The Impact of the Blended Classroom : Raiden

The Importance of Early Diagnosis

Our son, Raiden, was diagnosed with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder in his right ear shortly after birth. We are still understanding what this diagnosis means for Raiden, however, what we’ve learned so far is that there are certain pitches where he has moderate to severe hearing loss, and he is also slightly delayed in his speech and communication. While we continue testing and learning more about what Raiden can hear, he currently wears a hearing aid in his right ear to support his development.

The Choice of the Blended Classroom

We began with Listen & Talk in their Blended Classroom this past fall, and we have truly been impressed by the level of care, compassion, and dedication every member of the staff and faculty pours into the children each day. We considered staying at a local preschool due to the nearly hour-long daily commute from our home. However, after touring the campus during the summer—seeing the on-site audiology booths, learning about the hearing amplification technologies used in the classroom, and understanding how the program empowers both students and families to advocate for hearing services—we knew Listen & Talk was the best place for Raiden to thrive.

Auditory Speech/Language Success

In just a few short months, we’ve already seen meaningful progress. Raiden is more willing to wear his hearing aid for longer periods of time, and we’ve learned techniques to help calm his nerves and reduce his ear defensiveness when putting it on and taking it off. His communication has also noticeably improved—he’s gone from using 1–2 word phrases to speaking in 3–4 word phrases and even initiating conversations. These changes have meant so much to us, and we are incredibly grateful for the support and guidance Listen & Talk has provided our family.

Lace Yamamoto

Listen and Talk’s Blended Classroom provides education for children with hearing loss and their typically hearing peers in an auditory rich stimulating environment. Children with hearing loss are pulled out for speech therapy in the building where they have class. They develop advocacy skills to help them as they progress to Kindergarten and beyond. Promoting advocacy ensures that they will be able to access critical communication with their teachers, coaches, peers and family friends. Learn more about our Blended Classroom here.

Donate Now

By supporting our social impact enterprise, you can help ensure that future generations of children with hearing loss have access to the same high-quality education and resources that helped shape the journey of countless families struggling with the impact of hearing loss. Your contribution will directly fund programs such as early intervention services, speech therapy, audiology testing, and parent education classes which help children with microtia atresia and other deaf and hard of children with hearing loss on a daily basis.