosted either at our offices or other sites.

Internships:

The therapy team at Chattering Children has unique expertise in the area of Auditory-Verbal Therapy practices with a large caseload of children with hearing loss. Graduate programs in Speech Pathology, Audiology, and Deaf Education regularly place professionals in training at Chattering Children.

Advocacy:

Chattering Children's proximity to the nation's capitol facilitates engagement with policy makers and advocates on a national leveL We are actively engaged in issues related to early intervention, children's health insurance, and special education. Staff members participate in state level meetings such as DC Hears and Virginia EHDI.

Outreach:

Chattering Children's therapists are engaged in local and national organizations. This year, as in the past, therapists will be presenting at national conferences such as Early Hearing Identification and Intervention (EHDI) and Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AGBell) on topics such as service models for Deaf families, effective therapy strategies for multiply involved children, partnering with school programs, and practice management. Two publications are in progress, to be announced shortly.