Center for Hearing & Speech

Filing Period

Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2011

Signed

Aug 10, 2012

Return Version

2011v1.2

Gross Receipts

$1,698,084

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

The speech pathology program identifies individuals with speech/language disorder and/or delays and helps these children achieve age-appropriate speech/language skills; or, for persons with communication skills affected by a medical and/or behavioral diagnoses, achieve a functional level of communication.children from low-income households are the primary caseload. However, the program serves individuals of all ages, races, socioeconomic backgrounds and abilities who are afflicted with: speech/language delays; voice, language or articulation disorders; stuttering; auditory processing disorders; tongue thrust; or traumatic brain injury. Annually in the st. Louis area, an estimated 10,000 children enter first grade with a moderate to severe speech/language problem. 8,500 elementary and high school age children suffer from chronic speech disorders. Children from low-income households are disproportionately affected with speech/language disorders and are much more likely not to get treatment. This program serves more low-income children than any other (non-school) program in st. Louis. Restrictive eligibility requirements and a shortage of funds block some children with speech/language problems from accessing services through school systems and/or government funded programs. This program provides children the skills to overcome or minimize communication disorders or delays that can cause problems achieving literacy, academic underperformance, low self-esteem, and social disadvantages. Speech/language problems are among the most correctable of health conditions affecting young children, but without diagnosis and treatment, they are detrimental to a child's intellectual and social development. The center provides screenings, diagnostic evaluations and individualized therapy programs for persons who are suspected of having, or who do have, speech, language or voice disorders or delays. Master degreed, state licensed and nationally certified speech/language pathologists provide all services. Screenings identify children who are in need of full evaluation, although screenings are not always necessary prior to a full evaluation. A full evaluation yields a diagnosis and, if therapy is recommended, a speech pathologist develops an individualized treatment plan that identifies realistic and measurable therapy goals. Group therapy is provided when deemed beneficial for those involved. Therapy duration is determined on an individual basis and can range from as few as 8 sessions to as many as 100, depending on the severity of the disorder. Parents and caregivers are counseled and provided simple carryover techniques for use in the home, daycare or classroom setting that serve to accelerate the child's progress towards therapy goals. The center's clinic is equipped with observation rooms to further educate and involve the parent/caregiver in the therapy process. Services are provided at the center's clinic facility as well as eight local childcare centers and schools. At community-based locations, the center's speech pathologists supplement a child's individual therapy sessions with therapy sessions provided in the classroom setting. Classroom teachers and aids learn carryover techniques from the center's speech pathologists.this program targets low-income individuals and provides services at little or no cost at all for over 85% of our therapy caseload. Our program effectiveness is measured in-house, utilizing several different tools. The center participates in the pre-kindergarten and adult modules of the american speech-language hearing association's national outcomes measurement system (noms). Noms provides a comparison of the progress our therapy clients achieve with the average progress achieved within the national database of more than 7,000 therapy clients. Speech pathologists, using clinical tests, measure clients' communication accuracy levels before and at regular intervals during therapy. This data quantifies levels of success. Cli

Activity 3

Mobile services programs descriptionthe center has two (2) mobile services programs: school screening and industrial hearing conservation. Below are specific descriptions for each program.school screeningthe school screening program identifies possible hearing and vision problems in pre-school and school age children and refers these identified children for further treatment. The program serves pre-school and elementary school children throughout metropolitan st. Louis, with a strong emphasis placed on serving children enrolled at schools located in the city of st. Louis as well as other disadvantaged neighborhoods.hearing loss is this country's most common birth defect with one of every three babies being born with a permanent hearing loss. Additionally, by age 6, 75% of all children will have at least one ear infection. Recurring ear infections often result in permanent hearing loss and speech delay. 37% of children with only a minimal hearing loss fail at least one grade. Vision disorders, america's fourth most common disability, interfere with a child's education and participation in all childhood activities. Hearing and visual impairments are associated with developmental delays, special education, and vocational and social services, often into adulthood. Detecting hearing or vision problems is difficult for parents and teachers. Budget cuts, overworked school nurses, and schools without nurses all support the necessity for this program which meets critical needs by targeting children from low-income families and successfully reaching an underserved audience in need of preventive healthcare. Trained audiometric technicians perform hearing screenings, tests of middle ear function (tympanometry), and vision screenings for children age 3 and up. Services are provided on-site at the school or childcare center. We provide easy-to-read literature outlining the importance of screenings and the prevention of hearing loss to schools where screenings will be performed. This information is given to all parents of enrolled children. School personnel and families are notified in writing of all results after screenings are complete. The center provides school personnel and families with explicit follow-up recommendations for those children unable to pass any/all of the screenings. Children not passing a screening at their school or childcare center are eligible to receive a follow-up screening at the center's facility. After screenings are performed, the center's program coordinator makes phone calls to families and school nurses to explain the screening results, encourage follow-up and answer questions. Center staff and school nurses share follow-up findings with each other in an effort to get as many children as possible in for intervention services.this program follows the protocol for audiological screenings recommended by the american speech language hearing association (national accrediting body for the audiology and speech pathology professions) and the american academy of audiology. Vision screenings are performed in accordance with the protocol recommended by the american academies of ophthalmology and pediatrics. All screenings are done in accordance with the goals of the american medical association. The aforementioned protocols are reviewed annually and program changes made accordingly.the center aggressively seeks opportunities to serve children from financially impoverished families.the program provides hearing and vision screenings and tests of middle ear function. The center is the only known provider of tympanometry (middle ear test) as part of the mobile screening process. An audiologist supervises the program and makes the referrals for children not passing the hearing and/or tympanogram portion. Follow-up calls are made for children not passing any screening. Follow-up screenings are provided at the center and, on occasion, at the school site. In-depth testing is available to children who do not pass the second hear

Filer

EIN

43-0652678