Lynn Wood: Listening with Lynn

Join me in this special interview with Lynn Wood.  This interview takes a trip down memory lane for both of us!  Lynn was one of my audiologists as a tween and has continued to be a mentor and friend throughout my personal and professional journey.  Lynn is a nationally recognized Listening and Spoken Language Specialist with over 35 years of experience. She is an audiologist by degree and specializes in pediatric LSL auditory verbal therapy, post cochlear implant auditory rehabilitation for children and adults, and therapy for individuals with auditory processing needs. Lynn is the founder of the Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton and was one of the first audiologists to open a practice devoted exclusively to auditory rehabilitation. Lynn authors evidence-based LSL resources and Listen With Lynn™ is her online store that offers downloadable tools, games, and activities for children, their families, and the professionals who guide them.

Find Lynn Wood at: 

https://www.hearsaylw.com/

lynn@HearSayLW.com

To access this episode as well as a transcript, please visit:

www.3cdigitalmedianetwork.com/empowear-audiology-podcast

For more information about Dr. Carrie Spangler- check out her LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-spangler/

For transcripts of this episode- visit the podcast website at: https://empowearaudiology.buzzsprout.com

Transcript

[00:00:00] Announcer: Welcome to episode 44 of empowEAR Audiology with Dr. Carrie Spangler.
[00:00:16] Carrie: Welcome to the empowEAR Audiology podcast, which is part of the 3C Digital Media Network. My name is Dr. Carrie Spangler, and I am your host. I am a passionate audiologist with a lifelong journey of living with hearing challenges in this vibrant hearing world. This podcast is for professionals, parents, individuals with hearing challenges and those who want to be inspired.
[00:00:45] Thank you for listening and I hope you will subscribe, invite others to listen and leave me a positive review. I also wanted to invite all of you to visit and engage in the conversation on the empowEAR Audiology Facebook group.Ttranscripts for each episode can be found at www dot three, the number three, C digital media network dot com under the empowEAR podcast tab.
[00:01:19] Now let's get started with today's episode. Welcome to the empowEAR Audiology podcast. I am really excited today to have a guest with me, who I have actually known for quite some time. And we're gonna get into that today in the podcast. But before I have her come on, I'm gonna read a little bio.
[00:01:40] And today I have Lynn wood with me. She is a listening and spoken language specialist, certified auditory verbal therapist. And she is nationally recognized. With over 35 years of experience, she is an audiologist by degree and specializes in pediatric listening and spoken language auditory verbal therapy, post cochlear implant, auditory rehab for adults and kids and therapy for individuals with auditory processing needs.
[00:02:12] Lynn is the founder of the Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton, Illinois, and was one of the first audiologists to open a practice devoted, exclusively to auditory rehabilitation. Lynn author's evidence based LSL resources, including Listen with Lynn which is her online store that offers downloadable tools, games, and activities for children, their families, and the professionals who guide them.
[00:02:42] Lynn, welcome to the empowEAR Audiology podcast
[00:02:44] Lynn: Thank you, Carrie. Thanks for having me. It was fun. Reminiscing, a little bit about our past a few minutes ago. So I'm happy to chat with you and your audience today.
[00:02:58] Carrie: Yes. Well, thanks for being here. And I thought since you brought up my past we were talking a little bit before we went live today about the long history that we have together and that you had lived in Ohio for some time where I live and I thought it would be fun for our audience to.
[00:03:19] Hear a little bit about our memory lane that we have together. Do you wanna start
[00:03:23] Lynn: Sure, sure, sure. I actually, maybe I'll back up a little bit about my history and then how I actually met you. So I am a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in audiology and one of my early jobs after, after graduating with my master's was at Lichfield rehab center.
[00:03:43] and that's where I met Carrie and her mom. The very first time I know I was involved with your dad. I know your parents were both so great advocates for you, but it's been a long time. We don't want anybody to add up the years there or whatever like that, but just a couple minutes ago, Carrie, it was so fun.
[00:04:00] You actually pulled out a folder with your name with records that I had tested your hearing change, your hearing aids give you all sorts of resources. So that's part, I didn't remember from what you had said, but you know, I, I do remember meeting you at Litchfield rehab center and I forgot how old you were.
[00:04:22] I did know that you had a bilateral hearing loss. I remember testing you. And I was so surprised to see, honestly, your precipitous high frequency hearing loss, how it really sloped down. And I think I'd mostly seen the kind of configuration probably back in textbooks then. So and it's sort of, I remember you were diagnosed a little late.
[00:04:44] If I remember what four or five. I was four. It's no wonder. Four that I'm sure you were bright, like you are now. And even with a speech and language delay, just that good, low frequency hearing could really fool a lot of people, I guess, type of thing. But we were just looking at a couple of your audiograms and I know I talked about the Ling five sound tasks.
