May 4, 2023 • 29 mins
Robert Augustine, President of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association tells us that polling showed that a majority of professionals believe that backlogs of children who weren’t referred to medical professionals during stay-at-home periods, or whose families waited to seek help due to concerns about COVID-19 virus exposure, are a major factor in the increase. Among audiologists, 34% report seeing more children with delayed diagnosis of hearing loss and 36% report more children with untreated (persistent) ear infections that could interfere with communication development, compared to before the pandemic. And among speech-language pathologists, 84% report more children with emotional or behavioral difficulties; 79% report more children with delayed language or diagnosed language disorders; and 78% report more children with social communication difficulties than before the pandemic.
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(00:02):
This is Viewpoint Alabama, a publicservice of the Alabama Radio Network where we
talk about the people, places andthings making news in our state. I'm
your host, John Mount. Ifyou spend any time in northwest Alabama,
hopefully you've had time to visit Tuscumbiato see the home of Helen Keller.
She lost her sight and hearing ina battle of scarlett fever when she was
a toddler. Her story inspires andchallenges us as both Alabamians and Americans.
(00:26):
Joining me now is Bob Augustine.He is the president of the American Speech
Language Hearing Association. Bob, Welcometo the show. Thank you so,
Bob. I framed our conversation thisway because I don't think we spend enough
time talking about how people who havehearing difficulties, the challenges they face,
and also the things that they haveto offer to us. I appreciate that,
(00:48):
John, and you're having me onyour program so I could talk more
about this. Because May is BetterHearing in Speech month, and the American
Speech Language Hearing Association and its membersare committed to the public helping them identify
the signs that could indicate a hearingloss or a speech or language delay or
difficulty that requires some attention. Andrecently, our members were involved in a
(01:12):
survey to find out the impact ofthe pandemic, especially on young children,
and some of our findings from ourmembers are important for us to share with
the public so the public will knowwhat to do. One of those findings
is that one third of our audiologymembers who were pulled found that they're seeing
(01:33):
more children with delayed diagnosis and hearingloss and this is of concern to us,
and I'm going to explain what wemight do about that. More than
eighty percent of our speech language pathologymembers who were pulled reported that they're seeing
more children with social and behavioral difficultiespost pandemic, and we're beginning to unravel
the reasons why. As you probablywill recall, during the pandemic, young
(01:59):
children didn't have opportunities to go topreschool or school, to their daycare,
or to other events in places withrelatives and friends where they could engage in
speech and language and talking and discussing. They also canceled many appointments with pediatricians
and with physicians and with other healthcareprofessionals, and this may have gone in
(02:21):
a situation where the hearing loss wasunrecognized and undiagnosed. And so this month
we're reaching out for our public totalk about resources that are available at a
place called identify the Signs dot org. That's all one word, identify the
Signs dot org. When you goto that site, you'll get comprehensive information
(02:44):
about how to recognize a speech languageor hearing difficulty. But the most important
part of that recognition is that parentor a guardian take action. That's the
most important part about going to identifythe signs. At that same site,
you'll find a list of certified audiologistsand certified speech language pathologists in your region
(03:08):
that you can reach out to ifyou see some of these signs and get
the hearing loss or the speech orlanguage difficulty diagnosed. Because the most important
action is early intervention. That's themost successful type of intervention. If there's
a hearing loss or there's a speechor language delay, we want to intervene
(03:29):
early as that really makes a differencefor children as they go on to success
in school. And Bob, whyis that? Why is it the case
that the early detection is so important. We know that child's developmental brain is
ready for learning in those first threeyears of life, so that early intervention
is so important in stimulating speech andlanguage and getting the hearing loss attended to
(03:55):
if the child might need a hearingaid or other he support to be able
to hear that speech and language.We know from our research that speech and
language is acquired in those really importantinteractions with parents, with siblings, relatives,
and with friends who want to makesure that a child is hearing that
(04:16):
speech and language, and that thatchild is engaging in speech and language.
And also sometimes there can be otherbehavioral problems that can arise out of the
lack of ability to communicate, andyou don't even realize that the child has
a hearing deficit, and they youmight think it's a different kind of behavioral
problem, and that can sometimes willbe treated incorrectly, and you can actually
set yourself behind. That's such agreat observation, John, I really appreciate
(04:41):
you bringing that up. Yes,a child who is engaging in behaviors that
are not very socially appropriate, notvery socially inclined, could mask the fact
that that child is struggling with hearingor struggling to understand the people who are
reaching out to her or to himto engage in language interact, and we're
seeing more of that as children aregetting ready for school because during that pandemic,
(05:05):
they didn't have those opportunities to learnhow to play games, how to
take turns, how to use theirlanguage to negotiate how they're traveling through their
daily activities. And now that we'refinding that they need intervention and guide them
support in order to acquire those particularskills. So that was a great question,
John, Thank you and Bob.There's been a lot of advances made
(05:27):
over the last few years in technologyand also and also systemic ways to treat
these things. Speaking of technology,hearing aids have come a long way.
There was a time when there wasno such things as a cochlear implant,
and there was a time when hearingage all they do is amplify everything,
noise and all. And now weare a lot more selective hearing aids that
can be controlled externally. They're smallerthan ever before. Can you speak to
that? This is why it's socritically important that you see a certified audiologist
(05:54):
to get your hearing tested and tomake sure that that audiologist is there to
provide the expertise that your child needsto find that exact right hearing aid that
will amplify those particular areas that thatchild struggling with so that that child can
have the best opportunity to learn inher or his environment. That's what you'll
(06:15):
get from a certified audiologist, andit's necessary the intervention of a speech language
pathologists who can assist others in engagingthat child in interaction in the kinds of
learning that's important to that. Butyes, hearing aids are much different technology
wise, and they were previously,and that's why it's so important to get
(06:36):
to a certified audiologist and get thataid fitted as soon as possible, because
amazingly these days, there was atime when I was a kid. I
remember, Sarah some kids who hadhearing problems and they had the hearing aids
and there were those enormous over theears thing that we're just gigantic and unwieldy.
