|
Children’s Hospital Boston’s Center for Communication Enhancement (CCE) works with children who have any condition that may hamper their ability to communicate. Under the umbrella of CCE, which is part of the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement, are interdisciplinary programs that address hearing loss, autism and speech and language pathology. Combined, these programs treated nearly 29,000 patients in 2009 throughout the acute setting, intensive care and outpatient services.
The CCE includes six programs: Augmentative Communication, Autism Language, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Diagnostic Audiology, Habilitative Audiology and Speech and Language Pathology. These programs often employ the expertise of a multi-disciplinary team, which may include otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech language pathologists, psychologists, occupational therapists and radiologists; many team members are fluent in American Sign Language. Based in Waltham, the CCE programs span all of Children’s campuses in Peabody and Lexington, as well as the main hospital.
The CCE supports children’s needs outside the hospital by educating schools on accommodating the latest assistive devices and accessing tools for communications.
Once pediatricians suspect a child may have a communication difficulty, it is never too early to begin consultation and treatment. The sooner a child consults with specialists, preferably long before communication becomes a cause for frustration, the more optimal the patient outcome.
Children with hearing concerns may undergo several assessments, such as an auditory brainstem response test, behavioral audiological evaluation, auditory processing evaluation, tympanometry or an otoacoustic emissions test. Psychological and speech/language assessments also help determine what deaf or hard of hearing children need. Swallowing and speech disorders are evaluated through barium videofluoroscopy and oral/written language evaluation tests, respectively.
The CCE helps patients who may have trouble with speech/communication, hearing loss, feeding or swallowing. A communication problem may be the primary concern for the child, or it may be a hindrance to the proper diagnosis and treatment of another ailment. The CCE also evaluates children with communication problems associated with genetic conditions, cancer treatments, developmental disorders, childhood infections, injuries or unknown, complex causes.
Specialists continuously develop a wide range of strategies, ranging from high-end technology to everyday tools, to allow our patients to communicate with their caregivers. The Autism Language Program has been translating decades of research on autistic children’s affinity for visual knowledge into video and computer programs that teach language to patients.
We are evaluating outcomes of cochlear implantation, the criteria that make a child well-suited for cochlear implants, quality of life for cochlear implant recipients and the effects of early language stimulation on the youngest infants diagnosed with hearing loss. In a similar vein, we are constantly evaluating various computer technologies, including off-the-shelf devices, for effectiveness in helping patients.
In the interest of developing better treatments, the CCE also studies the pathophysiology of various communication problems. We are working to understand the mechanisms of hearing loss caused by chemotherapy and genetic conditions.
Howard C. Shane, PhD
Director of Center for Communication Enhancement and director, Autism Language Program
John M. Costello, MA, CCC-SLP
Director of Augmentative Communication Program
Terrell Clark, PhD
Director of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program
Marilyn Neault, PhD, CCC-A
Director of Habilitative Audiology Program
Geralyn Harvey Woodnorth, MA, CCC-SLP
Director of Speech-Language Pathology Program
|
