Professional FAQs

• What curricula does CID use in pre-k?

  The CID pre-k has a dual focus: (1) speech, language and listening and (2) a whole-child developmental curriculum, including a strong emphasis on emerging literacy skills.
  
  We use the CID-developed TAGS system for assessing and setting language goals, the CID SPICE curriculum for auditory learning, and the CID Speech Skills Worksheet, an assessment and goal-targeting tool based on work by Daniel Ling, PhD. We tailor our approach to match individual students’ abilities - meeting them where they are and moving them up the continuum from the use of single words to the spontaneous use of simple sentences of four words and more to complex sentences.
  
  Our whole-child curriculum is pulled from a variety of sources - all based on Developmentally Appropriate Practices set out by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We track skills in all developmental domains - fine motor, gross motor, cognition, social/emotional, pre-academic and early literacy - using the CID Developmental Checklists for children ages 3, 4 and 5.
  
  Learn more about the CID pre-k program.
  
  Our workshop, “Listen, Talk and Learn in Pre-K: Designing a Program for Preschool Children Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing,” is typically offered in the fall. Learn more about CID workshops.
  
  Order CID-developed curricula and materials.
  
  

• What tests do you use for 3 to 4 1/2 year olds?

  Our goal is to mainstream students in their neighborhood schools as soon as possible. The tests we use are standardized on hearing children, so results for the hearing-impaired children can be compared to results achieved by hearing children the same age. This comparison gives us a clear picture of each student’s capabilities.
  
  Some examples of assessments we use are the PPVT-IV and EVT-2 for vocabulary and the PLS-4, CELF-P2 and CASL for language. For children with lower language levels, we start with vocabulary testing. We use the results of the receptive vocabulary test to select an appropriate language test within the limitations of the child’s receptive vocabulary age.
  
  

• Which assessment tool would you recommend to be used in place of the GAEL?

  The CID GAEL (Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language) series was normed on children who were deaf and hard of hearing. Our goal is to compare test results for children who are deaf and hard of hearing to those for hearing children to determine when they are ready to participate in mainstream schools. Therefore, we use speech and language assessments standardized on hearing children. Examples include the PPVT-IV and EVT-2 for vocabulary; CELF-Preschool2, CELF-4, PLS-4 and CASL for language and Goldman-Fristoe or Arizona for speech.
  

• What curriculum materials do you use for 5- to 12-year-olds in primary (especially for language, auditory learning and reading)?

  We use the CID SPICE (Speech Perception Instruction Curriculum and Evaluation) for auditory rehabilitation and CID TAGS (Teacher Assessment of Grammatical Structures) for our syntax curriculum. For reading, we use the Scott Foresman literature-based series, also used in St. Louis area schools. Using a commercial text is helpful for preparing the children to work in the mainstream.
  
  We also use and recommend the SPIRE program (Specialized Program for Individualized Reading Excellence). This program is not designed for students who are deaf and hard of hearing; however, it contains strong components in phonics and phonological awareness that benefit some of our students.
  
  Learn about CID workshops and CID curricula and materials.
  

• What is CID's relationship with Washington University?

  CID is financially separate from, but closely affiliated with the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences (PACS) at Washington University School of Medicine. Our teachers and audiologists serve as faculty members. We also provide practicum experiences for students in these graduate programs training audiologists, scientists and teachers of the deaf.
  
  The PACS graduate programs were developed at CID through a longstanding relationship with Washington University. The university also continues to administer CID-developed adult clinic and deafness research programs. Together, these programs are known as CID at Washington University School of Medicine. They reside on the same campus with the CID school. The head of the Department of Otolaryngology is a member of the CID board of directors.
  
  

• How does CID help teachers and SLPs working in mainstream educational settings?

  CID offers in-service training modules, consulting services and curricula for mainstream schools with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. CID workshops, curricula and hearing support products are also available at: www.cidedu.com.  

   

  For fact sheets developed to help Missouri educators, see FACTS AND RESOURCES FOR MAINSTREAM TEACHERS.

   

   

  
  

• What resource do you most often recommend for parents needing to learn the basics about hearing loss and children?

  An excellent list of FAQs on hearing loss and children is available on the OptionSchools web site.