And I know some kids now whohave them. They're in the ears.
(06:56):
You would never even know that theyhave something in there because they are
almost invisible. Yes, they've comeas all technology has really improved or this
time period. We now have aidsthat are less visible and that are better
for being able to manage the particularloss that that child has. Losses are
different and different children for different reasons, and that's why it's important to make
(07:17):
sure that you're working with a certifiedprofessional who can guide you to the right
equipment that that child might need,and to have that equipment as that child
inner school so they can use thatequipment to learn. And there are causes
of hearing loss where it's something youa congenital you're born with. There's others
where it kind of develops over time. Caught early, you might even be
able to treat it or keep itfrom getting worse. Can you speak to
(07:40):
that a little bit, that's exactlyright. We know that very young children
john are prone to ear infections,and ear infections can have a deathstating effect
on hearing, and that's why it'sso important again to make sure that you're
working with your pediatrician or your physicianto make sure that any kind of ear
infection of that nature it's being treatedso that it's not impactabil for a long
(08:01):
term period. If it is along term hearing loss, we want to
get that hearing aid sited and wewant to make sure that the parents and
the family know how to use thatage to it's maximumly using capacity. But
that is correct. What about couchlearimplants, because that's another thing that I've
seen a lot of people rely onthese days, and it's explain how they
work exactly. Couchlear implants are akind of a tool that substitute for with
(08:24):
the pieces in your ear that areno longer functioning and are able to stimulate
the areas of the brain that wouldbe able to hear that where you'll be
able to hear so using the toolinstead of the original anatomy that you had
in there. And this is somethingthat again you'd be working with a large
medical team in order to ensure thatyou've accessed to a couchlear implant. But
(08:45):
again, the important outcome here isthat the child be correctly evaluated for what
is necessary and that intervention is providedto ensure that that child continues to grow
in that speech and language arena.Bob, there's you know a lot of
these things. They're not cheap andpeople have to pay out of pocket and
(09:05):
a lot of circumstances. Is thereany advances being made in getting insurance to
cover some or some, especially withthe recurring cost. I really appreciate that
question because our association, the AmericanSpeech Language Sharing Association, works across the
board with all kinds of insurers andother providers of support for what's necessary for
(09:30):
hearing and speech health support. Andmake sure you work with your certified audiologists
or your certified speech language pathologists tofind out what kinds of support mechanisms are
available to you, either through insuranceor other tools to help support the finances
for any kind of intervention that's necessary, and they would be able to guide
(09:52):
you to some of those tools.So, in terms of treatment, usually
the way it goes is you seeyour regular pediatrician. Your pediatrician would refer
you over to an audiologist who woulddo the testing and then come up with
a treatment plan that would That isone possibility, although if you see the
signs, you certainly could reach outto a speech language pathologist or an audiologist
(10:13):
at a private clinic or a hospital, or there's usually a speech language pathologist
and sometimes an audiologist at a publicschool, any of those, and there
are also a private practitioners you couldreach out to to try to begin that
process of getting those evaluations done BobAugustine, President of the American Speech Language
Hearing Association, one more time becausewe know May is a special month where
(10:35):
we're talking about this. Where canpeople find more information again at this website
all one word, identify the signsdot org. Identify the signs dot org.
But the most important part is onceyou identify the signs, that you
take action that you get the childto a certified audiologist or speech language pathologists
(10:56):
for an evaluation. So if interventionis necessary, we can enter being early.
Identify the science dot org. Augustine, thank you so much for joining
me today on Viewpoint Alabama. Appreciatedyour questions. John, thank you.
And up next we go to RyanGorman, who's going to be speaking with
Mary Parton. She is the CEOof the Dan Marino Foundation. Take it
away, Ryan. Last month,the month of April was National Autism Acceptance
(11:20):
and Awareness Month, and that isthe focus of the Dan Marino Foundation.
You can learn more at Dan MarinoFoundation dot org. Mary, thank you
so much for taking a few minutesto come on the show, and first
of all, tell us about themission of this foundation and how this all
dot started. Our mission is toempower people in with odd to some and
other developmental disabilities. Now the termbeing used rather than developmental disabilities are neurodiverse
(11:46):
populations and that includes people with autism. I mean, it includes mental health
aspects, dyslexia, ADA, ADHD. So it's a pretty wide spectrum.
You know. We started out withautism, and if you would see that
as central to everything that we've done, it's a foundation. But after thirty
(12:07):
one years in operation, you know, your scope begins to expand, and
so now we are serving a greaternumber, but the mission still remains to
empower people so that they can livetheir best life possible, you know,
and that's really where we have seenneeds. That's really the pathway of how
(12:31):
the foundation has grown. It startedin nineteen ninety two Dan and Claire Marino
their second son, Michael. Theythought around the age of eighteen months,
age two, that maybe he wasdeaf. They really didn't know, you
know, back then, thirty someyears ago, you really didn't hear about
(12:54):
autism very much. You had seenthe movie rain Man, but that was
about it. And so when theywent to the pediatrician and they went to
a neurologist, he was diagnosed withautism and Claire talks about coming home and
Danny was at practice. He camehome and they got in the encyclopedia to
(13:15):
look it up because they didn't knowwhat it was. And so their journey
really started the foundation, and thatwhen they would go and they had the
means to find the best of careand the best practices that were out there
at the time, but they wouldsee so many families that did not.
And so that was the first hugeinitiative of the foundation was in building the
(13:39):
Dan Marinos Center, which is outin Weston. It was originally was Variety
Hospital. It became then Miami Children'sHospital, and today it's the Nicholas Children's
Hospital, and that opened in nineteenninety eight. It's actually celebrating its twenty
fifth year. And so what thiswas was really a huge new initiative.
