Somerset, NJ June 16 - The path to adulthood can be rocky and teens need the support of a caring network to help them stay on track. For teens with the added challenge of hearing loss, successfully navigating the road to the future takes special understanding, consistency and guidance.Oticon Pediatrics recently unveiled a variety of counseling tools and materials to help parents, teachers and hearing care professionals address the many personal and practical issues teens encounter as they strive to achieve their full potential socially and academically.
"We understand that teens with hearing loss need all the help they can get - as do their parents and teachers," explains Peer Lauritsen, President of Oticon, Inc. "Our Oticon Pediatrics Teen Portfolio includes counseling tools and materials designed to provide the answers and advice they have been looking for."
Oticon Pediatrics' Keeping Molehills from Becoming Mountains: Understanding and Supporting Teen Students with Hearing Loss by Cheryl DeConde Johnson, Ed.D., provides practical guidelines for educators seeking to optimize educational experiences for teens with hearing loss. The brochure offers advice on structuring the school environment and creating opportunities for social interaction that build responsibility, self-advocacy and self-esteem.
In Special Consideration for Parents Raising a Teenager with Hearing Loss, Karen Anderson, Ph.D., offers supportive strategies for parents to help teens' gain confidence, fit in with their peers and establish independence and responsibility. Encouraging consistent hearing aid use with a balance of enticements, rewards and discipline is just one of the valuable insights Anderson shares from her 25 years working with families, early interventionists, teachers and children. She includes practical steps parents can take to help their teens develop an individual identity and master the skills and abilities needed to be the best they can be. Following Dr. Anderson's article are two essays written by parents discussing their joys and challenges of raising teens with hearing loss.
Oticon Pediatrics has also created information just for teens on the newest Oticon hearing instruments, Delta and Epoq. The brochures showcase the benefits and special features of these two innovative hearing solutions, using language and photos that resonate with teen audiences.
For more information about Oticon Pediatrics Teen Portfolio of support tools and materials, including interactive counseling CDs, contact Maureen Doty-Tomasula, Pediatrics Marketing Manager, at mdd@oticonusa.com or phone: 1-888-OTI-PED1 (1-888-684-7331).
Visit www.oticonusa.com for more information or the Oticon Web Channel on Audiology Online at www.audiologyonline.com/channels/oticon.asp
