Programs and Services for Students
who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Programs and services are provided in co-operation with provincial Departments of Education and include:
Preschool Services
The Preschool Parent Education program is designed to serve the individual needs of preschool children who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing and their parents.
Itinerant Teacher Services
- Service to students in the public school system.
- Supervision of educational assistant/interpreters (EA/I) and APSEA tutors.
- Direct service to students who have a severe language delay due to their deafness.
- Inservices and consultative service to school district personnel.
- Program support of those students who receive direct, EA/I or tutorial service.
- Collaboration with classroom teachers to help modify materials and programs for student use.
- Provision of technical support in the care and use of amplification equipment and cochlear implant technology.
- Earmold impressions and fittings.
Resource Room Teacher Services
- Support for students whose current linguistic and communicative needs require intensive intervention.
- Provision of individualized language program.
- Collaboration with teachers in the school to gradually move the students into an inclusive setting.
- Supervision of the APSEA teacher assistants and EA/I who facilitate the student's transition into an inclusive classroom setting.
Short-Term Residential Programs
- Provides a comprehensive level of programming which may be difficult to incorporate into an integrated setting.
- Focuses on the mastery of specific skills or addresses specific learning or behavioural difficulties.
- Involves parents and public school staff in the design, implementation and follow-up to short-term programs.
- Varies in length to a maximum of one semester.
- For more information on Short-Term Programs, click here
Assessment Support
- The assessment team is made up of an audiologist, a psychologist, an academic language evaluator and a vocational evaluator.
- Comprehensive psychoeducational assessments are completed on students entering the school system for the first time.
- Assessments are completed on students who are having academic difficulty.
- Assessments are provided for students to assist in transition planning.
- Written assessment reports are shared with school teams.
Amplification and Technical Support
- Maintenance of student's personal hearing aids.
- Maintenance of student's FM hearing aid systems.
- Provision of technical computer support for APSEA teachers.
Consultation for Educational Assistant/Interpreters
- Provides inservices and support to school districts on the EA/I service.
- Visits the student, school personnel and EA/I twice yearly to facilitate the service.
- Provides written reports to the itinerant teacher and APSEA provincial supervisor.
- Co-ordinates sign communication proficiency interviews for APSEA staff.
- Co-ordinates summer programs.
Consultant for Students who have Multineeds
- Visits with student, school personnel and APSEA teacher to asses the student and school environment in order to track the progress of the student.
- Collaborates with the student's professional team and parents.
- Helps the team develop an individual program plan and/or put an educational program in place for the following year.
- Provides written reports for the itinerant teacher and APSEA provincial supervisor to share with the student's team.
Auditory/Verbal Therapist
- Provides individual assessment, structured programming in auditory skills development and meaningful activities to generalize speech, language, cognition and communication goals.
- Works with the parents, APSEA staff members and other professionals to develop an Individual Service Plan for auditory verbal therapy.
- Collaborates with professionals at the hearing and speech clinics and cochlear implant centers.
- Provides follow-up written reports to the itinerant teacher and APSEA provincial supervisor to share with the student's team.
- Develops related summer programs for professionals.
Family/Student Counsellor
- Visits schools and home settings where student/parents are dealing with issues such as cultural isolation or behavioural disorders.
- Works with teachers to help them develop a behavioural management program.
- Works with families in their home to help them develop parenting or coping skills.
- Collaborates with school districts and other agencies to establish the necessary support to help the child function at home and at school.
- Provides direct counselling service to students where appropriate.
Transition Planning Team
- The Transition Planning Team is made up of the Coordinator of Career and Transition Services, Co-operative Education Consultant and the Transition Planning Facilitator.
- Establishes future goals with students and parents in the areas of education, career, housing, health, recreation and finance.
- Establishes links with business and industry for work placement positions.
- Organizes job shadowing and visits to industry.
- Organizes and facilitates HRD special employment program for students.
- Advocates for adaptations and modifications of post secondary programs to meet the individual needs of students.
Referral for Services
- Referrals are made by the audiologist who contacts APSEA on behalf of the parent.
Contacts/Addresses
For further information please contact:
Director of Programs for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (image)
)Voice/TTY: 902-424-3358
Fax: 902-424-0543
E-mail: Lori Moore