Knowledge Center

Nuts & Bolts Lunch Time Series

Nuts & Bolts is a series of 16 lunchtime talks offered to those wishing to expand their knowledge on topics related to educating children who are deaf or hard of hearing. These sessions are designed for educators, parents and professionals working with a basic knowledge of childhood hearing loss. The first one hour presentation is scheduled for September 28, 2010. All presentations are broadcast from Boys Town National Research Hospital’s Center for Childhood Deafness in the Lied Learning and Technology Building using the latest video conferencing and webstreaming technology.

Nuts and Bolts is designed as a staff development tool for school districts, agencies, and organizations who provide services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. After purchasing the series, any staff member from the purchasing organization will be able to access the sixteen seminars by the following methods:

Join us live, during the presentation via video conference or webstream.
Access and view past videos on our convenient Video-On-Demand webpage.
Download past videos from our Video-On-Demand website onto a hard drive, flash drive or CD.

Offering three access options ensures a convenient way to provide information to all your staff at their own leisure. Downloading the presentations allows organizations the opportunity to continually provide training and information, even to newly hired staff. All sessions of Nuts and Bolts will be available for viewing or download on our site until September 1, 2011.

New this year. Our presenters are available for a distance follow-up conversation with agencies wishing to expand their interactions with Boys Town’s experts. Please contact us for pricing and more information regarding how you can coordinate a distance connection with our specialists.

Below are six sample clips from past Nuts & Bolts sessions. Abstracts for the presentations presented in the clips are below the media player.

2010 - 2011 Nuts and Bolts Series Schedule

September 28:

Sophie Ambrose, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Postdoctoral Fellow
Birth to Three: Assessing Linguistic Communication

This presentation will outline the key components and typical developmental milestones of early linguistic communication. Participants will be introduced to methods for assessing communicative intentions as well as semantic and syntactic development. Subscribers click here.

October 12:

Jeff Simmons, M.A., Audiologist, Cochlear Implant Clinical Coordinator
Hearing Loss: Paths From Identification to Remediation

Navigating the process from identification of childhood hearing loss to appropriate instrumentation and remediation may be unfamiliar and confusing for parents and early intervention specialists. This discussion will cover the steps from newborn hearing screening through diagnostic audiological testing and selection of appropriate technology options such as hearing aids, bone conduction implants, and cochlear implants. Subscribers click here.

October 26:

Dawna Lewis, Ph.D., Staff Scientist
Impact of Minimal Hearing Loss in Children

While children with minimal hearing loss have been shown to experience difficulties in a variety of areas, there does not appear to be a consensus on the types and extent of difficulties experienced by these children. This session will focus on issues specific to children with minimal hearing loss. Subscribers click here.

November 8:

Rodney Lusk, M.D., Director Cochlear Implant Program, Director ENT Institute
Medical Work-Up for Hearing Loss

There are multiple causes for hearing loss in children. The medical workup varies based on the type of hearing loss. This presentation will review the common causes of hearing loss and how they are assessed and treated. Subscribers click here.

November 23:

Jenny L. Goehring, Au.D., CCC-A, Audiologist, Cochlear Implant Program
Introduction to Cochlear Implants: How Does It Work and Who Is It For?

This presentation includes an introductory lesson on cochlear implants. Participants will learn about the basic function of a cochlear implant, familiar terminology, and candidacy requirements. Educational and intervention services as well as outcome factors for individuals with a cochlear implant will be discussed. Subscribers click here.

December 14:

Kristal Platt, M.S., Certifi ed Genetics Counselor and Vision Program Coordinator
Genetics 101: For Those Who Never Liked Science

This presentation is intended to walk participants through the basics of genetics and to make the learner forget why genetics was always confusing. It will cover chromosomes, genes and how conditions are inherited. Relevant examples will be interspersed throughout the seminar to clarify key points. Subscribers click here.

January 11:

Rodney Lusk, M.D., Director Cochlear Implant Program, Director ENT Institute
Recurrent Otitis Media: Prevention and Treatment

Recurrent ear infections are a frequent cause of hearing loss in infants and children. This session will review the pathophysiology of recurrent and chronic otitis media. The current methods of treatment and consequences of no management will be reviewed. Subscribers click here

January 25:

Ryan McCreery, ABD, Research Audiologist, Hearing and Amplification Research Lab
Aided Speech Audibility: Foundations for Speech and Language Development

The primary goal of providing amplification to children who are deaf or hard of hearing is to provide access to the acoustic information needed to develop speech and language. The methods used by audiologists to estimate and maximize the audibility of speech will be presented. Additionally, limitations of current hearing aids in providing speech audibility will be discussed as well as emerging solutions that may improve our ability to provide children with access to important speech cues. Subscribers click here

February 8:

Kristal Platt, M.S., Certified Genetics Counselor and Vision Program Coordinator
Genetics of Hearing Loss

