Have You Heard About Hearing Screening?

Hearing screening is both part of Newborn Screening and is one of many Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs that tries to identify anyone with hearing loss as soon as possible in order to prevent further loss of hearing and assist the child in his or her development. BY JESSICA HANDY Did you know that one to three out of every 1,000 children are born with some degree of permanent hearing loss? This is […]

Going Solo

BY KIMBERLEE RUTAN MCCAFFERTY To the casual onlooker it was not a remarkable scene. A middle-aged mom trudging through the rain, huge beach bag slung precariously over her shoulder while clutching the hands of a ‘tween and a younger son, heading for the relative paradise of a movie theater overhang. If anyone had cared to look they would have viewed a grim determination in her eyes, a desire to reach her destination etched into the […]

Youth Participation In Transition Planning

BY VALERIE LEITER In 2004, Congress added new transition requirements to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), striving to improve youth outcomes after high school. These new requirements say that the Individual Education Program (IEP) must include “appropriate measurable postsecondary goals” and the “transition services… needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.” They also give students the right to participate in planning once their IEP meetings focus on transition from school. It […]

Depression In Adolescents

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 11 percent of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18. Depression can be a chronic illness or a short term reaction to a life stressor. Military lifestyle involves more than just deployments. Stress on the family and adolescent can come as a result of many moves, changing schools, leaving friends and community connections, constant training, and separation of the active duty service member. Deployments are […]