(14:01):
It was a one stop shop.It was central that families could come and
get diagnosis and then all of thedoctors were there. So because there's some
comorbidities, if they had hard issuesor whether it be opthalmology or behavior you
know, or psychology, whatever themeans were, all of the therapies could
(14:22):
be found in this one center.And that still to this day serves about
twenty nine thousand young people a year, and that's from birth up until age
twenty two. And it's actually spawnedthat one center about another eleven centers in
the Florida area and actually one internationallyin Sardinia in Italy. So that was
(14:46):
the very first initiative of the foundation. And then what happened was over the
years, children who had been diagnosedand received treatment at the center, they
began to be teenagers, they beganto be young adults, and the parents
came to the foundation saying, well, my son would like to have a
summer job, or my son,now that he's transitioned out of high school,
(15:11):
needs some sort of post secondary orsome kind of training. And that
really then is how the foundation expandedits programs. We had, like in
two thousand and seven, we startedsummer employment programs that were high school programs,
and then in two thousand and thirteenwe actually opened up the first post
secondary program called Marino Campus, andtwo years later we opened up a second
(15:37):
school at FYU on the main campus. And now at this point in time,
actually our new program, we've hadthousands of young people come through the
school who are now adults, andso for September of twenty three, we're
actually expanding into like a club membershipand they can be people who have either
(15:58):
graduated or been programs with foundation ornot, just young people who are looking
for extra supports for employment, forsocialization. And so that's something that we'll
be announcing, you know, inthe next couple of months. So we
continue to evolve, and I thinkthat's what you ask me what's unique about
what we do. We're very individuallycentered with the young people that we serve,
(16:22):
the day babies that need diagnosis ortreatments as are coming up, or
as adults. You know, we'realways some evolving with our population on what
those needs are. We're joined byMary Parton, chief executive Officer of the
Dan Marino Foundation. You can learnmore at Dan Marino Foundation dot org.
(16:44):
Tell us when you became part ofthe foundation and some of the more notable
developments that you've been a part ofas this foundation has grown, like you
just described, Well, so I'vebeen here twenty five years and when I
came to the foundation, the DameRenal Center was just opening, and so
(17:06):
much of the evolution. I mean, we actually built a second floor and
I think one of the most notablethings that I did and lad at that
time, we had a three yearold at the time at the center and
he was doing very well, butthen he unfortunately drowned. And I really,
I mean, I had been awarethat First of all, drowning is
(17:27):
a big thing for four year oldsand under, especially in South Florida,
it was the number one cause ofdeath. But especially children with autism are
very fascinated by the water. It'scalming, and so there were a lot
of drownings in our community. Andso I went to Tallahassee to work on
(17:48):
laws to that every pool that servedyoung people that they would have to have
a training a disability, and soit became known as the Marino Aquatics Certification.
And so that meant every pool,every city pool, every YMCA,
every boys and girls club that theywould have to take this course. And
(18:11):
it made them more cognizant on howto work with children that had different abilities,
you know who maybe we're afraid ofsound or you know that they would
just reacted. So it allowed themto train and them to swim or these
water safety and at the same time, then in going to Tallahassee, I
was able to get the dollars tobuild an aquatic center at the Dan Marino
(18:33):
Center, and working with the cityof Weston, they really helped us to
be able to accommodate that we coulddo that, and that was the only
one in the state and that's intwo thousand and three, so that was
a pretty big deal. And thenreally I would say the Marino Campuses.
We had worked with young adults fora long time, and then you know,
(18:55):
we did the summer programs and wedid some kind of seasonal programs,
and then I thought, you know, this is so necessary. I see
such a transformative change in young peoplethat why don't we do this year round?
And then that became the nemesis ofstarting the Marino Campus a post secondary
program. And then other things.I'm a champion for technology. One of
(19:18):
the biggest We really focus on employmentwith our older individuals. And because so
much of who you are is whatyou do. You're you work in the
radio, Hi, you know,Hi, I'm Mary. You know I
work at the foundation. And Isaw a lot of our young people they
didn't have an entree into the community, and so that was the importance of
(19:40):
employment. Well, I saw atthe time for over two decades the number
it was thirteen percent employment for ourpopulation. And so I started to look
at, well, what are thebig challenges, what are the roadblocks here?
And one of them was interviewing.And so at the time, we
people, you know, the bestpractice model was these mock interviews, you
(20:02):
know, having volunteers come in andyou'd interview. But I thought, well,
with technology, using avatars, wecould set different scenarios, have different
demeanors of interviewers, and young peoplecould practice practice, practice, and with
practice comes perfect. And so thatwas a huge in creating what we called
(20:22):
VITA and getting I went out toUSC their Institute of Creative Technology, because
they were really leading the time,and this is twenty eleven twelve, and
actually worked with Colonel Schilling, whowas the commander of DARPA at the time,
and the military had developed these avatars, and I knew that if I
(20:45):
pitched it, I was going toask we could use them, you know,
but to change them up for ourpopulation. And little did I know
that Colonel Schilling had children with autism, and the head of pediatrics for the
Defense had children with autism, andso they were wonderful and that was really
the birth of the use of technology, and we've continued to grows at through
(21:08):
the foundation on you know, oncommunicating at a party scenario, you know,
individual skills, how to take transportation, you know, so it's all
grown from there. So those aresome of the more I think notable things
that I've I've been very instrumental in. I'm Ryan Gorman here on I Hear
Radio Communities, joined by Chief executiveOfficer for the Dan Marino Foundation, Mary
(21:33):
Pardon. How prevalent is neurodiversity andwhat are some of the signs of autism.
Well, you know, in autism, there's not a blood test or
something like that. It's really diagnosedby professionals making a judgment on a child's
behavior. And the things you lookfor our communication where they don't communicate the
(21:59):
same maybe don't they don't verbalize,or you've all always heard, well,
gee, they were talking and nowat age two, suddenly they don't.
