Hearing Loss and Autism

About the presenter:

Amy Stephens is a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with more than 20 years clinical experience supporting Deaf children and adults.  Amy joined the University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service as a senior auditory rehabilitationist in 2006, where she specialised in adapting to meet the communication and educational needs of Deaf children and adults with additional sensory, cognitive and physical difficulties.  She was a founding member of the University’s research team into Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD); and was a consultant to the University of Southampton’s Auditory Processing Disorders service.  

Amy was the first speech and language therapist in the world to formally qualify as an Advanced Practitioner in Ayres Sensory Integration (SI), is a keynote speaker on SI and Deafness at both national and international conferences.  She is the national Clinical Adviser for SI for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, and is the Chair of the UK’s National Clinical Excellence Network in SI.

Since 2015, Amy has been an innovator in online teaching and learning for healthcare professionals, developing and delivering successful and popular workshops and webinars on different online platforms, and exploring the possibilities for remote synchronous and asynchronous learning in clinical education.  She was commissioned by Sensory Integration Education, the training body for SI in the UK and Ireland, to develop and deliver the online MSc in Sensory Integration which has been validated and accredited by Ulster University and Sheffield Hallam University. 

In March 2020, Amy launched and coordinated the #SLT2B Project, supporting 1200 student speech and language therapists across the UK and Ireland creating a “virtual clinical experience” for students whose anticipated clinical placements were cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.  The project was hugely successful, with more than 150 webinars backed up with online group and individual practical activities, and Amy has consulted for a number of UK universities looking to incorporate her ideas and innovation into their ongoing clinical placement approach.

In addition to her clinical and teaching work, Amy is writing a book on how parents and professionals can use a Sensory Integration frame of reference to optimise communication opportunities with their Deaf children.  She is also undertaking doctoral research into innovation in coaching and clinical mentoring for healthcare students.

Sensory Integration and Deaf Children – an introductory workshop
Sensory processing and integration is at the heart of the way we learn, interact and understand our world. Difficulties with sensory integration can affect eating, sleeping, what clothes children will wear, how easily children are able to tolerate hearing aids, speech processors and BAHAs, and even their coordination and balance. Sometimes common sensory processing challenges are misunderstood as poor behaviour or poor attention control, or are assumed to be exclusive to autism. The research evidence suggests that Deaf children are more likely to need
support with sensory integration than their hearing peers - and families and professionals need realistic and workable strategies to help in everyday situations. Putting simple and consistent strategies in place as part of a Deaf child’s daily routine can help them get focused, calm and ready for communication and learning.

Why is sensory integration so important for Deaf children?
Deaf children are more likely than their hearing peers to have sensory processing and integration difficulties which can impact everyday life and learning. They may find it harder to develop sequencing, planning and coordination skills. When children struggle to communicate what they’re finding difficult and why, that sometimes comes out as behaviours which are exhausting for the whole family. Children with sensory processing difficulties can look like they
have poor attention control. They can have an overwhelming need to be on the move the whole time, or a need to climb and jump. They may have difficulty tolerating a wide range of different foods. The good news is that sensory integration difficulties can be changed, and when you understand how, you can put simple strategies in place to everyone get calm, organised and “back to baseline”.

Agenda and learning outcomes

• 10.00-10.20 Introduction to Sensory Integration
  Understand what is meant by Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing, and how this
  relates to childhood development
  Understand the continuous dynamic experience of sensory input and adaptive response
• 10.20 – 11.20 Orientation to central nervous system and sensory systems
  - Name and recognise the 8 sensory systems which contribute to participation and learning.
  - Name and recognise the sensory end organs for each sensory system and understand the
  environmental sensory input to which each type of sensory receptor cell is sensitive.
  - Understand the evolutionary survival mechanisms and their impact on physiology.
• 11.20 -11.40 Break
• 11.40 – 12.10 Impact of Sensory Processing deficits/disorders on learning and participation specific to Deaf children
  - Review current models of sensory processing deficit.
  - Consider the functional and everyday consequences of core deficits in sensory processing,
  relate to behaviours encountered in service users and others.
  - Compare the likely sensory processing profile of service user who are deaf with other clinical
  populations.
  - Consider the possibility of unwanted challenging behaviours having a sensory processing
  component and how that can be changed.
• 12:10 – 12:40 Practical strategies and management
  - Systematically review the calming, organising and alerting strategies discussed across the day.
  Review the rationale for their use, and understand when a Sensory Integrative approach may not be appropriate.
  - Understand the appropriate referral pathway for service users with significant sensory
  processing difficulties.
  - Consider opportunities for further training and learning in the field of sensory integration and review the range of published and social media support resources available.
• 12.40 – 1.00 Questions and conclusions.