The CDHY Outreach Team can help you assess the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing students in your district and be a resource in providing appropriate services.
Consultation & Assessment Services for Ages 6-21
Our specialists offer a range of evaluations for student specific need and in addition, provide observation and consultation for students, classrooms, programs, and school wide support. All of our specialist have expertise in their area of study with an experiential emphasis on deaf and hard of hearing children. The following is a more in depth description of the consultation, assessment, and evaluation services we provide.
Our American Sign Language (ASL) specialist provides consultation and recommendations for curriculum, accommodations, and modifications to fit students’ specific needs. This includes assistance with educational programming as needed, language acquisition and planning support, and 504/IEP development. The ASL specialist also conducts evaluation of students’ current level of functioning in both the receptive and expressive use of ASL. Our specialist will review student files, conduct observation and individual testing, scoring, and interpretation of results, and participate in follow up meetings with students, parents, and professionals on-site or remotely at the district’s discretion.
Our team of audiologists provide consultation regarding the educational implications of hearing loss and interpretation of audiological evaluations. In addition, our team makes recommendations regarding appropriate Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) for classrooms and individual students. Other accommodations and modifications are addressed to ensure that students have adequate auditory access to their learning environment. Our team of audiologists also provide support for staff regarding appropriate use of personal amplification devices (hearing aids, cochlear implants, bone conduction hearing systems) and HAT, and troubleshooting techniques for these devices. Functional Listening Evaluations are offered as well to determine how a students’ listening abilities are affected by noise, distance, and visual input in their learning environment and offer recommendations for improving classroom acoustics.
Our behavior specialist, with fluent signing skills, provides consultation and recommendations for behavior management strategies for student specific concerns as well as classroom and school wide support. Our behavior specialist is well-versed in many Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and how they are best adapted and implemented for deaf and hard of hearing students. Our specialist conducts social-emotional assessments and can help facilitate a functional behavior assessment and assist in developing a positive behavior intervention plan. In addition, our behavior specialist facilitates individual and group work on social-emotional well-being and mindfulness in the classroom. As part of our social-emotional learning team, our behavior specialist works with the Mind Up curriculum, adapted for deaf and hard of hearing children, to bring mindfulness techniques into the classroom. Our behavior specialist also specializes in social-emotional support for LGBTQ students, assistance setting up and running a Gay Straight Alliance, and best practices for inclusiveness and tolerance in the educational environment.
Our counselor provides counseling services in American Sign Language (or spoken English through the use of an interpreter) directly to students either in person or remotely (via video phone). In addition to direct counseling services, our specialist provides support for adaptation of social-emotional curriculum to ensure it includes deaf and hard of hearing students and is accessible to them. Our counselor facilitates group work for social skills, problem solving, emotional management, identity development, and accepting diversity for both signing or listening and spoken language students. As part of our social-emotional team, other specialty areas include information regarding bullying, social media, and mindfulness practice.
Each consultant on our team is able to conduct observation, assessment, and recommendations for deaf and hard of hearing children with an additional disability (deaf plus) or challenge related to communication, learning, academics, or social skills.
In 2011, Washington’s Governor signed House Bill 1144 which requires that all educational interpreters pass certain standards by 2016. Those standards include passage of the written portion of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) exam, and passage of the EIPA performance exam, with a score of 3.5 or above or passage of the written EIPA exam, and a national certification from either the NIC or RID, i.e. NIC, CI, CT. The EIPA is administered by Boy’s Town in Nebraska, more information is available at classroominterpreting.org. In order to ensure compliance with House Bill 1144, our certified interpreter is able to facilitate evaluations of your school district’s interpreters when their direct supervisors do not sign. The evaluations can be in American Sign Language (ASL), Signing Exact English (SEE), or Contact sign. Evaluations can also be conducted to support the district’s interview process, assess interpreters’ skill level (ASL or SEE), and contribute to an annual evaluation by reviewing skill level and professional development goals. Our interpreter works with your district or program to assist with optimizing use of the educational interpreter in their particular setting and facilitate discussion with interpreters and school staff regarding the role of the interpreter. Our interpreter can also assist with job description development for districts who need interpreter support and interview support for potential candidates to ensure quality. EIPA interpreter mentorship is also available (go to District Services).
Our team of listening and spoken language (LSL) specialists provide support for student’s communication issues (communication repair, advocacy), recommendations of classroom environment modifications (seating, accommodations), listening skill assessment and development (auditory memory, ability to follow multi-step directions), and support to ensure access to the curriculum. Our LSL specialist conduct Functional Listening Evaluations and provide support for 504/IEP development. Our specialists also provide technology troubleshooting for amplification, FM, and sound field technologies.
Our literacy specialist, with fluent signing skills, provides recommendations for curriculum, accommodations, and modifications for programs and classroom environments. Our specialist provides curriculum alignment suggestions, demonstrates how to best utilize the curriculum and provides specific teaching strategies, and offers modeling and coaching for teachers. Our literacy specialist also facilitates Common Core State Standards training and can assist with 504/IEP development.
Our team of directors can help facilitate discussion regarding communication modality needs in your district and guidance on deaf and hard of hearing program management. We help facilitate dialogue on the topic of regional services, district relationships with neighboring areas, community and parent relationship assistance, certificated evaluation support, and assistance matching student need with district resources. In addition, our directors can assist with risk analysis and mitigation, program review with district stakeholders, as well as procuring services from CDHY to fit your specific needs.
Our school psychologists, with fluent signing skills, can provide evaluation services to assess students’ current level of cognitive and academic functioning in order to assist with determination of the students’ disability category and educational programming. Our team of school psychologists conduct cognitive and academic assessments to support eligibility determination and placement. In addition, they provide feedback on functional behavior assessments and positive behavior intervention plan development, and assist with interpretation of social-emotional and adaptive assessment results.
Our Signing Exact English (SEE) specialist provides recommendations for sign supported English teachers and interpreters, as well as demonstration of supporting English usage through SEE.
Our social-emotional learning (SEL) team consists of our behavior specialist, school counselor, and school psychologists. While the specific services of this team’s members vary depending on specialty, there are many overlapping layers that contribute to a holistic view of mental, social-emotional, and behavioral health. Our focus is the whole child and our effort is to bring a well-rounded approach which accentuates individual strengths and supports gaps and emergent skill.
Our speech-language pathologists (SLP) conduct assessments on students’ speech, language, and communication skills. Our SLPs provide evaluations for language and articulation and make recommendations for appropriate accommodations to support classroom learning. In addition, strategies for supporting student language development, communication goals, and therapy activities are recommended based on the results of the assessments and evaluations conducted.
The CDHY Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) can provide: instruction in academic, communication, language, self-advocacy and social skills of the student, consult with school staff to support classroom listening environment, consult with school staff to support listening technology management, and overall access in the school setting.
Our teacher of the deaf (TOD) provides program wide and classroom specific recommendations for curriculum and accommodations. Our TOD assists with supporting students’ communication issues (communication repair, advocacy) and demonstrates presentation of lessons to help ensure clarity and accessibility. Our TOD can also assist with 504/IEP development and overall classroom strategies for effective and engaging instruction.
Our transition specialist can provide assessment for transition and transition planning in collaboration with district staff as well as adult service agencies.
Learn more about how we can provide the necessary evaluation and services to help your child succeed.