Dr. Mary Pat Moelleris a Scientist Emerita and the former Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness and the Language Development Laboratory at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, NE. After many years of clinical work in rehabilitative Audiology and early intervention, she obtained a Ph.D. in child language and deafness from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her research interests include mother-child interaction, theory of mind development in children who are deaf and hard of hearing and the study of factors influencing the outcomes of children who are hard of hearing. She directed a team at BTNRH in the development of a website for families whose infants refer from newborn hearing screening (www.babyhearing.org; www.audiciondelbebe). Dr. Moeller has published widely and has lectured internationally on topics related to early development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Dr. David J. Ertmer is a professor in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He received a B.S. from Marquette University, a M. S. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. His clinical career includes experiences as a school speech pathologist in Wisconsin and Colorado and as a clinical supervisor at Purdue University. He has regularly taught courses in aural rehabilitation and clinical methods in communication disorders. His NIH-funded research is focused on identifying the rate and completeness of prelinguistic vocal development, phonological development, and the attainment of intelligible speech in young children who receive cochlear implants and children who are typically developing. David has been an associate editor of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, an editorial consultant for numerous professional journals, and a reviewer of NIH and international research proposals. Along with numerous journal articles and book chapters, he is the author of The Source for Children with Cochlear Implants (Pro-Ed, Inc., 2005). David and his wife Peg, a professor in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University, have four adult children and three grandchildren.
Dr. Carol Stoel-Gammon is Professor Emerita in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle. She received her doctoral degree in Linguistics from Stanford University, and has taught, mentored and carried out research in the area of phonological development and disorders for many years. Her book Normal and Disordered Phonology in Children, co-authored with Carla Dunn was published in 1985. Her research interests focus on prelinguistic vocal development and early phonological development in children who are typically developing, and speech development of children with autism, cleft palate, Down syndrome, Fragile X, childhood apraxia of speech, children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and late talkers. Dr. Stoel-Gammon as served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and the Journal of Child Language.
Stacy R. Abrams, M.S., Family Mentor Coordinator, Early Childhood and Family Education: Parent Outreach Program, Arizona Early Intevention Program (AzEIP), 2051 W Northern Avenue, Suite 200, Phoenix, Arizona 85021.
During the writing of this book, Ms. Stacy Abrams was the Deaf Mentor Program Coordinator at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. She has since then moved to Arizona, and is the current Family Mentor Program Coordinator, serving families with deaf children, and giving them opportunities to learn from deaf adults. Stacy is also a proud Deaf mom of two bilingual Deaf children.
Cheryl L. Broekelmann, M.A., LSLS Cert. AVEd., Director, St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, 1300 Strassner, Brentwood, Missouri 63144.
Ms. Cheryl Broekelmann has over 25 years of experience as an educator of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She has served in a variety of roles at St. Joseph including teacher, supervisor of preschool and lower school, early childhood program director, and director of Ihear internet therapy and early intervention. She has a B.A. in Deaf Education and an M.A. in Education, Early Childhood Administration from Fontbonne University and is certified as a teacher and deaf educator in Missouri and a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator through the AG Bell Listening and Spoken Language Academy. She has served as a Lecturer at Fontbonne University and a presenter at numerous professional conferences as well as an author and co-author of articles published in journals such as Volta Voices, Volta Review, and ASHA Leader. She is the co-author of a chapter in 101 Frequently Asked Questions about Auditory-Verbal Therapy.
Catherine Cronin Carotta, Ed.D., Associate Director, Center for Childhood Deafness, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 North 30th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68131.
Dr. Catherine Carotta is a licensed speech-language pathologist with many years of experience in the assessment and education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing using sign and spoken language modalities. Dr. Carotta has worked in public/private school settings, hospital, and university based clinical programs. She serves as a national consultant to school districts focused on providing optimal educational practices for students with hearing loss. With a doctorate in leadership education, she has actively worked to create learning organizations using current leadership models.
Elizabeth B. Cole, Ed.D., Director, Soundbridge, Capitol Region Education Council, 123 Progress Drive, Wethersfield, Connecticut 06109.
Dr. Elizabeth Cole is the Director of Soundbridge, a statewide public school program in Connecticut, which provides a wide variety of audiological and instructional services to approximately 700 children (birth through secondary school) who are learning spoken language through listening. Prior to coming to Connecticut in 1996, Dr. Cole was a professor at McGill University in Montreal for 16 years, where she taught acoustic phonetics, language, speech, and aural habilitation courses to students in the Auditory-Oral Re-Habilitation and Education of Hearing-Impaired Children (AORE) program, as well as to audiology and speech-language pathology students. Dr. Cole has co-authored a book with Carol Flexer entitled Children with Hearing Loss: Developing Listening and Talking, which is a standard text for professional development of teachers who are seeking certification as Listening and Spoken Language Specialists.
Leisha R. Eiten, Au.D., CCC-A, Audiology Coordinator, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 North 30th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68131
Dr. Leisha Eiten is a clinical coordinator at Boys Town National Research Hospital. She has served on task forces to develop Pediatric Amplification Guidelines and Remote Microphone HAT guidelines. She is a member of the KIPA (Knowledge Implementation in Pediatric Audiology) Work Group and ASHA's Health Care Economics Committee.
Cheryl DeConde Johnson, Ed.D., Owner and Consultant, Audiology-Deaf Education vantage consulting (ADEvantage), PO Box 918, Leadville, Colorado 80461
Dr. Cheryl DeConde Johnson provides consultation and facilitation regarding initiatives in deaf education and systems improvement through her consulting practice, The ADEvantage- Audiology-Deaf Education vantage. In addition she has adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, University of Arizona, and Salus University. Cheryl is co-founder and former President of the Board of Directors for Hands & Voices.