[00:05:08] if people even remember what that was. Before that's when Dan was still living and before we had the capacity to get out to even that S and things like that. But I remember talking to your parents about changing your hearing aids, and I'm almost sure we went ahead and gave you acoustically tuned ear molds.
[00:05:27] I don't think you had those ones were libby horns. so I don't know if those were what. The Libby horns or continuous flow adapters were available then. But I do remember after we saw in your audiogram, after making some changes, changing your hearing aids, we could access more of the high frequencies.
[00:05:48] what above a thousand, 2000 there for you, and I'm sure. I always say every DB counts so I'm sure. What was what you needed and things like that. So, but yeah, I, I, I remember you much more as a professional than a lot of those little glimpses when you were little, but what, what happened was I was your audiologist.
[00:06:08] And then my husband and I moved to Chicago, we were transferred with his job. And at that time I sent you then to the University of Akron and Carol Flexer became your audiologist and the rest is history. You guys and us and things like that. So, yeah. Yeah. It's something you wanna add all that or how your life would.
[00:06:32] Different. If you had not met Carol, when you think of all the little elements, they're all meant to be,
[00:06:39] Carrie: they are yes. Full circle. I'm sure when you saw this 12 or 13 year old teenager, who probably wasn't the happiest to be there. you never thought you would be during a podcast with her how many years later?
[00:06:57] Lynn: no kidding. Actually, the older I get, the more strange things I never thought I would do that type of thing, so yeah. Yeah. It's really fun. No, but Carrie, I, I do remember your family. I remember you guys just being. Just like I said, your parents were such good advocates for you and things like that. So not the details, but I remember globally and you have a brother, right.
[00:07:22] That right? I do. I have
[00:07:23] Carrie: a younger brother who was about three and a half years younger than I was. So he might have been tagging along that day too.
[00:07:30] Lynn: Yeah. I'm not sure. Right. Exactly. Exactly. So I, was there anything else you want me to share about that? But I, I do feel, I hopefully made a difference because I remember after going over, I dunno if it's the first time I tested your hearing or whatever, but I remember talking to your mom.
[00:07:46] I think it was, I don't know if your dad was there, but about speech acoustics and about the speech banana and explaining what you were able to hear based on your low frequency hearing and what you were missing based on your high frequency hearing. And I, it was like a light bulb went on for your mom. I mean, she was.
[00:08:09] I don't know where you got your audiology before that services, but it like clicked. It was like, oh, this all makes sense. And I do remember even talking about like, like I said, a little while, no wonder, we didn't know that Carrie had a hearing in loss when she was younger type of thing, but I remember your parents were really thrilled that you were able to course get more hearing based on, you know, improving your, your hearing aids and things like that.
[00:08:34] And I don't. If you wanna share something, you said, I sent you a cute little letter.
[00:08:40] Carrie: oh, you did. So it was funny going through all of the different paperwork and seeing the familiar sounds audiogram and you had it highlighted and for my mom with a, all the good information on there of what I could hear and what I couldn't hear.
[00:08:57] And then, like you said, we decided to try some different hearing aids since the ones that I was wearing, weren't really doing anything. And you know, of course the technology wasn't able to do a lot at that point in time either, but you had written a, a handwritten letter that was just saying, you know, I'm very excited about your new hearing aids and I hope there is helpful as they appear to my office.
[00:09:25] And then you talked about some enclosed information, including. See the handout on Ling five sound test, and how you were able to hear some of these sounds and how optimal hearing aid fittings would allow all of the threshold to be in or above the speech banana range and saying that you would see me in two weeks.
[00:09:47] So,
[00:09:48] Lynn: right. I'm just relieved that as you re you read that it's things that I would probably say again, so. Wasn't wrong back in the day. I'm still, I've still learning and have learned a lot since then, but right. And a lot of like have
[00:10:02] Carrie: changed since then. Right. But then I love the fact that you gave my mom.
[00:10:07] It was a 1986 spring and summer publication for the AG Bell Association. So mm-hmm, , she had some different things start in here. So I wonder if she ended up ordering different publication that happened to be in there. So I'm still looking Dan Ling book in here and that was starred. So she, maybe she did.
[00:10:29] She got the Dan Ling Book.
[00:10:33] Lynn: Yeah, I was a big fan of AG Bell and still am so,
[00:10:37] Carrie: right. Yes. So, and I know we just saw each other virtually for the virtual conference that they have going on and they're still, I, so it's been exactly a history, but going back to just a little bit backwards again, how did you end up finding the field of audiology?
