(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com
September 2018
From Teacher to Patient Long Island Sound A Note From My Third-Grade Teacher, Mr. Filardo
Forty-five years ago, I had the good fortune of having a class of third-graders who were polite, respectful, and happy. As a sensitive, sensible, and strict teacher, I gave them a quality education that went above and beyond the state- required syllabus. Within that class was a group of six students who excelled in all subject areas of the curricula. Among these six was a boy who was very quiet, very respectful, very articulate, and very intelligent. His name was Larry, a super student. He excelled at every academic challenge and had a love for music. Some years ago, when I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Florida, my daughter-in-law, a registered speech pathologist remarked, “Dad, you have the television way too loud!” I didn’t realize that I had a hearing problem. Since Jenna is affiliated with Bethesda Hospital, she scheduled me for an appointment with the chief audiologist for a complete battery of hearing tests. I definitely had hearing loss that had sneaked up on me, little by little, over a long period of time. Hearing aids were necessary for both ears. Because I live here on Long Island, purchasing and having hearing aids serviced in Florida was impractical and costly, requiring multiple airline trips. When I found out that Dr. Cardano had an audiology practice in Valley Stream, I called, made an appointment, and renewed a relationship not as teacher-
September always reminds me of the back-to-school season and makes me think of the excellent teachers I am so grateful to have learned from over the years. One in particular was my third- grade teacher at Rhame Avenue School in East Rockaway, Mr. Filardo. Mr. Filardo — after so many years, I still cannot bring myself to call him by his first name — was an engaging, enthusiastic teacher who instilled in me a love of learning that continues to this day. Not only did he teach me reading, writing, and arithmetic, but he taught me the value of art and music as well. He also taught me the practice of something that seems to be falling out of style today: cursive handwriting. In fact, when he visits my office these days as one of my patients, he often checks my handwriting and critiques it. The following is a note Mr. Filardo wrote after we began providing his hearing care at Hearing Center of Long Island. As all the kids head back to the classroom this month, it seems the perfect opportunity to highlight one of my favorite educators here in my newsletter. So, thank you, Mr. Filardo, for being such an inspiring and effective teacher, and for allowing us to provide your hearing care. (I promise I will continue to practice my handwriting!)
Dr. Larry with his third-grade teacher, Mr. Filardo, and his cursive writing practice sheets.
student, but now as patient-doctor. I am eternally grateful to Larry for his infinite patience in training and teaching his former teacher, me, with the technology and practice necessary to hear all that I have been gradually missing over the years. What a wonderful world it is to hear human speech clearly and crisply as well as the glorious sounds of life around me. I am truly indebted to Dr. Cardano, my student, Larry, and am listening happily. –Thomas C. Filardo P.S. I taught Larry cursive handwriting, referred to as script. He had beautiful handwriting in third grade. Your gift to me was my restored hearing. My gift to you is a set of cursive writing dittos. I will keep listening clearly as you keep practicing your handwriting. Remember, writing is a form of communication, just as listening and speaking are.
As always, and in all ways, thank you, Larry — I mean, Dr. Cardano.
–Lawrence Cardano, Au.D.
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The Misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD How Hearing Loss Can Affect Your Education
When people think about a child experiencing hearing loss, they typically consider the social struggles the child will face when interacting with others. While these struggles definitely exist, many adults and educators tend to overlook the effects hearing loss can have on school performance. In the past, when teachers encountered a child who was inattentive, poorly behaved in the classroom, and consistently earning low grades, they might have assumed that the student had a learning disability like ADD or ADHD. In reality, all those behaviors are also consistent with hearing loss. Hearing loss is far more common than people realize. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1.3 out of every 1,000 8-year-olds have bilateral hearing loss (loss of hearing in both ears). Additionally, 14.9 percent of children
ages 6–19 have hearing loss in one or both ears. Taking these statistics into consideration, you can probably understand how a child with undiagnosed hearing problems might slip through the cracks. Hearing is critical to speech and language development. Loss of hearing can lead to learning problems, which can then lead to poor academic performance and behavior. For example, if a teacher turns his back to the students while teaching, his voice is redirected to the whiteboard, resulting in the student missing key elements of the material. This affects the learning of vocabulary, sentence structures, and idiomatic expressions, all of which are necessary for understanding concepts in facets of academia. Fortunately, in the last three years, parents and educators have taken
a more offensive approach to not only detecting children that might be experiencing hearing loss, but also finding the best possible strategies for helping them and their parents ensure academic success. Recent studies have shown that early intervention is key, so teachers have started to keep an eye out for inattentiveness, inappropriate responses to questions, daydreaming, trouble following directions, and speech problems. If your child or a child you know is struggling in school and has a family history of hearing loss, or has had multiple ear infections, please call us at
the Hearing Center of Long Island (516-874-3675) to schedule an appointment. What Our Patients Are Saying
“I’ve been having hearing difficulty for some time. My
helped me take care of my hearing difficulty with such care and expertise. I would recommend this office to anyone with hearing problems.”
wife was complaining about my hearing. She said my hearing problem was frustrating for her and she wanted me to get help — but I wasn’t sure the problem was bad enough that I needed to do anything about it. “Fortunately, I came to Hearing Center of Long Island after a friend recommended the office. I didn’t realize how much I was missing! I’m so glad the doctors at Hearing Center of Long Island
-Frank Carlino, Malverne, NY
Mr. Carlino with Dr. Larry
2 • We’re listening to you.
