Recruitment is now under way for the AIM TO BE AHEAD (An Interdisciplinary Model to Offer Babies Early Auditory Habilitation, Education and Development) program. Maribeth Lartz, professor of special education and the project’s principal investigator, and Tracy Meehan, project coordinator, are leading the initiative funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant (H325K120163).
College of Education faculty member Maribeth Lartz
This program provides advanced preparation to speech pathologists, audiologists, and deaf and hard of hearing educators in geographically underserved areas of Chicago and rural Central and Southern Illinois for working with infants and toddlers with severe hearing loss.
The professionals will earn a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Listening and Spoken Language graduate certificate, an early intervention credential from the state, and in some cases, continuing education units. The program, which includes five graduate level courses and supervised home- and clinic-based practica, will be held at Illinois State University and in Chicago, and will be connected through live videoconferencing with instructors at both sites.
The grant work will help prepare professionals serve toddlers with hearing loss like Livi Prudent, who received a cochlear implant at 28 months old and the second shortly thereafter.
Selected graduates will complete an additional 12-month practicum with intensive mentoring leading to advanced certification from the AG Bell Academy. Individuals earning this national certification will serve as mentors for future students in the program.
Applications for the first cohort are being accepted until April 12, 2013. Applicants must have current licensure in speech pathology or audiology or teacher certification in deaf and hard of hearing. More information about the grant and the application process is available online.
