Creation of New LSLS® Certification Exam Underway
Washington, D.C. - November 7, 2007 - The Board of Directors of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) announced today it has unanimously passed a resolution endorsing a new professional certification program for the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language® (the Academy).
The Academy's new certification program, Listening and Spoken Language Specialists® (LSLS ®), encompasses Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapists (LSLS Cert. AVT®) and Certified Auditory-Verbal Educators (LSLS Cert. AVEd®).
"Early intervention and the evolution of hearing technologies such as the cochlear implant, digital hearing aids, and integrated FM systems have led to an explosion in demand for spoken language outcomes for children with hearing loss," said Carol Flexer, Ph.D., CCC/A, LSLS Cert. AVT®, and president of the Academy. "A LSLS designation will become the standard parents look for if they choose a listening and spoken language outcome for their child."
"Unfortunately, too often we hear of stories where families have to separate and move long distances in order for their child to receive spoken language support services," said Karen Youdelman, Ed.D., president of AG Bell. "The expansion of the Academy's certification program to include educators is designed to build an international network of distinguishable spoken language specialists who can provide services to these families in their own communities."
From November 5 to 7 a group of 15 subject matter experts, including Cert.AVTs, speech language pathologists, audiologists and educators, convened at AG Bell headquarters in Washington, D.C., to create the new certification examination for LSLS Cert. AVT® and LSLS Cert. AVEd®. Within the LSLS certification there are two separate distinctions - one for auditory-verbal therapists and one for educators - the examination given will be the same for both subcategories, however the official designation will differ depending on the educational experience and work environment of the individual.
The new exam will be administered for the first time at the 2008 AG Bell biennial convention in Milwaukee, Wisc., in June 2008. Application packets will be available at www.agbellacademy.org on November 16. Deadline for registration is April 11, 2008.
Established in 1890, AG Bell is the only national organization dedicated to supporting children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing who use spoken language and hearing technology.
Established in 2005, the Academy is an independently governed, subsidiary corporation of AG Bell that works to promote listening and talking outcomes for children and adults with hearing loss through standards of excellence and international certification of professionals.
Taken from: www.agbell.org/.