[00:10:59] Lynn: Okay. Hmm. Well, I didn't really set out to be an audiologist or of course, an auditory verbal therapist. I went to the University of Akron, like we talked about and I, a friend at I think it was the lunch area. I forget the cafeteria happened to mention a friend of friends that she was taking a class called intro to speech disorders.
[00:11:22] It sounded so interesting. I signed up for that course. I think it was the next quarter or semester. And I was hooked. I took that class. Didn't know where it was gonna lead, but I changed all my classes, my sciences, everything to, to steer me to speech and hearing at that point type of thing. But I guess if I could go a little deeper than that.
[00:11:44] So I was in the field. I think at that time I was probably thinking more of speech pathology. but I was working at the speech and hearing clinic as a student there at the university and the family that we both know had a toddler with a profound hearing loss. And that mom asked my clinic supervisor if I would work with their daughter to help her learn listening and spoken language.
[00:12:10] But my supervisor who I remember as clear as day told me that children who were deaf and hard of hearing could not learn to listen and speak. And the family was probably in denial. What is the most surprising about that story To me is I was a student and I ignored my supervisor. I don't even know how that transpired, but I put my faith in this family who in turn.
[00:12:36] Introduced me to pioneers of auditory verbal Doreen Pollock and Helen Bebe. So, you know, I'm down that path and the next Carol Flexer comes the university with her background in pediatrics and auditory verbal. And Carol then became my undergraduate professor, my graduate professor and my clinical supervisor and my friend, like she is yours today type of thing.
[00:13:00] But that really took me down the track of, you know, I don't think, I would've been able to tell you probably any of those things about the speech banana on and on like that down the line a few years without her input, because it was a lot different than I has was learning before she arrived. But yeah, I was.
[00:13:19] Carol's graduate assistant for two years. And then she really took me under her wings. I'm sure. When I was at Litchfield rehab where I saw you early in my career, she was my CFY supervisor. And then I was ready to sit for the auditory verbal certification exam. The very first time was offered in 1994. So yeah, so, you know, It's not the path that I would've ever dreamed of.
[00:13:44] I don't know what I would've done, but I'm sure this is what, you know, I, I love what I do and I'm passionate about it, but I'm just thankful for all the professionals, the families that I've been able to stand on their shoulders and all that knowledge that I've learned over the years, I feel like I've been able to pass along to countless family.
[00:14:04] Today and, you know, over the years and things like that. So I love a good story and how things start and where you end up.
[00:14:12] Carrie: right. Yeah. So it sounded like Dr. Flexer came to the University of Akron at just a pivotal point in your, exactly, exactly audiology career path
[00:14:23] Lynn: path. Right. Right. I know. When I first started working with her, I was also working in something called deaf nursery.
[00:14:33] And I don't wanna get into all that, but my experience with deaf nursery and then when Carol was my supervisor, they were very different approaches. I mean, just not using hearing at all type of thing. so and at that time also the university, the sort of the other people like my supervisor didn't think what was happening was go was possible.
[00:14:54] so. Shortly. He had more children that came to the clinic, just even the little bit of time that I was there. And of course, audit university of Akron known as a fabulous auditory verbal and audiology program. So, yeah. Yeah. And I had other great professors too type of thing, but yeah.
[00:15:11] Carrie: That is yeah.
[00:15:12] Exciting to hear that background backstory and to see that , you're still very invested in the field, especially rehab or, you know, listening and spoken language. Sure. audiology part as well. Right. And which is kind of brings me to my next question, because I think a lot of audiologists think about going into more a clinic.
[00:15:37] You know, working with, you know, cochlear implant, assistive technology, hearing, hearing aids, that kind of thing. But don't really think about the rehab aspect of audiology. And when I was reading your bio for all of our listeners, I mentioned that you were one of the first audiologists to really have a practice devoted to auditory rehab.
[00:16:00] Can you share just a little. Bit more about what you do as a rehab audiologist and how that's, how you kind of steer that way instead of more on that clinical side. Sure,
[00:16:13] Lynn: sure. I'll be, that's a whole story how I got involved that way, but I'll just really brief. I moved from Akron, Ohio to Chicago area.
[00:16:22] I started out in a clinic as a clinical audiologist. but I had done privately and at the hospital, auditory rehab, auditory verbal therapy in Ohio. And I thought, how will I ever start this in Illinois? So I really didn't even that wasn't even on my radar down. I'll skip to ad basically I ended up picking up many children.
[00:16:45] I was working at, I was, I had a two year old, but I was working part-time as an audiologist. I started seeing kids at my kitchen table, actually, Dan Ling, Mary Erb, I sent me kids and then I started diagnosing a few kids in my practice. And in no time I was. When I was at the clinic, only testing kids, I saw for therapy and I was stretched too thin.
