THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED!! WE HAVE REACHED OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL AND HAVE PURCHASED THE AUDIOMETER AND SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES FOR THE CENTER. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
Arupo Foundation, Ibarra, Ecuador, is a non-profit therapy center for children with neurological differences and disorders, providing physical, psychological, and speech/language therapy and evaluation services. Our caseload includes children (who often arrive from all over Ecuador) on the autism spectrum, with Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, Lennox Gastaut, and a number of other issues affecting learning, communication, motor and social skills.
As students of speech-language pathology, we know that hearing is a critical part of verbal communication and that no evaluation or treatment plan is complete without an audiologic component. Currently, Arupo Foundation does not have access to a screening device to identify hearing loss among its patients. Research shows (Yoshinaga-Itano, 2003) that the age at which a hearing loss is identified and intervention is begun is the strongest predictor of language outcomes for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
This is why we are asking for your support. Our goal is to raise $1,500 to cover the costs of the device, which we will then train the staff here to use. All students who do not pass the screening will be referred to a local audiologist for an official diagnosis and amplification. Our time is limited, though, as the device must be purchased by July 3rd, when we will have another volunteer flying down who can transport it.
Any funds raised over our goal will be given directly to the foundation to provide therapy to lower-income families and to buy any necessary matierials for the center.
If you have any further questions about this project or would like to know more about the foundation, please contact us (Tyler Stanley Carson and Susi Urioste) at stanleytylercarson@gmail.com.
To see all of the amazing things this foundation is doing, check them out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nfUV8VbGfdA
Thank you for your support!
Yoshinaga-Itano, C. (2003). From screening to early identification and intervention: Discovering predictors to successful outcomes for children with significant hearing loss. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 8(1), 11-30.