Building on a basic understanding of genetics, examples of syndromic and non-syndromic causes of hearing loss will be discussed. The features of several causes of hearing loss will be described along with testing availability. Practical factors impacting a family’s ability and desire to pursue genetic evaluation will be explored. Subscribers click here

February 22:

Julie Christensen, M.S., Audiologist
Hearing Aid Fittings on Children, 0-5 Years

This talk will cover the practical aspects of fitting hearing aids on a pediatric population, including verification measures, hearing aid features, and ways for family and caregivers to facilitate hearing aid use. Subscribers click here

March 8:

Jeff Simmons, M.A., Cochlear Implant Clinical Coordinator
Non-Traditional Cochlear Implant Recipients

Eligibility for cochlear implantation has expanded to the point where candidacy is now often considered for individuals who fall outside the traditional category of “severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with no other medical conditions or disabilities.” This presentation will examine how comorbid conditions can impact expected outcomes and communication modality choices following placement of a cochlear implant. These conditions will include cochlear malformations, cognitive impairments, Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD), autism spectrum, and various syndromes. Subscribers click here

March 22:

Teresa McEvoy, B.S. and Chris Grassmeyer, Parents of Deaf Children
Parents and Educators: Building Strong Educational Partnerships

This presentation will look at the complex relationship between parents of children with special needs and their teachers. We will look at some of the characteristics of successful relationships and examine different approaches when difficult conversations arise. Subscribers click here

April 12:

Amy Tyler Krings, M.A., Speech-Language Pathologist
Sara Robinson, M.A., CCC-SLP
Designing Speech-Language and Listening Sessions for Children with Hearing Loss - Part 1

This presentation will focus on the evaluation of speech, language, and listening skills, the identification of appropriate goals, and the design of therapy sessions for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subscribers click here

April 26:

Amy Tyler Krings, M.A., Speech-Language Pathologist
Sara Robinson, M.A., CCC-SLP
Designing Speech-Language and Listening Sessions for Children with Hearing Loss - Part 2

May 10:

Cathy Carotta, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, Associate Director, Center for Childhood Deafness and Kris Mixan, M.S., Coordinator for Early Childhood Services
Preschool Programming for Children with Hearing Loss

Educating children who are deaf or hard of hearing involves a multidisciplinary approach focused on addressing the individual needs of students while they are educated in group situations. This presentation will identify the many factors to be considered when attempting to design highly differentiated instruction. Subscribers click here.

May 24:

Carisa Reyes, Au.D., Cochlear Implant Audiologist
Reducing the Effects of Noise in the Classroom: Classroom Acoustics and F.M. Use

Classrooms are ironically not the most ideal learning environments due to high levels of background noise. This session will focus on the importance and impact of classroom acoustics on learning, ways to improve the acoustic environment and recommended usage of classroom and/or personal amplification systems. Subscribers click here.

Pricing for the Nuts and Bolts Lunchtime Series

Single Agency License ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… $1,600
Multiple Agency License …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… $2,600
State Department of Education ………………………………………………………………………………………………… $3,600

At the conclusion of the sixteen Nuts and Bolts sessions, any agency that has purchased the entire series will have the opportunity to purchase Nuts and Bolts DVD package sets. Each set will be available for $200 and will include four Nuts and Bolts seminars and the accompanying PDF handouts. Titles in each set are below.

Set 1:

Medical Work-Up for Hearing Loss
Recurrent Otitis Media: Prevention and Treatment
Genetics 101: For Those Who Never Liked Science
Genetics of Hearing Loss

Set 2:

Hearing Loss: Paths from Identification to Remediation
Impact of Minimal Hearing Loss in Children
Aided Speech Audibility: Foundations for Speech and Language Development
Hearing Aid Fittings on Children, 0-5 Years

Set 3:

Introductions to Cochlear Implants: How Does It Work and Who Is It For?
Monitoring Child Development
Non-Traditional Cochlear Implant Recipients
Reducing the Effects of Noise in the Classroom: Classroom Acoustics and F.M. Use

Set 4:

Birth to Three: Assessing Linguistic Communication
Parents and Educators: Building Strong Educational Partnerships
Designing Speech-Language and Listening Sessions for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Preschool Programming for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Nuts and Bolts Video Conference and Webstream Technical Requirements

Video Conference

Agencies will be provided with the IP address to dial into. We ask that each site mute the microphone during the sessions. We ask that each site dial in 15 minutes prior to the start of the session.

Webstream

Webstreaming is available on both Mac’s and PC’s. Any computer used for webstreaming will need to download an Active-X Software plug in before viewing. Some institutions firewalls block webstreaming. You may need to contact your IT department to allow traffic in and out of our site. A user ID will be provided to each agency. A unique password will be sent before each session. User ID’s and passwords are only to be shared with the staff of the purchasing agency and parents who are served by the agency.

This series is sponsored and supported in part by the Nebraska Fraternal Order of Eagles.

For more information about purchasing this series, please contact Teresa McEvoy at (402) 452-5042 or Teresa.McEvoy@boystown.org