They're not speaking anymore. Socializing isanother thing, um the child, you
know, not making eye contact,um, not being um. Like sound
you can get up behind a childand make a very loud sound and they
(22:21):
don't react. So the first thingis, like anything, if you suspect
something's not quite right or you know, developmentally, then search out, you
know, and have an evaluation.Because the earlier you get treatment and treatment
basically is behavioral ABA it's called,and it's really UM training to make eye
(22:41):
contact, training, speech, thatsort of thing. But the sooner you
get these UM these therapies, thatthe better results that you have. UM.
So that's what i'd say. Thenumber of children diagnosed it was just
changed again CDC and what they dothey base this. They go like in
(23:02):
eleven states and they go to uhthe health and school records and they focus
on eight year olds and they lookat that number of how many children are
diagnosed in that category, and rightnow it's one in every thirty six,
which is alarming. I mean whenwe started, when the foundation was formed
(23:23):
there and again the UM the diagnosisand stuff wasn't as prevalent, but it
was like one in ten thousand andthen a few years back, you know,
probably about ten years it was onein a thousand, and like I
said, now the latest is onein thirty six, which just two years
ago is one in forty four.Um, there's there. You know,
(23:44):
people ask me, well as theirbetter diagnosis or you knows or what's happening?
Are they just expanding what autism isand you know it's it's it's real
numbers. Um, there there isyou know they there is no cause defined
or cure defined for autism, butthere's somewhere in between, um that is
(24:07):
genetic and or environmental, I meaneither. That's the difficulty with autism is
that there's a lot of genes thatcontribute, but they've not found one specific
And typically they'll look at there's achild with autism, may have gastrol issues
and things like that. So there'scertain common like I said, comorbidities,
(24:30):
but there's still not that one cureor that reason that that cause and so
and I'm not an expert. I'mnot a doctor, I'm not a fair
So I always you know, I'mjust I just run a foundation and try
to serve people. So you know, I don't I always say go to
the experts and speak with them.But I think that I'm generalizing and they're
(24:52):
going to tell you the same thing, but there really are The other thing
is they say, well, inthe US, you know is it diet
is if you go to other countries, that rate is about to say,
and what is um frustrating? Youknow when you work with medical care and
getting therapies and treatments. You know, if I always said, if if
one day we woke up and onein every thirty six people maybe we're being
(25:18):
born without an arm or something likethat, and it may not be a
great example, but there'd be alot of concern, you know, And
so we really do have to putmore dollars, you know, from from
government, from agencies. I mean, we really do have to work together
to try to understand autism more.Um. You know, it's it's um,
(25:42):
I'll just let it go at that, yeah, Chief executive Officer for
the Dan Marino Foundation, Mary Parton. You can learn more about all the
different programs and services they provide inthe work that they do at Dan Marino
Foundation dot org. Again, that'sDan Marino Foundation dot org. Mary.
Really appreciate the tremendous work you andyour entire team are doing on this issue,
(26:04):
and thank you so much for comingon the show. Well, we
really appreciate the opportunity, Ryan andjust it's anyone listening. We're here to
be your resource to help guide andso please contact us. All right,
Thanks again, Mary, I'm RyanGorman here on I Hear Radio Communities and
now want to bring in our nextguest. We're joined by doctor Mitchell Elkins,
(26:25):
chief Clinical Science Officer for the AmericanHeart Association. May is American Stroke
Month and you can learn more atstroke dot org slash Strokemonth. That stroke
dot org slash Stroke Month. DoctorElkin, thanks so much for taking a
few minutes to come on the show, and let me start with a very
basic question, what exactly is astroke? Sure? Well, first of
all, thanks a lot, Ryanfor having me and the American Heart Association
(26:49):
on the show. So a strokeis essentially damaged to the brain that's caused
by a problem with the blood vessel. So most of the time, about
eighty percent of the time, it'sdue to a blood clot blocking a blood
vessel, leading to a lack ofblood flow to that part of the brain
that's affected, and that's what causesthe damage. About twenty percent of the
(27:11):
time it's due to a breakage ora rupture of the blood vessel leading to
bleeding into the brain. So that'scalled a hemorrhagic stroke, and that can
be pretty damaging as well, somethingthat I think can confuse people from time
to time. The difference between aheart attack, a stroke, and cardiac
(27:32):
arrest. Can you break that downfor us? Oh? Yeah, sure.
So a heart attack is when there'slack of blood flow to a part
of the heart, and so thatpart of the heart is damaged, sometimes
because of a heart attack or becauseof an underlying rhythm problem with the heart.
There can be what's called a cardiacarrest, which is when the heart
(27:55):
stops beating completely and the person becomesfletely unresponsive. A stroke, on the
other hand, is when the problemis in the brain, not in the
heart, So that's when in thelack of blood flow or bleeding into the
brain causes the problem. So it'saffecting a different organ from either a heart
attack or a sudden cardiac of rest. And to focus in on strokes again
(28:18):
for a moment, how many Americansdeal with this each year? It's a
big problem. So there are abouteight hundred thousand strokes a year in the
United States. Stroke is the fifthleading cause of death in the US,
And because strokes often don't kill peoplebut leave them with disability, it's actually
the leading cause of serious long termdisability in the US and Interestingly, in
(28:41):
other parts of the world, strokesactually outrank heart disease as a cause of
death, so worldwide it's the numbertwo cause of death, even though here
in the US it's number five becausewe have other significant causes ahead of it
here. And finally, with thisbeing American Stroke Month, where can people
find out more information about all ofthis? Absolutely so the best place to
(29:06):
look is at the American Heart Associationwebsite, and specifically for information about stroke,
go to stroke dot org slash strokemonth, but stroke dot org simple
to remember. Check it out allright for American Stroke Month. Doctor Mitchell
Elkins, chief Clinical Science Officer fromthe American Heart Association. Doctor Elkin,
(29:27):
thank you so much for taking thetime to step us through all of that.
