Texas Hearing Institute will always be here to support parents and students when transitioning to a new school and throughout the entire school year. Kasie LeBlanc, our Educational Liaison, works with children with hearing loss and their families by building and maintaining positive relationships with educators and other professionals to ensure positive educational outcomes.
Last year, 191 families were served because of Kasie’s incredible efforts. One of the many ways Kasie can support your child this school year is through:
• Amplification training for classroom teachers about hearing loss, technology, troubleshooting tips and the impact of hearing loss in the classroom.
• Read Aloud visits with your child’s class to teach them about hearing loss and amplification.
• Assistance enrolling in school and requesting a full and individual evaluation with your local public school.
• Establishing a line of communication between the student’s Texas Hearing Institute providers and professionals at school (school audiologist, mainstream teacher, physical therapist, etc.) as we truly believe that coordination of care leads to success in the classroom.
• Guiding and supporting families during the FIE (Full and Individual Evaluation), ARD (Admission, Review and Dismissal) and 504 processes.
In Texas, an ARD committee, often referred to as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, decides if a child is eligible for special education services and makes a majority of the decisions about a child’s special education program.
This comprehensive team consists of the parent(s), a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school representative, a diagnostician or representative who can interpret the instructional implications of the evaluation, a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher, any individual invited by the parent and, when appropriate, the child, and is required to meet at least every 12 months to review a child’s progress on goals and objectives.
As you learn more about your child’s educational needs, please reach out if you are interested in learning more about how Kasie LeBlanc can support your child’s success in the classroom.
*Please visit the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s website https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/ for more information about your child’s eligibility for special education.
