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YourHub.com \\ Palm Beach Gardens \\ Stories \\ Education \\ General Education

"Listen Up!" Incorporated into PBC Public Schools

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Contributed by: Corey Drent on 10/1/2008

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - September 16, 2008 - When Eighth Grade students go to public school in Palm Beach County this week, they will get an ear full. That's because they will be learning about the staggering number of students who have hearing loss and how they can prevent it.
"Listen Up!, " the new book inspired by a West Palm Beach resident, will be presented by eighth grade teachers beginning this week to educate their students on how loud sounds in their every-day lives can contribute to hearing loss in the future.
"Much like using sun block to prevent skin cancer down the road, protecting yourself from loud noises, antibiotics and even head-traumas can greatly protect your hearing in the future," reported Kathlyn Maguire of West Palm Beach, who has suffered profound hearing loss in both ears for over 40 years.
Ms. Maguire commissioned writer Natalie Garibian Peters to author the 86-page book which has been geared to pre-teens and teenagers to get the message out in contemporary style using, in part, blogs and personal diaries to tell the story of two high school teens both suffering hearing loss.
"The statistics are staggering," Ms. Maguire continued. "For every 100 students, 13 have some form of hearing loss. It's also the most prevalent chronic defect in newborns. Hearing loss is no longer a condition of aging. It can happen to anyone at any age. But every person has the ability to do something about it: By reducing noise, you can reduce hearing loss. It's that simple."
According to Dr. Thomas Balkany, Hotchkiss Professor and Chairman of the Ear, Nose and Throat Department as well as Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, student hearing loss is a growing epidemic in 21st Century America. "Hearing loss will profoundly affect your life forever, but it can often be prevented if you know how to take precautions," he noted.
Those precautions include eliminating elevated sounds and high volume i-Pods and music players, close proximity to amplifiers at concerts, IV antibiotics, high-dose pain relievers, quinine or aspirin, viral infections and head traumas. All of these can cause permanent damage, noted Dr. Balkany, who conferred on the book.
"We are thrilled that 'Listen Up!' is being presented in Palm Beach County Schools this fall, and we hope to expand that initiative to include other county schools in Florida and private schools as well," Ms Maguire added.
The book is educational yet entertaining. Filled with graphics and amusing trivia questions, it provides young readers with a rare but realistic view into how the ear works as well as the causes and prevention of hearing loss.
According to Ms. Maguire, the book is the perfect syllabus for school wellness programs and to educate parents on how to minimize the damage a modern lifestyle and its toys can have on their children. Her goal is raise awareness about hearing loss prevention so that every child in the nation will be empowered to protect his or her own hearing.
Ms. Maguire is a professional communicator. As the president and founder of Empowerment Through Hearing, a 501C3 not-for-profit organization founded in 2004, she commissioned "Listen Up!" as a public service to eliminate the stigma associated with hearing loss.
"More than 30 million Americans suffer from this condition, and yet the subject is kept behind closed doors because of denial, embarrassment or lack of awareness. Without hearing, people can't communicate with the other people in their lives. Teachers, if you have a student who doesn't follow directions, maybe there is a hearing problem. Parents, make certain your children have annual hearing tests. And students, turn the volume down on your i-Pods and MP3 players. We all want to remember that hearing is a condition like seeing and it deserves our efforts to keep it healthy," Ms. Maguire concluded.
"Listen Up!" will be in all 8th grade classrooms at all Palm Beach County plulic schools including, Independence Middle School, Jupiter Midlle School, Howell L. Watkins Middle School and Watson B. Duncan Middle School.
More information on Kathlyn Maguire and Empowerment Through Hearing as well as excerpts from "Listen Up!" can be read online at www.listenupkids.com. Ms. Maguire is available to speak at schools and organizations. She continues to fund the organization and has dedicated herself and her resources to creating a hearing education and awareness program.
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