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Launch of the World Health Organization’s HEARING screening: considerations for implementation

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Credit: The World Health Organization

Background 

The first ever World Report on Hearing was launched in 2021, as a technical guide outlining the  ongoing shifts  in the global epidemiology  of hearing loss, capturing available solutions and  current challenges for  ear and hearing care and also establishing priorities to be addressed. It highlights the link between addressing hearing loss and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The rational for hearing screening across the life course is well outlined in the report. The report shows that increasing hearing screening and early intervention coverage during the next 10 years requires an additional annual per capita investment of US$ 1.33. The resulting health gain during the 10-year period would avert nearly 130 million DALYs (disability adjusted life years), benefit 1.4 billion people and yield a return of nearly US$ 16 for each 1 dollar invested.

The World Report on Hearing recommends that World Health Organization (WHO) Member States take urgent and evidence-based policy action to prevent, identify and rehabilitate hearing loss.

To render technical support to the  Member  States  in implementing the recommendation of the world report into, WHO has developed the HEARING screening: considerations for implementation. This handbook provides technical guidance required for establishing evidence-based programmes for hearing screening facilitating early identification and interventions to address hearing loss and related ear diseases in target groups.
The purpose of the handbook is to provide guidance on how to undertake:

  • Hearing screening in newborns and infants
  • School-based ear and hearing screening
  • Hearing screening in older people

Series of Webinars

The WHO invites you to a series of webinar on the HEARING screening: considerations for implementation.

October 6, 2021

Focus on HEARING SCREENING: considerations for implementation guidance on the hearing screening for newborn babies.

Where: via Zoom

To Register:

 

October 27, 2021

Focus on HEARING SCREENING: considerations for implementation guidance on the hearing screening for school children.

Where: via Zoom

To Register:

 

November 17, 2021

Focus on HEARING SCREENING: considerations for implementation guidance on the hearing screening for older people.

Where: via Zoom

To Register:

 

 

Join the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care

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Credit: Government of Canada

The Government of Canada is investing in Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) to help Canadian children get the best start in life and have a fair chance to succeed. In support of this commitment, the Government of Canada is establishing a National Advisory Council on ELCC.

The National Advisory Council will provide expert advice and a forum for consultation to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister for Women and Gender Equality on issues and challenges facing the ELCC sector in Canada. The Council on ELCC will be a forum for information sharing and discussion. Its members will bring a diverse range of perspectives and will provide expert advice to the Ministers on ELCC-related issues and challenges.

In carrying out its mandate, the Council will provide third-party expert advice to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister for Women and Gender Equality on topics including:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic, reopening, and the recovery period as it relates to the ELCC sector
  • Promoting information sharing across jurisdictions
  • Developing standards of practice within the sector
  • Establishing a Canada-wide ELCC system
Call for applications: become a member

Apply before September 28, 2021. They are looking for individuals with knowledge and experience in ELCC from a variety of fields.

 

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Children with Cognitive, Behavioural or Emotional Disabilities

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Credit: Government of Canada

The Government of Canada pleased to announce the release of a new data blog titled “Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian children with cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities.”

Using data from Statistics Canada’s crowdsourcing questionnaire: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians: Parenting during the Pandemic, 2020, this data blog highlights the experiences of parents of children aged 0 to 14 years with cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities during the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic (questionnaires completed between June 9 and 22, 2020).

The data blog includes a snapshot of parents’ concerns related to their children’s general physical health, general mental health, loneliness or isolation, screen time, physical activity, school year/academic success and their family’s ability to manage. Comparisons are made to the experiences of parents with children that do not have a disability.

Key Findings:

  • Close to two-thirds of parents of children with cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities expressed concerns about their children’s general mental health.
  • Almost two-thirds of parents who have children with cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities were concerned about their children’s loneliness or isolation.
  • About 9 in 10 parents reported their children engaged in screen time on a daily basis; however, more parents (close to three-quarters) who have children with cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities were concerned with the amount of screen time their children engaged in, compared to parents who have children with no disabilities.
  • Half of parents with children who have cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities reported their children engaged in physical activity daily and half reported they were very or extremely concerned about their children’s amount of physical activity.
  • More than half of the parents (59%) reported they were very or extremely concerned about their children’s school year success, although school aged children with cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities received more help to engage in learning activities related to school.
  • More parents with children who have cognitive, behavioural, or emotional disabilities are concerned about their family’s ability to manage compared to parents who have children with no disabilities.