We really appreciate it. My pleasure. Thanks for having me and for
having the American Heart Association. You'vebeen listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public
affairs program from the Alabama Radio Network. The opinions expressed on Viewpoint Alabama are
not necessarily those of the staff,management, or advertisers of this station.
This is Viewpoint Alabama, a publicservice of the Alabama Radio Network where we
talk about the people, places andthings making news in our state. I'm
your host, John Mount. Ifyou spend any time in northwest Alabama,
hopefully you've had time to visit Tuscumbiato see the home of Helen Keller.
She lost her sight and hearing ina battle of scarlett fever when she was
a toddler. Her story inspires andchallenges us as both Alabamians and Americans.
(00:26):
Joining me now is Bob Augustine.He is the president of the American Speech
Language Hearing Association. Bob, Welcometo the show. Thank you so,
Bob. I framed our conversation thisway because I don't think we spend enough
time talking about how people who havehearing difficulties, the challenges they face,
and also the things that they haveto offer to us. I appreciate that,
(00:48):
John, and you're having me onyour program so I could talk more
about this. Because May is BetterHearing in Speech month, and the American
Speech Language Hearing Association and its membersare committed to the public helping them identify
the signs that could indicate a hearingloss or a speech or language delay or
difficulty that requires some attention. Andrecently, our members were involved in a
(01:12):
survey to find out the impact ofthe pandemic, especially on young children,
and some of our findings from ourmembers are important for us to share with
the public so the public will knowwhat to do. One of those findings
is that one third of our audiologymembers who were pulled found that they're seeing
(01:33):
more children with delayed diagnosis and hearingloss and this is of concern to us,
and I'm going to explain what wemight do about that. More than
eighty percent of our speech language pathologymembers who were pulled reported that they're seeing
more children with social and behavioral difficultiespost pandemic, and we're beginning to unravel
the reasons why. As you probablywill recall, during the pandemic, young
(01:59):
children didn't have opportunities to go topreschool or school, to their daycare,
or to other events in places withrelatives and friends where they could engage in
speech and language and talking and discussing. They also canceled many appointments with pediatricians
and with physicians and with other healthcareprofessionals, and this may have gone in
(02:21):
a situation where the hearing loss wasunrecognized and undiagnosed. And so this month
we're reaching out for our public totalk about resources that are available at a
place called identify the Signs dot org. That's all one word, identify the
Signs dot org. When you goto that site, you'll get comprehensive information
(02:44):
about how to recognize a speech languageor hearing difficulty. But the most important
part of that recognition is that parentor a guardian take action. That's the
most important part about going to identifythe signs. At that same site,
you'll find a list of certified audiologistsand certified speech language pathologists in your region
(03:08):
that you can reach out to ifyou see some of these signs and get
the hearing loss or the speech orlanguage difficulty diagnosed. Because the most important
action is early intervention. That's themost successful type of intervention. If there's
a hearing loss or there's a speechor language delay, we want to intervene
(03:29):
early as that really makes a differencefor children as they go on to success
in school. And Bob, whyis that? Why is it the case
that the early detection is so important. We know that child's developmental brain is
ready for learning in those first threeyears of life, so that early intervention
is so important in stimulating speech andlanguage and getting the hearing loss attended to
(03:55):
if the child might need a hearingaid or other he support to be able
to hear that speech and language.We know from our research that speech and
language is acquired in those really importantinteractions with parents, with siblings, relatives,
and with friends who want to makesure that a child is hearing that
(04:16):
speech and language, and that thatchild is engaging in speech and language.
And also sometimes there can be otherbehavioral problems that can arise out of the
lack of ability to communicate, andyou don't even realize that the child has
a hearing deficit, and they youmight think it's a different kind of behavioral
problem, and that can sometimes willbe treated incorrectly, and you can actually
set yourself behind. That's such agreat observation, John, I really appreciate
(04:41):
you bringing that up. Yes,a child who is engaging in behaviors that
are not very socially appropriate, notvery socially inclined, could mask the fact
that that child is struggling with hearingor struggling to understand the people who are
reaching out to her or to himto engage in language interact, and we're
seeing more of that as children aregetting ready for school because during that pandemic,
(05:05):
they didn't have those opportunities to learnhow to play games, how to
take turns, how to use theirlanguage to negotiate how they're traveling through their
daily activities. And now that we'refinding that they need intervention and guide them
support in order to acquire those particularskills. So that was a great question,
John, Thank you and Bob.There's been a lot of advances made
(05:27):
over the last few years in technologyand also and also systemic ways to treat
these things. Speaking of technology,hearing aids have come a long way.
There was a time when there wasno such things as a cochlear implant,
and there was a time when hearingage all they do is amplify everything,
noise and all. And now weare a lot more selective hearing aids that
can be controlled externally. They're smallerthan ever before. Can you speak to
that? This is why it's socritically important that you see a certified audiologist
(05:54):
to get your hearing tested and tomake sure that that audiologist is there to
provide the expertise that your child needsto find that exact right hearing aid that
will amplify those particular areas that thatchild struggling with so that that child can
have the best opportunity to learn inher or his environment. That's what you'll
(06:15):
get from a certified audiologist, andit's necessary the intervention of a speech language
pathologists who can assist others in engagingthat child in interaction in the kinds of
learning that's important to that. Butyes, hearing aids are much different technology
wise, and they were previously,and that's why it's so important to get
(06:36):
to a certified audiologist and get thataid fitted as soon as possible, because
amazingly these days, there was atime when I was a kid. I
remember, Sarah some kids who hadhearing problems and they had the hearing aids
and there were those enormous over theears thing that we're just gigantic and unwieldy.
And I know some kids now whohave them. They're in the ears.