Healthy Hearing Keeps Us Sharp In 2013, Dr. Frank R. Lin, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, conducted a large research HowWe Can Help Keep Your Brain in Shape factors for dementia that are related to hearing loss are social isolation, cerebral atrophy, and cognitive overload:
Summary of data from Lin et al., 2011 Johns Hopkins Medical Center
study that found that “[h]earing loss is independently associated with accelerated cognitive decline and incident cognitive impairment in community- dwelling older adults.” In this follow-up to a 2011 study, nearly 2,000 individuals were monitored for six years to determine whether or not hearing loss was a significant contributor to future decline in cognitive functions (reasoning, memory, attention, and language). In the end, those with untreated hearing loss were 24 percent more likely to experience significant cognitive decline than those with healthy hearing. The worse a patient’s hearing was at the beginning of the study, the more dramatic the cognitive decline was by its end. Numerous studies like this one have linked the onset of cognitive decline and dementia to hearing loss. Three major risk
much as a 20 percent increase in memory recall when following a conversation.) According to P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and coauthor of “The Alzheimer’s Action Plan,” “The benefits of correcting hearing loss on cognition are twice as large as the benefits from any cognitive-enhancing drugs now on the market. It should be the first thing we focus on.” To find out if your hearing status – with or without hearing aids – is optimized to help you maintain good brain health, call Hearing Center of Long Island at (516) 872-8485 for a free consultation that will test for a critical cognitive function: handling speech with background noise.
• With increased untreated hearing loss, there is a natural tendency to participate less in social activities, since conversation becomes more difficult, causing social isolation to increase. • The reduction of auditory stimulation resulting from untreated hearing loss has been shown in MRI studies to result in shrinkage (atrophy) of the parts of the brain responsible for hearing, memory, speech, and language. • With untreated hearing loss, the brain needs to use more of its limited resources to try filling the gaps in conversation. This overload leaves fewer mental resources for other tasks, such as remembering what was said. (Recent research shows that those who treat their hearing loss have as
Word Search
The Sound of Laughter
Teacher: Can you use the word “fascinate” in a sentence? Student: If I had a sweater with ten buttons and two came off, I would only have to fascinate.
Football Touchdown Quarterback
Autumn Equinox
On Listening
LaborDay Barbecue September Harvest Apple Students Homecoming
“If you’re not listening, you’re not learning.”
–Lyndon Baines Johnson
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INSIDE This Issue
Page 1 A Note From Dr. Larry’s Third-Grade Teacher Page 2 The Effect Hearing Loss Has on Academic Performance Our Patients Say It Best Page 3 When Untreated Hearing Loss Causes Dementia Word Search The Sound of Laughter On Listening Page 4 Get a Head Start on Next Spring’s Garden
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Prepare Your Garden Autumn Steps for a Better Spring Garden
With fall just ahead, it’s a good time to think about your spring garden. For a beautiful garden next year, begin preparing this fall. Here are a few ways to
ChickenWire After you’ve planted your bulbs, there’s a risk that uninvited guests will dig them up. There are a few ways you can ensure that your bulbs remain undisturbed throughout the fall. One way is to place chicken wire over your bulbs after they’ve been planted. This keeps rodents from digging them up and allows the plants to grow through the gaps in the wire. Keep Your Garden Tidy Once you’ve harvested your best fruits and vegetables, go back through and harvest the rest, even if you don’t plan to eat them. Make sure your garden is clear of old vegetables, fallen leaves, and weeds. Leaving decaying plants in or on top of the ground can spread diseases
get a head start! Planting Bulbs
into the soil and attract unwanted pests to your garden. Healthy Soil Pulling up weeds and all of your vegetables can help keep the earth free from rotting plants, but there are other steps you can take to ensure that your soil stays full of nutrients. Pick up a kit to test the pH levels of your soil. Most gardens thrive in soil with a pH of 6.5. Add compost to your soil supply now to give it time to break down during the winter months.
If you want beautiful flowers in April, you should start planting bulbs now. Many flower bulbs need to be in the ground before winter settles in; this helps activate the bulbs’ biochemical process that allows them to bloom. Getting the bulbs into the ground before it freezes allows their roots to grow deep enough to protect them from the biting winter weather. Among the flower bulbs you should plant soon are tulips, daffodils, irises, and hyacinths.
4 • We’re listening to you.
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