[00:17:09] I wasn't really helping them. And we were at a, again, Dan Ling a conference here in Chicago. Dan Ling spoke and parents came with me afterwards and said, we need you to be full-time with our kids. And I took that big leap of faith and started off in my own type of thing. So, and it was a, you know, I was first working out of my home before we built, you know, where I am now and things like that.
[00:17:36] So, but that's sort of how I got started, but I think you wanted to know how, how audiologists maybe made that transition or what the difference is, but. I guess audiologists, as you know, specialize in diagnosis, hearing problems, you know, balance problems, but auditory rehab falls under that umbrella too.
[00:17:56] But honestly, clinical audiologists really don't have the time or the materials necessary in, in a clinic situation or hospital to provide auditory rehab. So and I guess I'd have to say most of the people. Over the years that I've seen adults that seek auditory rehab are usually discouraged or upset or depressed.
[00:18:21] A lot of them thought the cochlear implant. If that's what it was, was gonna be the last step in their journey. And they were all set and the information that was able to be provided to them in the clinic situation just really wasn't enough. A quote that I've quoted for years and I've told families was from Dr.
[00:18:37] Richard Miyamoto. He's from Indianapolis, an early implant surgeon. He would say cochlea implants are cochlear implant. Success is 10% the cochlea implant and 90% the user's input, which would be auditory rehab, or 10% hardware and 90% software. Have you heard that quote before Carrie? I have not
[00:19:01] Carrie: heard that quote directly, but I 100% agree with it.
[00:19:05] Lynn: exactly. So, and you can extrapolate that to somebody getting hearing aids, but the same thing I've used that with families of little children. So you can hang hearing aids on a child's ear, but if you don't do anything with them, it's not gonna make any difference or whatever. But so anyhow, those are the people that have come to see me.
[00:19:25] Those are people that aren't happy, they're discouraged or whatever like that. but you know, people find out that auditory rehab does enhance their ability to enjoy social events, understand conversations, many use the phone. Listen, enjoy music. I know you got rehab right after you got your implant. I
[00:19:44] Carrie: did with Dr.
[00:19:45] Dr Denise Wray, who is another common
[00:19:48] Lynn: friend colleague. Yes, exactly. A good, good professor of mine, too. Type of thing, a clinic supervisor. But I would say still to this day. Many people asked me why auditor auditory rehab was not recommended for them, why they got implanted and then why they have to sort of do the search and find out, you know, the hard way I actually spoke at our ALDA meeting, which is a cochlear implant club here in Chicago a couple weeks ago.
[00:20:18] And so, but the people didn't know that was possible. And. Had a lot of questions cuz people are happier once they find out and you know, their life is easier once we can work with some of those skills. so I would have to say auditory rehab is a underutilized service and things like that. So I, I know you alluded to me being an auditory rehab audiologist.
[00:20:43] And I sort of wanted to say real quick. If I could sidetrack a minute a real good friend of mine Karen Rockwell Vivian, I don't know if you know who that is. She's been gone about 10 years. She was much younger than she should have been, but she was also an audiologist by degree that practiced auditory verbal therapy in California.
[00:21:03] And we met at an auditory verbal international conference years ago. and Karen was using the term auditory or rehab audiologist. And that really clicked. We were doing basically the same thing, audiologist, but then, you know, especially with that. So that's where really I came up with that term. I don't know if too many other people use it, but it does.
[00:21:26] Show re an audiologist by training, but what I'm really doing type of thing. And just a little tidbit, Karen, for all the people that are certified LSL specialists. Now it was really Karen. She was a huge pioneer in the auditory verbal international certification that led to the AG Bell certifications now so she I, I was able to work with her eight years.
[00:21:52] Two, two terms on the certification council were auditory, verbal international, but just, I can. Hard hardly say, sorry, what that is about without I'm sorry. I thought that was turned off without bringing her up type of thing. So yeah. Yeah. If that actually that was an auditory verbal therapist calling me
[00:22:15] Carrie: on the mind.
[00:22:16] Right?
[00:22:18] Lynn: Exactly. Some if that answered your question, but that's it
[00:22:21] Carrie: does, but I think in our, you know, audiology world, Profession. That is definitely an under we, we don't put. As a very important part of the process. It's not stressed as much. And, you know, being on the patient side as well as the professional side, especially in the last couple of years and going through the cochlea implant process myself.
[00:22:50] What you just said about adults and, and needing to, you know, have that offered to them. And, and I think expected of them, if they're going through the cochlear implant process it almost should just be mandatory in this sense, right. To help because it is like learning a new language. When you get a cochlear implant, it sounds so different than what you know, acoustic sounds like.
