Idaho Hearing Education and Aural Rehabilitation (IHEAR)

Description of Program: 

The Idaho State University- Idaho Hearing Education and Aural Rehabilitation (IHEAR) program is a personnel-preparation program focused on training scholars in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, and Special Education graduate training programs to provide comprehensive family-centered early intervention services and support to children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and their families. 

This program is in response to the ongoing shortage of providers with knowledge and experience in working with young children with hearing differences and their families. We do this by creating interprofessional cohorts of scholars that take one class per semester (online, asynchronously) for five semesters and participate in clinical experiences described below.

Courses follow the LSL Certificate Program of Study. 

These courses are in addition to the SLP, Audiology, or Special Education Programs of Study approved by the Graduate School. 

Clinical Experiences: 

We believe clinical experiences ensure that students can serve families and children from an interprofessional perspective and are key to optimizing outcomes. We have options for placements throughout Idaho and nationally: we offer family-to-family support through weekly Zoom calls (the HATCH Lab), family-training courses (online and in person), a weekly Toddler Group, and early intervention telepractice services. We partner with local Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind, Elks Hearing and Balance Center, and OPTION Schools. 

Funding for this IHEAR program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grants H325R230008 and H325K230093 from 2023-2028.

For more information, please contact Project Director, Kristina Blaiser at KristinaBlaiser@isu.edu