Shelley and Steven Einhorn Communication Center

"We live in a noisy world, and communication in noise remains a very real problem for many adults with hearing loss. 

Technology has greatly improved the chances of making best use of any remaining hearing, but speechreading (lipreading) in combination with hearing offers much improved understanding and makes speech communication a more natural and relaxed experience.  Our ears offer a great deal, but simultaneous use of our eyes can change communication from a chore to a pleasure.

How best to enhance speech understanding when you have a hearing loss? Speechreading! The best place to learn and develop this invaluable skill?  The Center for Hearing and Communication."

Geoff Plant
Executive Director, The Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation

Adult Services

CHC serves adults who were born deaf, become deaf or hard of hearing as children, have progressive hearing loss, or are late deafened, as well as adults with hearing loss who are foreign-born.

Adults with hearing loss who have improved their communication skills report additional benefits that include improved relationships with families and co-workers; better self-esteem; improved mental health, and greater independence and security. The Shelley and Steven Einhorn Communication Center serves adults, individually and in groups, through:

• Speechreading (Lipreading) Evaluation - people with all degrees of hearing loss can discover better communication by learning to speechread. Our uniquely trained speech-language pathologists will help you to decipher sounds and conversation cues by observing a person's mouth, facial expressions and gestures. Call (917) 305-7838 to learn more and schedule a no-risk evaluation. Click the image on the right to view a 3 minute speechreading video.
• Speechreading Therapy - individual and group therapy available.
• Speech and Language Evaluation and Therapy  

• Post-Cochlear Implant Auditory Training

• Cochlear Implant Support Group

• English as a Second Language Evaluation and Therapy – uses a one-on-one approach incorporating vocabulary and grammar, with the goal that the individual produces English language sounds accurately enough to be understandable to others.
• Central Auditory Processing Disorder Therapy – testing, evaluation, and management strategies for this disorder which causes difficulty in comprehension and processing of auditory information.
• Auditory Training/Evaluation
  
• Speech and Voice Evaluation and Therapy
• FAST 6 - an exciting innovation in short-term communication therapy for children and adults. With FAST 6 you'll experience intensive, targeted therapy that provides faster, more dramatic results. Your ability to communicate whether at home, at work or in the classroom will significantly improve in just 6 sessions. Click attachment at bottom of page to download brochure.

"Learning to speechread has improved my life! I truly could not exist in the environment that I live in without speechreading along with my aided hearing."

CHC Client

KinderPrep - New Children's Program Begins July 13th

We're pleased to announce a new enrichment program called KinderPrep. The six-week program, beginning July 13, 2010, will equip children ages 3 and 4 with the skills they need to succeed in kindergarten. Our renowned expertise in facilitating language, literacy and social skills in children was previously available only to children with hearing loss. But with KinderPrep, it is now being offered to children with normal hearing. Learn more.  

Pediatric Services

A child is never too young to begin communication therapy. The sooner treatment begins, the better the child’s chances to develop successful speech, language and comprehension. With appropriate services, children with hearing loss can learn to listen and speak. CHC's youngest client was successfully fitted with amplification at six weeks old.

All services for infants and children begin with a communication evaluation, in which the speech-language pathologist assesses the child’s communicative abilities and potential for oral expressive and receptive language skills. Specialized tests and techniques help elicit the information that forms the foundation of a child’s unique habilitative plan. Results and recommendations are fully and clearly shared with parents. With the support of CHC, parents of an infant or child with hearing loss need not feel discouraged or abandoned. Through counseling, educational and interpersonal skills, CHC clinicians become part of the family’s team, conveying the knowledge and skills that help parents provide the supportive environment their child needs. Services include:

• Comprehensive developmental, speech/language and psycho-educational evaluations for clients newborn through 18 years old.
• Individual and group auditory, speech, and language therapy, emphasizing the development of age-appropriate expressive oral and receptive skills, with the goal of entering a mainstream educational setting as early as possible (typically for pre-school), and encouraging parent/caregiver involvement. Once in school, the child and family return for continuing communication therapy or supplemental educational services.
• Pre- and post-cochlear implant therapy – helps children and their families to make a successful transition from conventional amplification to the implant, and/or post-surgery, to adjust to the speech processor and learn auditory training techniques that maximize good oral communication skills. CHC clinicians work closely with the child's home-based clinician.
• FAST 6 an exciting innovation in short-term communication therapy for children and adults. With FAST 6 you'll experience intensive, targeted therapy that provides faster, more dramatic results. Your ability to communicate whether at home, at work or in the classroom will significantly improve in just 6 sessions. Click attachment at bottom of page download brochure.
• ESL (English as a Second Language) therapy – assists children with hearing loss to build fundamental vocabulary, listening and speaking skills in English
• Adolescent/pre-adolescent workshops – through the Turning Points program, education and socialization opportunities are offered to mainstreamed deaf and hard of hearing pre-adolescents, teens, and their families, focusing on important transitions or thresholds in a young person’s life. Sessions include a keynote speaker, participatory activities, a shared luncheon, and a culminating panel of older peers who share personal “turning point” experiences.
• Parent support groups – provide education, advocacy, coping skills, and psychological and emotional support. Moms, Dads, and caregivers explore timely issues with the guidance of the Center’s educational psychologist.
• Auditory processing disorder (APD) therapy – testing, evaluation, and management of this disorder which causes difficulty in comprehension and processing of auditory information.

Click here to learn about the Early Intervention Program (EIP) funded by New York State as well as the respective counties/municipalities and is available to children less than three years of age who are suspected of having a developmental delay and/or disability.