[00:23:17] Right. And I could see how you would get discouraged or upset or mad or depressed if you didn't have someone coaching you along the way to go through. Right. That listening process of to get right, you know, to good use of, of
[00:23:36] Lynn: an implant. And truly what I said, most of the people that come are coming because they're frustrated.
[00:23:44] Mm-hmm, , they're not happy, but oh my goodness. There. Even in, you know, because I understand like the auditory hierarchy and how to make things very acoustically different in one session, I can give them very acoustically different things to listen to, and they usually can count the beats or tell the different duration.
[00:24:05] And there are like, oh, I can hear mm-hmm I can hear with this type of thing, not that they're anywhere, but. Some people really only need a couple sessions to get them on the path. Some people have a lot of questions that in a clinic situation, you don't have time to answer. or part of it can be some people really need They're I usually, I always ask for if possible, significant others to come and have them come with us and they learn, oh, how do you use clear speech, how to change the environment.
[00:24:37] So there's so much counseling involved besides. The we'll say exercises and training. We do. So, you know, I, I think auditory rehab is the co it's the device, it's the counseling, it's the auditory training. It's what are the situations in changing the environment? And then the people that they talk to, is it the listener?
[00:24:58] Is it the speaker, things like that. So, it's actually a lot of fun and it's so fun to see. Improve because the technology for example is awesome. Once you tap into it and maximize it., it's really cool. It's really fun. Exactly.
[00:25:15] Carrie: Yeah. Well, I'm so glad you have a passion for it, and you've been able to grow your practice so much over the years.
[00:25:23] Lynn: Thanks. And
[00:25:24] Carrie: you do have your own practice, like you've mentioned before. And you mentioned that you do auditory verbal therapy, you do auditory rehab and you do auditory processing therapy. Are you able to explain to the listeners a little bit, like maybe the difference between those three types of therapies?
[00:25:42] Lynn:
[00:25:43] Sure. Sure. Exactly. So auditory verbal therapy I'd say is the heart of my practice and I've centered or specialized that for about 35 years. It's family centered therapy or caregivers and listen and spoken language or LSL is the approach that I use that focuses on teaching children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk.
[00:26:07] And. and it's based on auditory, verbal practice. So we guide and coach families to help them teach the children to listen. And. So that's very simple type of thing. Mm-hmm that auditory rehab is what we just talked about, and that is for, or to improve communication ability of those who usually adults who've lost their hearing or become hard of hearing once they develop spoken language.
[00:26:38] So auditory verbal, we call prelingual before speech. Auditory rehab is they had something and lost it post speech, but that's also common for maybe a child or, or an older child or teenager who has maybe has a precipitous hearing loss or gets implanted at 10 or 12. They have language. So that is the.
[00:27:01] Type of thing. And then auditory processing therapy. So we hear a lot about that. I know you're in the school. So you hear much about that. So the sessions target and remediate, like the impaired auditory skills, I try to teach compensatory strategies, assist families and teachers in managing Auditory processing disorders.
[00:27:24] Many times, those are individuals who are later elementary, middle school kids. We've already had their hearing tested. We make sure their hearing's tested to rule out hearing loss. They have a whole auditory processing battery of tests and comprehensive medical and educational history. And then once
[00:27:45] Auditory processing diagnosis is confirmed. Then we can begin hear hearing therapy. And what I'd say is a little bit different over with experienced so many providers that provide auditory processing therapy, really focus on visual strategies to compensate. They say, oh, you can't do this very well. Well, here's some visual things that you can compensate.
[00:28:11] I have found a lot of success is really working on and building their auditory skills. Mm-hmm I use similar strategies that I do in auditory, verbal practice. And quite honestly, I've had excellent outcomes with that. So yeah, I mean, it's lots times auditory discrimination, auditory memory, lots of things.
[00:28:30] But way back when I knew that I could not do any everything I could not, nobody can be a test here and be a clinical audiologist do with that technology and do therapy. So I have chosen to specialize in those three areas and it's worked .
[00:28:47] Carrie: Yeah, it definitely has. And I'm sure, you know, you've seen. many leaps and bounds in the last 30 some years, too, with how you provide therapy.
[00:29:00] And like you said, everything's always been auditory, but you probably see a big difference now with the technology piece and, and how the outcomes happen to be
[00:29:11] Lynn: mm-hmm yeah, I'm actually really glad that I was in the era that I was able. Work on spoken language before implants. Of course, I love everything about the great hearing technology, but I feel.
[00:29:26] My skills are, I don't know, deeper because I had to squeak everything out of every little decible and parents had to work so hard. And yeah, that was difficult. We have so many successful people like you and things like that. But I do when I mentor some younger people in the field and they have, I don't know what to do with this child.
