The 2009 Autism CARE Walk at Heartspring took place April 4. Over 650 walkers braved the Kansas wind to participate in the live walk on the Heartspring campus. It was overwhelming to see this amazing group walking together to raise awareness for their children and friends with autism. Virtual walkers from 16 states also participated in the walk, bringing the total number of participants to 900 individuals. After the walk, families enjoyed food and beverages, activities and resources provided by local vendors. Thanks to all our walkers, teams, sponsors and supporters, this year’s Autism CARE Walk raised almost $60,000 to support programs at Heartspring benefiting children with autism!

Congratulations to the 2009 Autism CARE Walk top fundraising teams and individuals!

“Michael is a great kid who is very gentle and loving,” says Keith Robinson, home coordinator at Heartspring.  Michael is profoundly deaf and communicates very well with friends, family and staff by wearing hearing aids and using his NEO communication device. Michael communicates so well that the staff sometimes has a hard time remembering that he can’t hear them. Learn more about Michael...

When LaTasha gave birth to Tevis on August 27, 2001, she knew there was a chance he could be deaf or hard of hearing because her older son was born two years earlier with a sensorineural hearing loss in both ears.  Tests were completed following Tevis’ birth and confirmed that he also had hearing loss in both ears. He also found gad strabismus, torticollis, and mild seizures at birth.
Learn more about Tevis...

Thanks to a generous grant from Target, Heartspring therapists and clinicians are going out into the Wichita community and conducting free hearing and speech screenings at area preschools and daycar centers. Heartspring's Target Literacy Project is a valuable tool that allows Heartspring to take professionals to local day-care centers and preschools to screen children ages three to six in areas of speech and language, hearing and literacy. The addition of the literacy component has allowed the teachers at preschools and day-care centers to further understand the language development of the children they work with. This screening helps teachers know which children have been identified as needing some extra attention in language and literacy. The teachers are then able to discuss this information with the child's parents. Supplemental material helps facilitate this awareness and all children who are screened receive a booklet entitled A Child Becomes a Reader published by the National Institute for Literacy. Inside this booklet, ideas are given for playing, talking and reading with a child to help him or her "become a good reader and writer later in life". This is a great tool for teachers and parents to learn how to help these skills develop, in a fun and interactive way. Learn more about Target Early Literacy Screenings or view our screening statistics for 2008. To request an Early Literacy Screening at your site, contact Kristina Baker at 316.634.8881 or at kbaker@heartspring.org.

Since hearing impairments may discourage people from enjoying many daily activities, the use of assisted listening devices (ALD) is increasingly important in improving the quality of life for many individuals. The Assisted Listening Center at Heartspring was developed to allow for demonstration of assisted listening devices by clients with hearing impairment in a relaxed home-like environment. 
Learn more about the Assisted Listening Center...

In honor of better speech and hearing month the Make a Difference section honors a special contributor to the Donor Hearing Aid Program, a service of the Heartspring Hearing Center. Through the establishment of the Rouback Family Foundation, it was Ms. Hannah Rouback’s hope that she could touch the lives of many children over the long term. The foundation assists in the support of the Donor Hearing Aid Program. Learn more about Ms. Rouback...

The Heartspring Conference Series welcomes Michelle Garcia Winner June 4-5 as she presents Social Thinking, a two-day conference where she will discuss the ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition, as well as the "Three Steps of Perspective Taking". The conference will cover early elementary through adult age individuals on the Autism Spectrum, and is appropriate for parents and professionals. This conference will be available for in-person attendance only.  For more information, or to register please visit heartspring.tv.

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a month dedicated to educating consumers about the need to assure that their hearing is healthy. This year, Heartspring Hearing Center is joining with the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) to educate Americans on how hearing health affects job security, performance, and employment opportunities. BHI is offering an online hearing test where people can quickly and confidentially assess if they need a comprehensive hearing check by a hearing professional. The Hearing Center is sponsoring a Free Educational Seminar for the community on May 20, 2009 from 9:00 – 11:30 at the Heartspring Conference Center. This is a perfect opportunity to hear three of the leading hearing aid manufacturers discuss the benefits of current hearing aid technology. Learn more about this seminar and how hearing can affect your employment.