Early intervention is key to the development of listening and spoken language for children with hearing loss. In collaboration with hospital centers and rehabilitation centers, the aim of this service is, following a diagnosis of hearing loss, to support and guide families and infants as soon as possible. Language stimulation, proper fitting and use of the hearing technology results in optimal benefit of the assistive devices. Health and education working together offer an efficient complementary service to individual children and their parents.

This service includes three key strategies:

1. Parent guidance

   Parents are an essential part of the team as they will become the primary facilitators of their child. During one-on-one parent guidance sessions, in the daycare or at home, our specialized staff will allow parents to learn how to transform daily life activities into learning opportunities. By doing so, they will continuously reinforce the child’s listening and spoken language skills.

2. Language stimulation

   From 0 to 3 years, brain plasticity, the ability of the brain structures to change and develop, is at its peak. During this period, learning happens quickly. Through rich and meaningful exposure to sounds and spoken language in daily routines, one can work with this brain plasticity to facilitate the acquisition of auditory skills. This is an essential step in learning to listen and ultimately develop spoken language.

3. Audiology services

   An audiologist will ensure that the infant is properly fitted with hearing devices and that hearing is optimal at all times.

This preschool program, unique in Quebec, focuses on the amplification provided by different types of hearing devices, parent coaching and an environment filled with language stimulation to promote the development of listening and spoken language. Our preschool classes follow the Quebec Education Plan(QEP) and are designed to provide a rich and stimulating environment.

This program includes four key strategies:

1. Learn through play

   In this program, children with hearing loss participate in fun group activities with hearing peers, which stimulates their hearing skills and ability to communicate orally. This prepares children living with hearing loss to successfully integrate into their mainstream school.

2. One-on-one auditory training sessions

   Each child receives one-on-one auditory training sessions with our specialized staff, in order to work on their listening skills and ultimately develop spoken language.

3. Weekly parent guidance sessions

   Parents are a big part of the team as they will become the primary facilitator of their child. During one-on-one parent guidance sessions, our specialized staff help parents transform daily life activities into learning opportunities. By doing so, they will continuously reinforce the child’s listening and spoken language skills.

4. Audiology services

   An audiologist will ensure that the child is properly fitted with hearing devices and that hearing is optimal at all times.

Children with hearing loss will often develop a language delay. The small elementary classes of the MOSD offer children a stepping-stone allowing them the necessary time to close any language gap while still working at achieving the objectives of the Quebec Education Program (QEP). When the children are considered to be ready, they are mainstreamed into their neighbourhood school at the same age level as their hearing peers.

This program includes five key strategies:

1. The Quebec Education Program

   Elementary classes follow the Quebec Education Program (QEP). Staff apply the progression of learning in a flexible manner, as needed, and adapting it to each child’s development. Simultaneously, the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) is used to support the development of specific skills regarding hearing loss (e.g. advocacy). Finally, to optimize the development of literacy skills, special emphasis is placed on the acquisition of reading and writing.

2. An individualized education plan (IEP) for each student

   An individualized education plan (IEP) is developed and implemented for each student. The goals being targeted in the IEP are mainly related to specific aspects of hearing loss and are part of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), such as:

   • Development of listening skills
   • Development of communication skills (speech, receptive language, expressive language)
   • Self-determination with respect to specific needs (e.g., use of an FM system)
   • Social/Emotional Development
   • Audiology
   • Understanding of hearing loss
   • Management of hearing technological equipment (e.g. FM system)

3. Literacy centers, 3 times weekly

   Following an initial reading assessment, students with similar needs are grouped together. Teaching strategies can therefore be adapted as required and students can flow through the different groups as their reading skills improve.

4. Support classroom integration in the mainstream neighborhood schools

   Once a student is judged able to work at an age and skill appropriate level within the QEP curriculum, the parents are informed and, to support the transition to school, a meeting with the school team is planned. Based on the needs raised at this initial meeting, subsequent required steps are established. Once all requirements are in place, the student will continue their learning in a regular classroom with same-age hearing peers.

5. Audiology services

   An audiologist is assigned to each cycle. Working in close collaboration with the teachers and the students, they ensure that access to auditory information is optimal at all times. They also provide support for the proper functioning of all assistive technology.

Allowing children with hearing loss to be mainstreamed into their regular neighbourhood school is MOSD’s mission. We accomplish this mission by supporting the development of listening and spoken language with the aim of developing strong literacy skills to allow students to develop their full potential, in a hearing world with their hearing peers, in their neighbourhood schools.

Integrating and offering an inclusive educational setting to children with hearing loss is a concern shared by many educational stakeholders. MOSD is proud to work in close collaboration with the Quebec Ministry of Education, with the English school boards of Quebec and with the Marguerite Bourgeois school service center. Together, we are setting a promising path for all students!

This service includes of three key strategies:

1. Direct one-on-one student support and collaboration with the family – twice weekly

   Supporting the students academically during their elementary and high school journey and guiding the family are the main goals of the direct service. As hired external partners, MOSD itinerant educational specialists (IES) work in close collaboration with the school boards, the school service center and the different school teams that work with children with hearing loss. The IES will set up twice-weekly individual sessions with each student in order to:

   • Monitor and troubleshoot the student’s amplification and/or FM system
   • Coordinate MOSD technical support for the FM system
   • Further develop listening and spoken language skills
   • Provide language stimulation
   • Continue to develop reading and writing skills
   • Provide academic support and preview and review course content
   • Support the development of organizational and study skills
   • Further develop social language and social skills
   • Develop self-determination skills
   • Maintain contact with the parents
   • Meet with the audiologist and parents during the audiological appointments

2. Support and guidance of school teams at all times

   The Montreal Oral School for the deaf has been mandated, by the Ministry of Education, to organize and implement a supraregional service to provide guidance and support to all English school boards who are educating students with hearing loss. This guidance and support are provided by the same itinerant educational specialists (IES) that are present to support individual students. Working in close collaboration with school teams, here are a few types of interventions/activities that are provided:

   • Provide information on hearing loss and teaching strategies
   • Give classroom presentations on hearing loss
   • Collaborate with teachers in supporting students with hearing loss
   • Participate during all phases of the individualized educational plan (IEP)
   • Encourage and support student and parent participation during all phases of the IEP
   • Prepare and present, to the student, parents and school personnel, 3 reports per year:
     – Goals report – November
     – Mid year progress report – February, March
     – Year-end report – June

3. Audiology services

   An audiologist is assigned to each itinerant educational specialist. Working in close collaboration with the IES and the students, they ensure that hearing is optimal at all times. They also provide support for the proper functioning of all the hearing technology.

Ranging from one-on-one sessions with students, to full virtual classes, parent guidance and school personnel support, the flexibility and adaptability that online services offer allows us to better respond to individual needs.

As an example, we currently have service agreements with three remote school boards, the Western Quebec School Board (WQSB), the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) and the Cree School Board (CSB). Students are receiving one-on-one online services, once a week. This service comprises the same three key strategies as the mainstream schooling support service.

AG Bell Academy
Ministère de l’Éducation
Association du Québec pour enfants avec problèmes auditifs
Hearing First