(06:56):
You would never even know that theyhave something in there because they are
almost invisible. Yes, they've comeas all technology has really improved or this
time period. We now have aidsthat are less visible and that are better
for being able to manage the particularloss that that child has. Losses are
different and different children for different reasons, and that's why it's important to make
(07:17):
sure that you're working with a certifiedprofessional who can guide you to the right
equipment that that child might need,and to have that equipment as that child
inner school so they can use thatequipment to learn. And there are causes
of hearing loss where it's something youa congenital you're born with. There's others
where it kind of develops over time. Caught early, you might even be
able to treat it or keep itfrom getting worse. Can you speak to
(07:40):
that a little bit, that's exactlyright. We know that very young children
john are prone to ear infections,and ear infections can have a deathstating effect
on hearing, and that's why it'sso important again to make sure that you're
working with your pediatrician or your physicianto make sure that any kind of ear
infection of that nature it's being treatedso that it's not impactabil for a long
(08:01):
term period. If it is along term hearing loss, we want to
get that hearing aid sited and wewant to make sure that the parents and
the family know how to use thatage to it's maximumly using capacity. But
that is correct. What about couchlearimplants, because that's another thing that I've
seen a lot of people rely onthese days, and it's explain how they
work exactly. Couchlear implants are akind of a tool that substitute for with
(08:24):
the pieces in your ear that areno longer functioning and are able to stimulate
the areas of the brain that wouldbe able to hear that where you'll be
able to hear so using the toolinstead of the original anatomy that you had
in there. And this is somethingthat again you'd be working with a large
medical team in order to ensure thatyou've accessed to a couchlear implant. But
(08:45):
again, the important outcome here isthat the child be correctly evaluated for what
is necessary and that intervention is providedto ensure that that child continues to grow
in that speech and language arena.Bob, there's you know a lot of
these things. They're not cheap andpeople have to pay out of pocket and
(09:05):
a lot of circumstances. Is thereany advances being made in getting insurance to
cover some or some, especially withthe recurring cost. I really appreciate that
question because our association, the AmericanSpeech Language Sharing Association, works across the
board with all kinds of insurers andother providers of support for what's necessary for
(09:30):
hearing and speech health support. Andmake sure you work with your certified audiologists
or your certified speech language pathologists tofind out what kinds of support mechanisms are
available to you, either through insuranceor other tools to help support the finances
for any kind of intervention that's necessary, and they would be able to guide
(09:52):
you to some of those tools.So, in terms of treatment, usually
the way it goes is you seeyour regular pediatrician. Your pediatrician would refer
you over to an audiologist who woulddo the testing and then come up with
a treatment plan that would That isone possibility, although if you see the
signs, you certainly could reach outto a speech language pathologist or an audiologist
(10:13):
at a private clinic or a hospital, or there's usually a speech language pathologist
and sometimes an audiologist at a publicschool, any of those, and there
are also a private practitioners you couldreach out to to try to begin that
process of getting those evaluations done BobAugustine, President of the American Speech Language
Hearing Association, one more time becausewe know May is a special month where
(10:35):
we're talking about this. Where canpeople find more information again at this website
all one word, identify the signsdot org. Identify the signs dot org.
But the most important part is onceyou identify the signs, that you
take action that you get the childto a certified audiologist or speech language pathologists
(10:56):
for an evaluation. So if interventionis necessary, we can enter being early.
Identify the science dot org. Augustine, thank you so much for joining
me today on Viewpoint Alabama. Appreciatedyour questions. John, thank you.
And up next we go to RyanGorman, who's going to be speaking with
Mary Parton. She is the CEOof the Dan Marino Foundation. Take it
away, Ryan. Last month,the month of April was National Autism Acceptance
(11:20):
and Awareness Month, and that isthe focus of the Dan Marino Foundation.
You can learn more at Dan MarinoFoundation dot org. Mary, thank you
so much for taking a few minutesto come on the show, and first
of all, tell us about themission of this foundation and how this all
dot started. Our mission is toempower people in with odd to some and
other developmental disabilities. Now the termbeing used rather than developmental disabilities are neurodiverse
(11:46):
populations and that includes people with autism. I mean, it includes mental health
aspects, dyslexia, ADA, ADHD. So it's a pretty wide spectrum.
You know. We started out withautism, and if you would see that
as central to everything that we've done, it's a foundation. But after thirty
(12:07):
one years in operation, you know, your scope begins to expand, and
so now we are serving a greaternumber, but the mission still remains to
empower people so that they can livetheir best life possible, you know,
and that's really where we have seenneeds. That's really the pathway of how
(12:31):
the foundation has grown. It startedin nineteen ninety two Dan and Claire Marino
their second son, Michael. Theythought around the age of eighteen months,
age two, that maybe he wasdeaf. They really didn't know, you
know, back then, thirty someyears ago, you really didn't hear about
(12:54):
autism very much. You had seenthe movie rain Man, but that was
about it. And so when theywent to the pediatrician and they went to
a neurologist, he was diagnosed withautism and Claire talks about coming home and
Danny was at practice. He camehome and they got in the encyclopedia to
(13:15):
look it up because they didn't knowwhat it was. And so their journey
really started the foundation, and thatwhen they would go and they had the
means to find the best of careand the best practices that were out there
at the time, but they wouldsee so many families that did not.
And so that was the first hugeinitiative of the foundation was in building the
(13:39):
Dan Marinos Center, which is outin Weston. It was originally was Variety
Hospital. It became then Miami Children'sHospital, and today it's the Nicholas Children's
Hospital, and that opened in nineteenninety eight. It's actually celebrating its twenty
fifth year. And so what thiswas was really a huge new initiative.
