Ask Leah Burris about her position as a senior deaf educator at Carle Auditory Oral School (CAOS) and she may smile and tell you it is the only profession where they teach kids to talk back.
“We meet the kids where they are and take them as far as we can as fast as we can,” she said. “We want them to live their best lives.”
The school where she teaches focuses on children who are deaf or hard of hearing learning to
communicate through their voice and words. Starting at age 3 and going through third grade, Carle Auditory Oral School grew out of the ECHO (Expanding Children’s Hearing Opportunities) program started by Michael Novak, MD, a Carle Health otolaryngologist. Staff provide comprehensive support to children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families. Thanks to support from the healthcare system and the local philanthropic community, a building, shaped like an ear, opened in 2009 on the Carle Foundation Hospital campus in Urbana to house the Pediatric Hearing Center and Carle Auditory Oral School. The robust hearing care offered is another level of access Carle is committed to offering patients and the community.
Approved by the Illinois State Board of Education as a non-public special education program, the school is in session for 11 months of a calendar year and provides an educational option for families who want their children to use the sound provided by their hearing devices to develop spoken language through listening, similar to how typically hearing kids do. CAOS is also an active member of OPTION, an international organization comprised of listening and spoken language programs focused on excellence for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, and their families. The commitment offers evidence-based learning techniques taking advantage of the critical period for learning language through early intervention (birth to 3 years of age services) and intensive early childhood education. Central Illinois is the smallest population center in the U.S. to offer an OPTION program, and many families travel an hour or more each way to access the unique services. Some families relocate to our area to participate in the program. The nearest similar programs are in the Chicago, Indianapolis or St. Louis area.
“With a classroom ratio of one teacher to five students, we can provide repeated successful practice with all areas of spoken language and listening skill development, helping kids get comfortable using the skills in their day-to-day interactions with peers, family members and the community at large. Our staff really gets to know each child and family and can walk alongside them as they navigate this journey. We’re proud that many of those bonds persist long after the kids graduate from the school,” Danielle Chalfant, Carle Auditory Oral School director, said.
“All students use some sort of assistive technology to hear spoken language and learn to speak,” Burris said. “It is so fun to watch them incorporate listening and spoken language into their personalities as they grow.”
Samantha Miller of Mahomet said her daughter, Lila, has DiGeorge syndrome and entered the
Carle school one day after she turned 3 when she was not talking. She had a feeding tube during the first years of life and started wearing a bone-anchored hearing aid in February 2020. Lila is now 6 1/2 years old and thriving in kindergarten.
“She is like a different child,” Miller said. “She is so comfortable there. The program is such a unique gift to the community."
Carle Auditory Oral School special education teacher Alex Ward, in her first year at the school, said, “We want to put the power of language in their hands. You can see them light up when they make the connection and can readily express their thoughts and desires.”
Both teachers said their director not only supports them as teachers but directly connects with every family at the school to assist with connecting to services specific to that child when it is time for the child to move on to another school.
Chalfant said, “As a program, we are blessed to have a core group of deaf educators specifically trained to support children who are deaf and hard of hearing in developing spoken language through listening. Each of them has, or is currently pursuing, the highest level of certification in the field - Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory Verbal Educator. Staff who are so committed to excellence and continued learning is a huge benefit for the children and families enrolled at CAOS, and really makes our program stand out.”
“Ninety percent of the kids with hearing differences are born to typically hearing parents,” Burris said, “and having an educational option to help their kids learn to communicate with their families and in their communities is pretty special for our area.”
Parents of children with hearing difficulties are encouraged to contact the school to learn more, observe a lesson and see how students interact with one another and with the teachers, she said.
Learn more about Carle Auditory Oral School on Carle.org.
Categories: Culture of Quality, Redefining Healthcare, Community
Tags: audiology, Champaign-Urbana, hearing