[00:29:48] We're waiting for a cochlear implant and it's like, wait, there's so much that you could do. But that, you know, I think that. Some of that helps with wisdom and
[00:29:58] Carrie: right. You know, and like you said, every little decibel can count. Right.
[00:30:03] Lynn: right. Right. Exactly. Exactly.
[00:30:06] Carrie: What would it look like now if for your auditory verbal practice, if a family comes to you and how does that, you know, set up look
[00:30:18] Carrie: Look, do they come to, to your kitchen table? And
[00:30:22] Lynn: no no, no, that doesn't no. Yeah. So basically when I see families now So are we talking about, well, we're talking about children,
[00:30:32] Carrie: right? Yeah. Like a, like a new, like babies infants toddlers.
[00:30:37] Lynn: Sure. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Well, first of all, it's a lot of fun. We do a lot of playing.
[00:30:42] So it is very much play based, but we have very strong goals that we write and, and things that I sort of be beyond the scope, but I guess I would say. When children get a little bit older preschoolers, they're always surprised when they find out at some point that, oh, auditory verbal therapy is Lynn's job, not just a play date.
[00:31:02] so, you know, it's a lot of fun, but what I really do is, so if you would have somebody, you know, I have a child come to me. I always partner with the child's team of professionals. So that would be since I don't do the testing, their pediatric audiologist, any medical specialists. Other interventions as the child get a little bit older preschool and school aged teachers.
[00:31:26] And then we, you know, I work with them through the, through if it's the diagnosis, if it's the fitting of the advanced hearing technology and work with them through that journey of learning to listen and talk. So the team is a big part of auditory verbal therapy. And then I guess maybe the biggest, I don't know if you'd say that would be coaching the families.
[00:31:48] I coach families, how to be their child's first and best teacher. There's nothing that happens magical in one hour of seeing a little a week. It's all about what happens at home. So my job is to guide and coach them. So families and caregivers attend the sessions and we work closely together. I model listening and spoken language strategies and techniques, and then how to incorporate them into daily activities to build listening and spoken language skills.
[00:32:18] Now, of course, that gets more specific with older children. And I don't always start with children that are babies. I may have from lots of different reasons, maybe a third grader come, but they still need to work on auditory skills. Pivotal is the parent or caregivers always involved type of thing.
[00:32:38] And then I support families. You. They may be gone from here years ago, but they can always call me or talk to me or, you know, I I'm, I'm in touch with a lot of families and kids and things like that for years that attended therapy, just like you and me. right. I actually have a, a sort of a fun story to share about that.
[00:32:59] If, if you have
[00:33:00] Carrie: a second. Yeah. I would love to hear it
[00:33:01] Lynn: Okay. Okay. So I started seeing a little girl Megan, about when she was under two, she was from Wheaton here. I didn't tell you about my office. I'll need to tell you that. But started seeing Megan and kept in touch with her for all these years.
[00:33:15] She's in her early thirties now. And to my surprise, Megan and her fiance, Sam got on zoom with me a couple A year and a half ago. And to my surprise, very much surprise. They asked if I would get ordained and marry them. and I was like, marry you but Stan made a big, wonderful point then thank me and said if it wasn't for Megan, I guess meeting me, but whoever learning to listen and talk.
[00:33:45] They would never be together. so their wedding was in April. It was beautiful and it was a privilege. And so I married Megan and Sam. So I guess you could talk about, talk about supporting families. That's sort of through right there, type of thing. So, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you asked. Another big part of my practice, especially today is teletherapy.
[00:34:11] Carrie: Oh yes. I was gonna ask about that too
[00:34:12] Lynn: Right. So I have provided teletherapy for a long time. For years. I first started with families. I saw in my practice and then they moved. So I sort of continued them sort of before teletherapy was, was popular or whatever, but then. You know, I've seen some for teletherapy, but then once a pandemic, of course, like everybody else, I saw all my families and adults remotely, and I feel like teletherapy really has creates an opportunity to maximize for children, their hearing in their own environment and build confidence and understanding.
[00:34:49] I'm sort of like a little bird on the wall , you know, that the, the families have to work with their child and we go over those things. Before our session and things like that. But the interesting thing is after the pandemic started letting up a lot of my people came back and I started seeing them in person.
[00:35:08] But do you know, almost everybody. Almost everybody has now chosen to go back to teletherapy and it's effective. I mean, when I think so I live in Chicago land, which is, you know, an area that people have to drive. Think of the times the parents, you're not getting your toddler ready in the car. You're not driving.