(14:01):
It was a one stop shop.It was central that families could come and
get diagnosis and then all of thedoctors were there. So because there's some
comorbidities, if they had hard issuesor whether it be opthalmology or behavior you
know, or psychology, whatever themeans were, all of the therapies could
(14:22):
be found in this one center.And that still to this day serves about
twenty nine thousand young people a year, and that's from birth up until age
twenty two. And it's actually spawnedthat one center about another eleven centers in
the Florida area and actually one internationallyin Sardinia in Italy. So that was
(14:46):
the very first initiative of the foundation. And then what happened was over the
years, children who had been diagnosedand received treatment at the center, they
began to be teenagers, they beganto be young adults, and the parents
came to the foundation saying, well, my son would like to have a
summer job, or my son,now that he's transitioned out of high school,
(15:11):
needs some sort of post secondary orsome kind of training. And that
really then is how the foundation expandedits programs. We had, like in
two thousand and seven, we startedsummer employment programs that were high school programs,
and then in two thousand and thirteenwe actually opened up the first post
secondary program called Marino Campus, andtwo years later we opened up a second
(15:37):
school at FYU on the main campus. And now at this point in time,
actually our new program, we've hadthousands of young people come through the
school who are now adults, andso for September of twenty three, we're
actually expanding into like a club membershipand they can be people who have either
(15:58):
graduated or been programs with foundation ornot, just young people who are looking
for extra supports for employment, forsocialization. And so that's something that we'll
be announcing, you know, inthe next couple of months. So we
continue to evolve, and I thinkthat's what you ask me what's unique about
what we do. We're very individuallycentered with the young people that we serve,
(16:22):
the day babies that need diagnosis ortreatments as are coming up, or
as adults. You know, we'realways some evolving with our population on what
those needs are. We're joined byMary Parton, chief executive Officer of the
Dan Marino Foundation. You can learnmore at Dan Marino Foundation dot org.
(16:44):
Tell us when you became part ofthe foundation and some of the more notable
developments that you've been a part ofas this foundation has grown, like you
just described, Well, so I'vebeen here twenty five years and when I
came to the foundation, the DameRenal Center was just opening, and so
(17:06):
much of the evolution. I mean, we actually built a second floor and
I think one of the most notablethings that I did and lad at that
time, we had a three yearold at the time at the center and
he was doing very well, butthen he unfortunately drowned. And I really,
I mean, I had been awarethat First of all, drowning is
(17:27):
a big thing for four year oldsand under, especially in South Florida,
it was the number one cause ofdeath. But especially children with autism are
very fascinated by the water. It'scalming, and so there were a lot
of drownings in our community. Andso I went to Tallahassee to work on
(17:48):
laws to that every pool that servedyoung people that they would have to have
a training a disability, and soit became known as the Marino Aquatics Certification.
And so that meant every pool,every city pool, every YMCA,
every boys and girls club that theywould have to take this course. And
(18:11):
it made them more cognizant on howto work with children that had different abilities,
you know who maybe we're afraid ofsound or you know that they would
just reacted. So it allowed themto train and them to swim or these
water safety and at the same time, then in going to Tallahassee, I
was able to get the dollars tobuild an aquatic center at the Dan Marino
(18:33):
Center, and working with the cityof Weston, they really helped us to
be able to accommodate that we coulddo that, and that was the only
one in the state and that's intwo thousand and three, so that was
a pretty big deal. And thenreally I would say the Marino Campuses.
We had worked with young adults fora long time, and then you know,
(18:55):
we did the summer programs and wedid some kind of seasonal programs,
and then I thought, you know, this is so necessary. I see
such a transformative change in young peoplethat why don't we do this year round?
And then that became the nemesis ofstarting the Marino Campus a post secondary
program. And then other things.I'm a champion for technology. One of
(19:18):
the biggest We really focus on employmentwith our older individuals. And because so
much of who you are is whatyou do. You're you work in the
radio, Hi, you know,Hi, I'm Mary. You know I
work at the foundation. And Isaw a lot of our young people they
didn't have an entree into the community, and so that was the importance of
(19:40):
employment. Well, I saw atthe time for over two decades the number
it was thirteen percent employment for ourpopulation. And so I started to look
at, well, what are thebig challenges, what are the roadblocks here?
And one of them was interviewing.And so at the time, we
people, you know, the bestpractice model was these mock interviews, you
(20:02):
know, having volunteers come in andyou'd interview. But I thought, well,
with technology, using avatars, wecould set different scenarios, have different
demeanors of interviewers, and young peoplecould practice practice, practice, and with
practice comes perfect. And so thatwas a huge in creating what we called
(20:22):
VITA and getting I went out toUSC their Institute of Creative Technology, because
they were really leading the time,and this is twenty eleven twelve, and
actually worked with Colonel Schilling, whowas the commander of DARPA at the time,
and the military had developed these avatars, and I knew that if I
(20:45):
pitched it, I was going toask we could use them, you know,
but to change them up for ourpopulation. And little did I know
that Colonel Schilling had children with autism, and the head of pediatrics for the
Defense had children with autism, andso they were wonderful and that was really
the birth of the use of technology, and we've continued to grows at through
(21:08):
the foundation on you know, oncommunicating at a party scenario, you know,
individual skills, how to take transportation, you know, so it's all
grown from there. So those aresome of the more I think notable things
that I've I've been very instrumental in. I'm Ryan Gorman here on I Hear
Radio Communities, joined by Chief executiveOfficer for the Dan Marino Foundation, Mary
(21:33):
Pardon. How prevalent is neurodiversity andwhat are some of the signs of autism.
Well, you know, in autism, there's not a blood test or
something like that. It's really diagnosedby professionals making a judgment on a child's
behavior. And the things you lookfor our communication where they don't communicate the
(21:59):
same maybe don't they don't verbalize,or you've all always heard, well,
gee, they were talking and nowat age two, suddenly they don't.
They're not speaking anymore. Socializing isanother thing, um the child, you
know, not making eye contact,um, not being um. Like sound
you can get up behind a childand make a very loud sound and they
(22:21):
don't react. So the first thingis, like anything, if you suspect
something's not quite right or you know, developmentally, then search out, you
know, and have an evaluation.Because the earlier you get treatment and treatment
basically is behavioral ABA it's called,and it's really UM training to make eye
(22:41):
contact, training, speech, thatsort of thing. But the sooner you
get these UM these therapies, thatthe better results that you have. UM.
