My World: Join Us at a Workshop for Paediatric

The benefits of amplification for children can only be fully realised if hearing aids are used effectively to support auditory access to the many situations and experiences of a child’s everyday life.  Equally, the skills of hearing care professionals (HCP) in ensuring accurate assessment of children’s hearing and in providing appropriate technology are wasted if they don’t translate into real-world value.

In a clinical setting, it can be challenging to gain good understanding of the issues and problems faced by children in using their hearing aids in different situations, and HCPs frequently need to rely on parental or teacher report rather than the child’s own perceptions.  Many HCPs however have said they would welcome the opportunity to be able to engage directly with children and to communicate and converse first-hand with confidence and ease.

In a collaborative process with 35 HCPs from around the world, the IDA Institute has developed a new paediatric counselling tool, “My World – Understanding Hearing Loss from the Child’s Perspective”.  This innovative tool allows the HCP and the child to explore together how the hearing loss affects the child’s experience in their daily life and to formulate effective ways to manage these situations.

The new tool illustrates three different environments (a home, a school and an outdoor area) and includes a variety of movable elements that represent the everyday life of the child. By means of these elements, the child can tell the story of how they manage their hearing loss, amplification and communication in different situations. This gives the child a voice and makes them an active participant in the rehabilitation process. It also helps the HCP uncover information about the child’s use of effective amplification, reinforce positive patterns and formulate a strategy for coping with challenges. 

Highlights from the workshop include:

• A presentation by Ms. Gwen Carr, Deputy Director, the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening and Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Programmes
• A hands-on introduction to the My World tool allowing you to explore the tool for yourself and discuss with others how to use it
• A role play session that allows you to try the tool in action and consider what may be gained from using it from the child, parent and audiologist perspective

We hope you will join us for this exciting workshop on 19 March in London.

• Venue: Radisson Blu Portman, Portman Square, London, W1H 7BG
• Time: Registration is at 9:30am and the workshop will end at 3:00pm.
• Cost: £55.00 per person include a copy of the My World tool (£25 value), an Ida tool brochure, lunch and refreshments. A discounted student rate is available at £35.00 per person.
• Registration: Please visit register for the workshop here on the sign up page.
• Credits: CPD accreditation will be obtained.

Please contact Anne Hedvig Westenholz (ahw@idainstitute.dk) for further information.