By Alan R. Ehrlich
Most of us know that listening is the key to learning with children spending upwards of 70% of their day in listening activities, yet we ignore the fact that they receive virtually no instruction in this critical skill. Our ability to listen is assumed and is generally measured by the simple assumption that if one responds in any way to a verbal message, they were listening.
Hearing and listening are very different. Hearing, one of our five senses, is about sounds while listening is a cognitive choice that leads to understanding. Many children hear just fine, but their ability to listen n to attend to, and understand the meaning of the message n may be seriously compromised by hearing loss, auditory or language processing problems, psychological issues, outside noise or poor acoustics in the classroom.
Listening is a complex set of processes. As with any chain of events “stuff happens” at each level generating cumulative confusion, frustration and misunderstanding. Children with listening disorders work harder to understand what’s being said and often act out due to their frustration. Often this behavior is mistaken for ADD/ADHD leading to unnecessary medication.
On October 23, 2010, The Center for Listening Disorders Research, a NJ Non-Profit Corporation and the International Listening Association will co-sponsor a Round Table discussion entitled: Dysfunctional Listening: Effects on K-12 Student Achievement. The program will be held on the campus of Princeton University (Field Center, Room 004) beginning at 9am.
This Round Table will be one of the first, if not the first conference of its kind, bringing together experts to address the various causes and symptoms of dysfunctional listening (physiological, neurological, psychological and environmental) and how each can, individually and combined, affect learning.
The program includes:
• Overview of Dysfunctional Listening – The Concept
Alan R. Ehrlich, CLP, Founder, The Center for Listening Disorders Research; VP, International Listening Association
• Minimal Hearing Loss n An Unrecognized and Potentially Devastating Listening Disorder – Dr. Jane Brady, Au.D., Audiologist, Horizon Audiology
• Auditory and Language Processing Disorders n When the Ears and the Brain Don’t Align – Barbara Moskowitz, MA, Psychologist, Princeton Witherspoon Group
• Speech Understandability – The Other Side of Listening – Alan R. Ehrlich, CLP
• Classroom Acoustics n Enabling the Students to Hear Well Enough to Learn – Matt Murello, Acoustics Engineer, Lewis S. Goodfriend & Associates
• Classroom Technology for Improved Understanding – Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, Au.D., Customer Trainer, Phonak Hearing Systems
Registration for the program is $50 (a boxed lunch can be purchased for $12.50).
Advanced registration is required.
NJ Educators will be awarded 5 Professional Development Hours at the end of the program.
Additional information and registration at: www.listeningdisorders.org.
The International Listening Association . . . the professional organization whose members are dedicated to learning more about the impact that listening has on all human activity.
The International Listening Association promotes the study, development, and teaching of listening and the practice of effective listening skills and techniques. Information about the ILA can be found at www.listen.org or contact Laura Janusik, President at [email protected].
The Center for Listening Disorders Research has been recently formed to take a top-down look at each of the various disorders and barriers that affect the accuracy and effectiveness of our listening process. We want to provide a portal to information and assistance on the broad spectrum of issues that cause dysfunctional listening. Information about The Center for Listening Disorders Research can be found at www.listeningdisorders.org.
For additional information, please call or email:
Alan R. Ehrlich, President/Founding Director
The Center for Listening Disorders Research
Vice President n International Listening Association
609-619-0039 ● [email protected]
web: www.listeningdisorders.org