So that's what i'd say. Thenumber of children diagnosed it was just
changed again CDC and what they dothey base this. They go like in
(23:02):
eleven states and they go to uhthe health and school records and they focus
on eight year olds and they lookat that number of how many children are
diagnosed in that category, and rightnow it's one in every thirty six,
which is alarming. I mean whenwe started, when the foundation was formed
(23:23):
there and again the UM the diagnosisand stuff wasn't as prevalent, but it
was like one in ten thousand andthen a few years back, you know,
probably about ten years it was onein a thousand, and like I
said, now the latest is onein thirty six, which just two years
ago is one in forty four.Um, there's there. You know,
(23:44):
people ask me, well as theirbetter diagnosis or you knows or what's happening?
Are they just expanding what autism isand you know it's it's it's real
numbers. Um, there there isyou know they there is no cause defined
or cure defined for autism, butthere's somewhere in between, um that is
(24:07):
genetic and or environmental, I meaneither. That's the difficulty with autism is
that there's a lot of genes thatcontribute, but they've not found one specific
And typically they'll look at there's achild with autism, may have gastrol issues
and things like that. So there'scertain common like I said, comorbidities,
(24:30):
but there's still not that one cureor that reason that that cause and so
and I'm not an expert. I'mnot a doctor, I'm not a fair
So I always you know, I'mjust I just run a foundation and try
to serve people. So you know, I don't I always say go to
the experts and speak with them.But I think that I'm generalizing and they're
(24:52):
going to tell you the same thing, but there really are The other thing
is they say, well, inthe US, you know is it diet
is if you go to other countries, that rate is about to say,
and what is um frustrating? Youknow when you work with medical care and
getting therapies and treatments. You know, if I always said, if if
one day we woke up and onein every thirty six people maybe we're being
(25:18):
born without an arm or something likethat, and it may not be a
great example, but there'd be alot of concern, you know, And
so we really do have to putmore dollars, you know, from from
government, from agencies. I mean, we really do have to work together
to try to understand autism more.Um. You know, it's it's um,
(25:42):
I'll just let it go at that, yeah, Chief executive Officer for
the Dan Marino Foundation, Mary Parton. You can learn more about all the
different programs and services they provide inthe work that they do at Dan Marino
Foundation dot org. Again, that'sDan Marino Foundation dot org. Mary.
Really appreciate the tremendous work you andyour entire team are doing on this issue,
(26:04):
and thank you so much for comingon the show. Well, we
really appreciate the opportunity, Ryan andjust it's anyone listening. We're here to
be your resource to help guide andso please contact us. All right,
Thanks again, Mary, I'm RyanGorman here on I Hear Radio Communities and
now want to bring in our nextguest. We're joined by doctor Mitchell Elkins,
(26:25):
chief Clinical Science Officer for the AmericanHeart Association. May is American Stroke
Month and you can learn more atstroke dot org slash Strokemonth. That stroke
dot org slash Stroke Month. DoctorElkin, thanks so much for taking a
few minutes to come on the show, and let me start with a very
basic question, what exactly is astroke? Sure? Well, first of
all, thanks a lot, Ryanfor having me and the American Heart Association
(26:49):
on the show. So a strokeis essentially damaged to the brain that's caused
by a problem with the blood vessel. So most of the time, about
eighty percent of the time, it'sdue to a blood clot blocking a blood
vessel, leading to a lack ofblood flow to that part of the brain
that's affected, and that's what causesthe damage. About twenty percent of the
(27:11):
time it's due to a breakage ora rupture of the blood vessel leading to
bleeding into the brain. So that'scalled a hemorrhagic stroke, and that can
be pretty damaging as well, somethingthat I think can confuse people from time
to time. The difference between aheart attack, a stroke, and cardiac
(27:32):
arrest. Can you break that downfor us? Oh? Yeah, sure.
So a heart attack is when there'slack of blood flow to a part
of the heart, and so thatpart of the heart is damaged, sometimes
because of a heart attack or becauseof an underlying rhythm problem with the heart.
There can be what's called a cardiacarrest, which is when the heart
(27:55):
stops beating completely and the person becomesfletely unresponsive. A stroke, on the
other hand, is when the problemis in the brain, not in the
heart, So that's when in thelack of blood flow or bleeding into the
brain causes the problem. So it'saffecting a different organ from either a heart
attack or a sudden cardiac of rest. And to focus in on strokes again
(28:18):
for a moment, how many Americansdeal with this each year? It's a
big problem. So there are abouteight hundred thousand strokes a year in the
United States. Stroke is the fifthleading cause of death in the US,
And because strokes often don't kill peoplebut leave them with disability, it's actually
the leading cause of serious long termdisability in the US and Interestingly, in
(28:41):
other parts of the world, strokesactually outrank heart disease as a cause of
death, so worldwide it's the numbertwo cause of death, even though here
in the US it's number five becausewe have other significant causes ahead of it
here. And finally, with thisbeing American Stroke Month, where can people
find out more information about all ofthis? Absolutely so the best place to
(29:06):
look is at the American Heart Associationwebsite, and specifically for information about stroke,
go to stroke dot org slash strokemonth, but stroke dot org simple
to remember. Check it out allright for American Stroke Month. Doctor Mitchell
Elkins, chief Clinical Science Officer fromthe American Heart Association. Doctor Elkin,
(29:27):
thank you so much for taking thetime to step us through all of that.
We really appreciate it. My pleasure. Thanks for having me and for
having the American Heart Association. You'vebeen listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public
affairs program from the Alabama Radio Network. The opinions expressed on Viewpoint Alabama are
not necessarily those of the staff,management, or advertisers of this station.
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