If you have feedback or questions, please contact phac.chronic.publications-chronique.aspc@canada.ca.

Alternate Formats for the 2021 Census

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Credit: Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada has asked SAC to highlight alternate formats and supports available for people who have difficulty completing the 2021 Census in English or French.

Read more about alternate formats and other forms of assistance here.

Statistics Canada has also confirmed that individuals may seek help to complete their questionnaire from a family member, friend or other trusted individual, which may include their speech-language pathologist or audiologist.

New Communiqué Article – Perceived Benefits of the AuD Degree Among Canadian Audiologists

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Credit: Andrea Ruotolo, AuD, Rex Banks, AuD and Melanie Gibson, MA

The United States is the only country that requires a doctoral degree (AuD. PhD, or equivalent) as the entry-level requirement for audiology professionals. Currently, Canada requires a master’s degree to practice. However, an increasing number of Canadian audiologists with a master’s degree have enrolled in and completed an online doctorate in audiology in recent years.

Researchers have conducted a study aiming to assess perceptions of Canadian audiologists with an AuD degree who previously practiced with a master’s degree.

Read the results on SAC’s Communiqué Blog. 

 

* Please note that this article was originally published in the Canadian Audiologist. 

McGill speech-language pathology students work with Kahnawà:ke first-graders

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Six Master’s students engaged in telepractice with children to maximize learning to read amidst COVID restrictions

“Grade one is a critical time in a child’s development. While learning to read, which mostly happens in first grade, may seem fun and effortless for some children, “it can be a great challenge for others” says Sophie Vaillancourt, assistant professor (professional) in McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (SCSD).

So when COVID-19 forced thousands of school-age kids to stay at home, young children lost valuable learning time at a crucial moment in their lives.

Simultaneously, many speech-language pathologists (S-LPs) in schools, clinics, rehab centres and hospitals, whose work is normally to help adults and children with learning difficulties, were being re-assigned to test for COVID, or to care for the elderly in long-term-care facilities, or were just unable to see their clients safely. This led to significant reductions in clinical opportunities for the speech-language pathology students.

Amidst these challenging times, a collaboration between Kahnàwa:ke Education Center’s Kateri Elementary School and the SCSD was established, to support children who could benefit from additional intervention in reading, while at the same time opening up some clinical opportunities for SCSD students.”

Read the full article.

* This article from the McGill Reporter features SAC members Alexandra Lauzon, S-LP(C) and Claudia Hogan S-LP(C), as well as SAC student associate Bianca Mercadante.

Online Hearing Experiment Investigating the Impact of Noise on Following Instructions

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Credit: University of Alberta

A group at the University of Alberta has released an online hearing experiment investigating the impact of noise on following instructions (Pro00105017).

This experiment is only available in English and should take less than 45 minutes. It needs to be completed on a laptop or desktop computer.

If you are interested in participating, access the experiment.  

Congratulations to our 2021 Award Winners & Scholarship Recipients!

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Every year, Speech-Language & Audiology Canada’s (SAC) strives to ensure members and associates are recognized for their achievements, through both our Awards and Recognition Program and Scholarships Program.

The Awards and Recognition Program celebrates excellence in the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology. The SAC Scholarships Program offers 25 scholarships to select SAC student associates to support our future communication health professionals.

View the full list of award winners and scholarship recipients now!

New SAC Official Statement on Evidence-Based Speech-Language Pathology Practice in Schools

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SAC has developed a new Official Statement on Evidence-Based Speech-Language Pathology Practice in Schools.

The official statement acknowledges that the principles of evidence-based practice inform effective, high-quality speech-language pathology services in schools for students with speech, language and literacy challenges.

Read the full statement.
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