Adolescents struggling with partial or complete hearing loss often have difficulties communicating effectively with those around them. Although communication can be a struggle at times, it is not impossible. Tara Oetting, associate clinical professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders, works in Missouri State University’s preschool for the deaf and hard of hearing teaching children effective ways of communicating.
The preschool works with hearing impaired children who primarily use sign language as a means of communication as well as children that use oral speech. Oetting and the other teachers work with the children on their language, speech, pre-literary skills, socialization and auditory skills.
“We start by showing the children pictures, then incorporating sign for them to learn and retain more effectively,” said Oetting. “Actually, sign is a lot easier for them to learn compared to speech.”
The preschool has proven its usefulness by helping their students reach a new level of communication that some may have thought impossible.
“Many children come in having no language base whatsoever and leave using sign language to communicate effectively,” Oetting added. “Some of the children even start off using sign language but leave using more speech.”
For more information, contact Oetting at (417) 836-6838.
“Hot Topic – Expert Source” releases are a tool the office of university communications provides to assist media in locating a university source to comment on a particular subject or issue. The opinions expressed by the expert are those of a specific individual and are not necessarily representative of the views of the university.
#
Resources for journalists:
A guide to Missouri State University experts is available at www.news.missouristate.edu.
About Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public, comprehensive metropolitan system with a statewide mission in public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons. The university’s identity is distinguished by its public affairs mission, which entails a campus-wide commitment to foster expertise and responsibility in ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement.
College of Health and Human Services
The College of Health and Human Services offers 16 undergraduate and 17 graduate and certificate programs. The academic units in the college include: biomedical sciences; communication sciences and disorders; kinesiology; nursing; physical therapy; physician assistant studies; psychology; public health; social work; and sports medicine and athletic training. Complementing the academic course work in nationally accredited programs are clinical experiences, laboratory and research experiences and internship opportunities. Students receive comprehensive training through interdisciplinary course work, coupled with professional mentoring in the work environment.
New media resources
For more information about MSU, visit www.missouristate.edu. You can also like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ and see what’s happening on YouTube. Receive notification of Missouri State news releases as soon as they are posted by subscribing to our RSS feed.