John L. Luckner, Ed.D., Professor, School of Special Education, University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th Street, Campus Box 141, Greeley, Colorado 80639
Dr. John Luckner is a professor and the coordinator of the Deaf Education teacher preparation program in the School of Special Education and the Director of Research for the Bresnahan/Halstead Center at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Luckner was a classroom teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing for nine years. His current research interests include literacy, teacher preparation, social-emotional development, transition and the provision of appropriate services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
Connie Mayer, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Education , York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3
Dr. Connie Mayer is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at York University in Toronto, Canada where she works in the graduate programs in Education, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, and Critical Disability Studies, and is an academic coordinator of the teacher preparation program in the education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students. Prior to coming to York, Dr. Mayer worked for more than twenty years as a consultant, administrator and teacher of DHH students from preschool through postsecondary. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, a former Associate Editor for the Volta Review, and a member of the editorial board of the American Annals of the Deaf and the Reading Research Quarterly. Her current research focuses on written language and literacy development in DHH learners, early literacy and early intervention, cochlear implantation, bilingualism, and models of teacher education. She has presented widely on these topics both nationally and internationally as well as having written numerous journal articles and book chapters, and co-authored a book on early literacy development in deaf children that will be available early in 2015.
Kristy Mixan, M.S., Early Childhood Coordinator, Center for Childhood Deafness, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 North 30th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68131
Ms. Kris Mixan has worked in the field of deafness for more than 30 years in the Omaha metro area. She has had varied experiences that include working at the Nebraska School for the Deaf, working with students in public school settings, and for the past 20 years working at the Boys Town National Research Hospital. Kris' work at BTNRH in the Center for Childhood Deafness has focused on providing parent-infant services, teaching and coordinating services for preschoolers, providing counseling services on the Cochlear Implant Team, and counseling students in public school settings.
Paula Pittman, Ph.D., Director, SKI-HI and Deaf Mentor Program Outreach, SKI-HI Institute, Utah State University, 6500 Old Main Hill, Logan, Utah 84322
Dr. Paula Pittman has been the director of SKI-HI Outreach at the SKI-HI Institute at Utah State University for 14 years and the director of the Deaf Mentor Outreach Project for 21 years. She has been a National Trainer for the SKI-HI and Deaf Mentor Outreach Projects for over 20 years. She was a creator of the Deaf Mentor Program and was involved in the development of the SKI-HI and Deaf Mentor Curriculum Manuals. She has provided direct services to infants, toddlers and children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or blind/visually impaired and their families for 32 years.
Amy McConkey Robbins, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Speech-Language Pathologist, Communication Consulting Services, Indianapolis, Indiana 46260
A speech-language pathologist in private practice, Ms. Amy McConkey Robbins is the author of several assessment tools widely-used with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She presents nationally and internationally on topics related to communication of children with cochlear implants and on vocational renewal for those in serving professions. Amy's integrated speech/music therapy curriculum, TuneUps, co-authored with Chris Barton, received the "Most Valuable Product" award by TherapyTimes.com readers.
Jane Russell, B.Com., Doctoral Student, Social Research with Deaf People (SORD), School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
Ms. Jane Russell is a part time doctoral student, funded by the Economic Social Research Council (ESRC), at the University of Manchester, England. She is a trustee of a local deaf children's charity, Sign Hi Say Hi! and is a mother to triplets; deaf and hearing.
Marilyn Sass-Lehrer, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Education, Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC 20002
Dr. Marilyn Sass-Lehrer is a professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, USA. She received a master's degree in Deaf Education from New York University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction. She is the co-director of the Gallaudet University Graduate Interdisciplinary Certificate Program: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Their Families. She is editor of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and their Families: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (2015), co-author of Parents and their Deaf Children: The Early Years (2003), and co-editor of The Young Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child: A Family-Centered Approach to Early Education (2003).
Jeffrey Simmons, M.A., Clinical Coordinator, Hearing Services, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 North 30th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68131
Mr. Jeffrey Simmons has been a practicing clinical audiologist since 1996. He currently serves as the Cochlear Implant Clinical Coordinator at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, NE.
Carol Westby, Ph.D., has published and presented nationally and internationally on play, theory of mind, language-literacy relationships, ADHD, narrative/expository development and facilitation, screen time, children and families who have experienced trauma, and issues in assessment and intervention with culturally/linguistically diverse populations She, has received the Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the Award for Contributions to Multicultural Affairs, and is Board Certified in Child Language and Language Disorders. Dr. Westby has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Geneva College and the University of Iowa’s Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology.
Deborah Wilson-Taber, M.Ed., Liaison, Santa Fe Public Schools, Bilingual Multicultural Services, Inc., 4821 Central Avenue Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108
Ms. Deborah Wilson-Taber is the Santa Fe Public Schools Liaison for students with hearing loss. For nine years she was Director of the preschool/kindergarten program of the New Mexico School for the Deaf. For many years Deborah has been developing programs and curricula and supporting access to learning for children who are Deaf and Hard-of-hearing in the State of New Mexico. She is currently affiliated with Bilingual Multicultural Services in Albuquerque.
Alys Young, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work Education and Research, Social Research with Deaf People (SORD), School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
Dr. Alys Young is Professor of Social Work and Director of the SORD group (Social Research with Deaf People) at the University of Manchester UK. She is also visiting Professor at the Centre for Deaf Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Her research work focuses health and social care in relation to d/Deaf people across the life course and she has a particular interest in social research methodologies associated with visual and spoken language contexts with d/Deaf children and adults.
