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Academy's Mission
Advancing listening and talking through standards of excellence and international certification of professionals.
What is the Academy?
The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language® (the Academy) is an independently governed, subsidiary corporation of The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The Academy was established in 2005 and envisions a future where individuals and families will have qualified listening and spoken language professionals available in their immediate geographic area. The Academy is uniquely positioned to advance the revolutionary global opportunity for deaf or hard of hearing individuals to listen and talk via proven technologies and with guidance and education from certified professionals.
Academy's Governance
The Academy's Board of Directors has embarked upon an ambitious 3-year Strategic Plan to increase the number of qualified professionals who are available to help bring the option of spoken language to those individuals and families who choose to learn to listen and speak. The Academy board and staff will be working over the next several years to bring this plan to fruition.
Listening and Spoken Language Specialists
Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS) help children who are deaf or hard of hearing develop spoken language and literacy primarily through listening.
LSLS professionals focus on education, guidance, advocacy, family support, and the rigorous application of techniques, strategies, and procedures that promote optimal acquisition of spoken language through listening by newborns, infants, toddlers, and children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
LSLS professionals guide parents in helping their children develop intelligible spoken language through listening and coach them in advocating their children’s inclusion in the mainstream school. Ultimately, parents gain confidence that their children will have access to the full range of educational, social and vocational choices in life.
Listening and Spoken Language Approaches
The two main Listening and Spoken Language approaches, historically, have been the Auditory-Verbal Approach (AV) and the Auditory-Oral Approach (A-O). Today, as a result of advances in newborn hearing screening, hearing technologies, early intervention programs and the knowledge and skills of professionals, these two approaches have more similarities than differences and they lead to similar outcomes.
The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language certifies Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS).
Currently, the designations of the LSLS certification program are:
LSLS Cert. AVT (Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist) and LSLS Cert. AVEd (Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator)
The LSLS must provide services in adherence to the A G Bell Academy Code of Ethics and the Principles of Auditory-Verbal Therapy or the Principles of Auditory-Verbal Education (available in the LSLS Candidate Handbooks and online at www.agbellacademy.org).
Listening and Spoken Language Practice
Listening and Spoken Language Specialists have similar knowledge and skills and work on behalf of the child and family.
The LSLS Cert. AVT works one-on-one with the child and family in all intervention sessions.
The LSLS Cert. AVEd involves the family and also works directly with the child in individual or group/classroom settings.
The LSLS Cert. AVT and the LSLS Cert. AVEd both follow developmental models of audition, speech, language, cognition and communication.
The LSLS Cert. AVT and the LSLS Cert. AVEd both use evidence-based practices.
The LSLS Cert. AVT and the LSLS Cert. AVEd both strive for excellent outcomes in listening, spoken language, literacy and independence for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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