[00:35:28] There's a lot of stress involved in that. . And then, like I said, it works really good because I'm in their own home environment and things like that. And you know, I'm doing adults the same way over teletherapy. In fact, a couple months ago, I started with an 89 year old woman who recently got implanted and she has mobility issues.
[00:35:48] So when her daughter called me and things like that, we talked about teletherapy. So now her daughter goes to her home signs on and we connect online and teletherapy is perfect, you know, and I believe it's here to stay. I feel that is really going to be a The wave of the future and it is already type of thing.
[00:36:08] But that lady who I spoke of, she was one of the ones that parent, the daughter called and said, mom can't hear anything. She's been implant six months. She has no idea what's going on. They used a whiteboard to connect with her and my goodness. There were a few things we did that first session. One of the things was very basic.
[00:36:31] What we do with babies, take a listing, walk around your house, see if you can hear the water running, you know, on and on like that. So from one session, can't hear anything to that next session. The daughter filed up. She, she goes, oh, I hear everything. I hear the microwave. I hear, I, my daughter, we get in the car, I hear the blinker of the turn signal.
[00:36:54] and the refrigerator and, you know, on and on like that. So it just shows just with the right coaching and expectations, lots a lot can be done and things like that. So. Wow. Yeah. Was there something else you wanted to ask me about? Oh, no. I, I mean, I'm glad you
[00:37:11] Carrie: brought up the teletherapy because I feel like.
[00:37:15] For your specialty of a listening and spoken language specialist. There's not that many of you, there needs to be more right. And like you said, people will drive for hours if they have to, in order to see someone. So to be able to do that type of therapy remotely, as well as in person has probably opened up the doors for, you know, the consumers or families to take advantage of it.
[00:37:43] Lynn: Right. That's what I said. I mean, Really things are so much easier than I used to be. And I don't need to be like the old, but when you asked me, when I first moved to Illinois, my first two patients, Dan Ling sent one, and they were from way Southern Illinois. They would come on Friday night, stay at a hotel near me.
[00:38:02] I'd see him that evening, Friday night for a little bit and they'd come. And I, I think I saw him for like three hours Saturday morning, and then they'd get back and drive and then. I had another little girl that moved from Denver had done auditory verbal. And she lived in Wisconsin, which is of course, north of Chicago here.
[00:38:20] And she would, parents would drive her down after school. So people will do whatever they can to make, to work with their child. And that's how then when I started getting more local kids, it was not very long of time at all. That I knew I really needed to, like you said, there's a huge need still today and thankful there's about a thousand LSL certified people.
[00:38:43] I think that's in the United States. I'm trying to remember the statistics, but. Is getting better.
[00:38:48] Carrie: It is getting better. But when you think about the number of kids with implants and, and, and then if you count the adult population that needs to have, or should have some of the auditory rehab, then that is another person that can provide that tool.
[00:39:07] Exactly.
[00:39:08] Lynn: Exactly. Exactly.
[00:39:11] Carrie: So one other kind of switching gears a little bit, I know that you are very creative and you are very artistic and you have great ideas as well. And no, you do. I, I know you've always have these incredible resources and tools and in 2019 you launched what is called Listen with Lynn.
[00:39:35] Do you mind sharing with the audience a little bit about Listen with Lynn.
[00:39:40] Lynn: Sure, sure. I'd love to, I'm passionate about that too. So I feel Listen with Lynn is their resources or materials that combine my love for knowledge and research and my passion for listening and spoken language outcomes.
[00:39:56] And I have felt like you said, beyond my love of therapy, I do have. affinity for resource design. I'm able to do actually a lot of parent coaching and professional coaching with my resources. They always include a, a page or so of, of information, about language or something about teaching children with hearing loss skills.
[00:40:18] I have listed and spoken language tips and things like that. So it's not. Here's a game downloaded, do it. I feel like I can hopefully make a difference that way, but you know, back in the day I would use pages. We take coloring books and we color coloring books, pages for rehab materials, or we'd cut up pictures for magazines, just very archaic.
[00:40:41] But then I started creating resources over the years for my own. I've said for years, man, I'd love to share these resources, you know, with other people. So like you said, finally, the end of 2019, I launched listen with Lynn and I my resources are a lot of games, some tools, activities. My favorite probably are my self-advocacy resources.
[00:41:05] People. Mostly school, age providers teaching the deaf or whatever, love those. And what's what makes it my favorite. There's a lot of strategies, but my scenarios and situations are taken from real kids. I've seen for therapy. So it's not just I've made them up or whatever like that. But I do have things for adult cochlear implant rehab.
[00:41:26] I have some things for babies. Things like that, but all the materials or families of babies which I'm gonna get into more, but the materials are downloadable. And they're designed to compliment early intervention, auditory, verbal therapy, auditory processing, a lot. A lot of school aged are school based teachers of the deaf and listening and spoken language therapists have really jumped on the bandwagon.
