The AIM To Be Ahead program will increase the number of qualified early intervention providers for young children with hearing loss in the state. The grant-funded program is currently recruiting speech pathologists, audiologists, and deaf and hard of hearing teachers to enroll in the Listening and Spoken Language graduate certificate program. Successful candidates will be qualified to apply to the State of Illinois for credentialing as early interventionists.
There is a scarcity of qualified practitioners in Chicago and Central and Southern Illinois who can work with young children (birth to 3 years old) with hearing loss, and their families. The early interventionists teach children to better utilize the hearing they have and to properly use their amplification device (cochlear implant, bone assisted hearing aid, or external hearing aid). The goal is to teach the child listening and spoken language skills, and to teach families strategies to reinforce their child’s emerging skills.
Learn more about the ins and outs of the program in these videos featuring an alumna, a clinical partner, and the AIM To BE Ahead program coordinator.
