Hearing Impaired School 1: The Kids

Hello again!  It's been almost 4 months since I've written.  In that time, I've fallen into a job at a school for hearing impaired students.  I feel so welcomed and so fortunate to have found it. Since I had absolutely zero experience with hearing impaired (HI) kids before, it's been a learning experience.  I work with 2 & 3 year-olds in the morning, kindergarten-ish kids in the afternoon, and translate for Spanish-speaking parents on occasion.  I was too overwhelmed for a while to decide what to write, so I've decided to split it into 3 topics (kids, parents, adults).  It's detailed, but since I'm just here for another month-ish I want to make sure that I remember everything.  Up first - the kids.

So, I love the kids.  Short Version - I love working at the school and have learned a lot about how the program is structured and the support the kids receive. I've developed habits to encourage their listening and speaking abilities. It's been interesting to see their language develop and is incredibly rewarding. If you're curious to know more, read on. 

Printed: Autism

"New estimates show that 1 in 88 American children has been identified as having autism spectrum disorder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today, marking an increase of more than 20 percent since the last time such data were collected." - EdWeek

Wow.  How is it possible that people still don't know the causes?  This also makes me think about how general ed teachers NEED to be trained on how to provide supports for students with autism, not just special ed teachers.  How is that not required in teacher training yet??