[00:41:52] And it seems like once they find it, they come back for more. So I guess it's going well type of thing.
[00:41:58] Carrie: So that's good so that people can find it on your website. Correct.
[00:42:03] Lynn: Well, they can find a link from my website, right? And that you can go to listenwithlynn.com and you can get to my website. But my, I actually, there are five different platforms where you can.
[00:42:15] Get some of my resources. Do you want me to go over that? Yeah,
[00:42:18] Carrie: sure. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Listeners will want to hear where,
[00:42:21] Lynn: where they can get him. So Listen with Lynn is the name of my store. I'm teachers pay teachers. And I just wanna tell you, teachers pay teachers is way beyond what it sounds. There's lots of other teachers of the deaf and audiologists
[00:42:37] Mental health counselors, OTs, everything on there, but it's a great platform. So all my resources are on there. I have quite a few resources on Karen Anderson's success or supporting success for children with hearing loss site. She has a relatively new teachers takeout toolbox . You could go see a couple resources.
[00:42:58] You go to the listening room sponsored by advanced bios and phone. . And then if you're a member of the online Itinerant professional academy, which is a you're part of the professional academy, there is a membership fee, but she has a number of my resources that if you're a member, then you can just use online with your, your patients, your students, and the fifth place is vocal vision is a teletherapy practice that does provide lots of teletherapy services.
[00:43:30] Through for schools, with teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing and my resources are out in their toolbox. So if you're part of that, you grab a lot of those as well type of thing. So,
[00:43:41] Carrie: yeah. Yeah. Well, I know that. People in the schools, especially appreciate having those resources. I know I have purchased some through teachers pay teachers because you don't have time to make them either.
[00:43:55] Right. So to have someone that has the creativity and is willing to share their there resources with others is really appreciated.
[00:44:04] Lynn: right. Yeah. I usually say, you know, your goals, you know what you're working on. Then you go and you pick wisely resources that will do that. And it makes your job a lot easier.
[00:44:15] You could spend more time doing the therapy or the education that you need to do. And I'm real cognizant, you know, seeing multiple kids, you know, in one day, a lot of times it's great to use one resource that you can level up and down for different families. So a lot of the things that I create work well for that.
[00:44:35] Carrie: Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks for, for doing all that. And then sure. I guess kind of, as we wrap up a little bit today, is there anything that I didn't ask you that you were hoping I would ask you?
[00:44:48] Lynn: not really, I can talk about anything, so, no, but anybody's welcome to contact me afterwards. If they have something they wanna ask me or, or, you know, talk about or, you know, and is the best
[00:45:03] Carrie: is the best way to.
[00:45:04] Go to your website then to get
[00:45:06] Lynn: a hold of you. Sure. Yeah. There's a contact area there that works out. Good. I'm pretty active on social media. I have a pretty busy Facebook page. I know a lot of people I I'm on Instagram too, but I'm Facebook is my main so it's, I think it's Lynn A wood. LSL auditory verbal therapist or something.
[00:45:25] I'm sure you can find that. Okay. So that's a good way to get ahold of me. Exactly.
[00:45:30] Carrie: Yes. And I can link that up in the show notes as well with your website. I appreciate that. That would be helpful, but I just wanna say thank you for being a guest today on the empowEAR audiology podcast, it was so much fun to go down memory lane and think back to when you met me and just, I think everything happens for a reason and to be able to think about.
[00:45:57] How, like you said, my parents journey and, and their support along the way was huge, but also the village that surrounded them and the different people that they met along that journey and path to raise me was an integral part of where I am today. So I just wanna say thanks to you from a, a long time ago, being an important
[00:46:23] Person in my life and my family's life to before you moved out of Ohio and then it's so much fun to come back as a a professional and to be reconnected with people who were very important in raising me and being that village around me.
[00:46:42] Lynn: That's wonderful. I'm thankful to be a small part of your story.
[00:46:46] And of course your success and care. I couldn't be more proud of you from where I met you and what you're doing now and your impact on others and things like that. So, thanks for inviting me to part of your podcast. I happen to think, as you were talking, you should have your mom and dad as guests on the podcast and what they, your mom will like, oh my gosh, Lynn, but you know, they have a whole other side of this journey, but yes, it's been a
[00:47:11] Joy to spend time with you here and to be your friend. So I appreciate that, Carrie.
[00:47:16] Carrie: Well, thank you. And thank you listeners for taking a listen to the empowerEAR Audiology podcast. If you like this podcast, please be sure to share with others and make sure that you like the page and you don't miss an episode and come back next time.
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