19th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 8-10, 2020 • Kansas City, MO
3/09/2020 | 3:15 PM - 3:45 PM | Donation of implantable technology to children in developing countries: Lessons learned from a pilot project in Panama | Empire B
Donation of implantable technology to children in developing countries: Lessons learned from a pilot project in Panama
The donation of cochlear implants provides access to sound for children who would have otherwise not had the ability to hear. However, while the donation of implantable technology to children in developing countries is well intended, there are a multitude of critical factors to consider in order for this type of technology donation to make a meaningful and sustainable impact long-term. This presentation is a compilation of observations and conclusions gleaned from the experiences of a bilingual cochlear implant audiologist and Auditory-Verbal therapist who are currently serving children in Panama with the Hear the World Foundation’s pilot cochlear implant project. The donation of a cochlear implant is significantly more involved than that of hearing aids and involves the collaboration of numerous specialized professionals in addition to a high level of family involvement. An overview of the process involved will be provided, including candidate selection and coordination of care. There were numerous limitations and barriers involved such as limited prior training of local professionals, age of implantation, limited appropriate school services, and socioeconomic factors. Numerous effective solutions were developed that would be beneficial as considerations for future projects going forward. The more sustainable impact of training a local professional will be addressed and the effectiveness of remote training via tele-therapy will be discussed. It will also be addressed how intervention must be adapted to be linguistically and culturally relevant for families in their home country. Overall, it is critical to be cognizant of potential barriers, considerations, and limitations that are involved with donation of such technology in countries that do not already have the infrastructure to effectively support pediatric cochlear implantation. Despite the challenges, this pilot project is considered a success and the donation of implantable technology was found to make a meaningful impact when sustainable solutions are implemented.
- List 3 barriers and limitations to consider with the donation of implantable technology in developing countries without a well-established pediatric cochlear implant program.
- Identify strategies and solutions for ensuring that a cochlear implant donation has a meaningful and sustainable impact on the lives of implant recipients.
- Describe how to adapt intervention to be culturally and linguistically relevant for families in other countries.
Presentation:
21060_12824SarahRadlinski.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Sarah Radlinski
(), Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc., Sarah@avchears.org;
Sarah Radlinski, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT is a speech-language pathologist and Listening and Spoken Language Specialist. Since earning her speech pathology master’s degree on the hearing loss specialty track from Vanderbilt University, Sarah has served as the bilingual AV therapist for the Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. Sarah also currently serves as the Latino Programming Director for the Georgia chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. Sarah additionally serves children in Panama through the Hear the World Foundation; Sarah provides LSL training to the local speech therapist and coaches the families of children who received donated cochlear implants in-person as well as via tele-therapy. Additionally, Sarah mentors AVT mentees internationally and has presented at state, national, and international conferences on topics related to pediatric hearing loss, with a focus on providing culturally and linguistically relevant intervention for Spanish-speaking families.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Carina Rodriguez
(), Advanced Bionics, carina.rodriguez@advancedbionics.com;
Carina Rodríguez, M.S.M.S., BASLP earned a Master of Science degree in Medical Science from the University of Las Palmas, Canary Islands in Spain. Carina currently serves as a Bilingual Educational Audiologist for Advanced Bionics, responsible for bilingual outreach strategies to support Spanish speaking cochlear implant recipients and bilingual professionals in the U.S. and providing Educational training and Clinical Research support in IBERIA. Working across countries in LATAM and Spain, she has been actively interested to learn more about different hearing health care systems and hearing rehabilitation approaches in Spanish Speaking countries. Her main interest in the field of hearing loss and cochlear implants is select and develop culturally competent intervention strategies and educational resources, to meet the needs of the Hispanic-Latino community. Carina additionally support Hear the World Foundation as a volunteer by contributing with training, counseling and professional support to its projects along Spanish Speaking countries.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -