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The Montreal Oral School for the Deaf has always emphasized the importance of intensively stimulating hearing and speech in the child's early years.
This is the optimal time for acquiring effective speech communication. Parent participation is a vital aspect of the school and is crucial to the
development of the child. Parents are actively involved in the stimulation and guidance of their child from infancy to adulthood, in the support
of other families in the school, and as members of the MOSD Board of Directors.
The Montreal Oral School for the Deaf offers both direct and indirect intervention to hearing-impaired students according to their needs and abilities.
Direct services include full-day programs, daily intervention, and itinerant services. Indirect services are offered to students on a less frequent
basis. Though full integration into the child's local school is the main goal, there is also a wide range of options within MOSD for partial integration.
The educational options available to students in the Montreal area are:
- parent-infant program (children 0-3 years)
- diagnostic nursery program
- double kindergarten program
- itinerant services for students fully mainstreamed into their local nursery, elementary or high school
- elementary classroom units
- resource room
- team-taught class
- self-contained class
- reverse mainstreaming
- high school units
With early diagnosis, hearing aid use (and, for some children, cochlear implants), and speech/language stimulation, the prognosis for the child's
later development is markedly improved. An intensive educational program lays the foundation for later success. Over the years, an increasing number
of MOSD students have completed high school and continued to post-secondary education.
Read through our Newsletter: Sounds Alive (PDF, 608K) , published November, 2007. (This newsletter is a PDf file,
in Adobe Acrobat format. You may need to install the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
see it.)
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- Contact Information
- Environs
- Attending School in Quebec
- Mission Statement
- Educational Philosophy
- History
- Our Staff
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- Parent / Infant
- Preschool
- Academic
- Mainstream
- Indirect Services
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- Audiological
- Cochlear Implant
- Counseling
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- Support Groups
- Summer Sessions
- Professional Outreach
- Research
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- Event Calendar
- Newsletter
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About the School
Contact Information
Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, Inc.
4670 Ste. Catherine St. West
Montreal, Quebec H3Z 1S5
View this location and get directions from Yahoo!
Maps
(514) 488-4946 Voice / TTY
(514) 488-0802 Fax
Email: info@montrealoralschool.com
Environs
Montreal, situated in the province of Quebec, Canada, is an attractive city of about 2 million people with many immigrants from different countries.
The school is located mainly on three sites. The main building houses the administration, the nursery program, the parent-infant program, and audiological
and other support services. Five classrooms are rented in two regular schools located about 10-15 minute's drive from the main building. The three
sites are located in residential sectors of the city, accessible by public transport and by major highways.
Working and Attending School in Quebec
Although English and French are Canada's two main languages, the majority of Quebecers are French-speaking. Immigrants to Quebec generally need to
speak, or learn to speak French in order to find employment.
The Montreal Oral School for the Deaf provides schooling and services mainly in English. While the children who attend full-time classes at the MOSD
focus primarily on the development of English, they are exposed to some French as well. Most of the regular "English" schools in Montreal are bilingual,
with 40-70% of the day taught in French, with some schools offering an 80/20 mix of English and French. Children who are mainstreamed into their
neighborhood school are expected to learn French as well, and many of the itinerant teachers of the MOSD are able to work in both languages. There
are some special considerations possible for hearing-impaired high school students.
Students over the age of three at the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf are required to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility for English Schooling.
This is usually carried out as part of the intake procedure. Children of parents who were themselves educated mainly in English in Quebec are eligible,
as are children who have special needs such as hearing impairment. If one child in a family is eligible to attend English school, then other siblings
will also receive eligibility.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf is to educate deaf/hearing-impaired individuals from infancy to young adulthood so that they
may integrate into society. The focus of the program is to develop spoken language by listening and talking.
To carry on the mission we:
- Work in partnership with children, families, professionals and other agencies or organizations in the community;
- Develop highly qualified personnel through ongoing education and sharing of information;
- Serve as a resource centre within the field of aural habilitation;
- Seek out, evaluate and use "state of the art" technology;
- Monitor and optimize auditory functioning;
- Recognize and address changing individual needs;
- Advocate for the rights of deaf/hearing-impaired individuals;
- Respect the unique multicultural quality of our population;
- Promote public awareness of hearing impairment and auditory/oral education.
Educational Philosophy
The Montreal Oral School for the Deaf has always emphasized the importance of intensively stimulating hearing and speech in the child's early years.
This is the optimal time for acquiring effective speech communication. Parent participation is a vital aspect of the school and is crucial to the
development of the child. Parents are actively involved in the stimulation and guidance of their child from infancy to adulthood, in the support
of other families in the school, and as members of the MOSD Board of Directors.
The ultimate goal of our students is integration into the regular school system. This integration is usually a gradual process begun in the nursery
program, with reverse integration, and continuing with complete or partial integration through the elementary school years.
History
The Montreal Oral School was founded in 1950 by parents who wanted their deaf children to talk and attend regular schools. In the early 1960's, MOSD
began to emphasize the use of audition in the acquisition of speech and language, and became a leader in the field of auditory-oral education. Specially
trained staff developed both the first nursery school program for deaf children in Canada and the first program of educational and audiological support
for mainstreamed hearing-impaired students. In the 1970's, MOSD became a "private school in the public interest," receiving 80-85% of its funding
from the provincial government and school boards, with the remainder from private sources.
Our Staff
The members of the MOSD teaching staff are
highly qualified professionals with graduate degrees in Auditory Oral Habilitation and/or Education of Hearing-Impaired Children. Their specialized
knowledge includes auditory management, amplification systems, acoustic properties of speech sounds, speech development, and language acquisition
as it relates to communication, social interaction, reading, general knowledge and content subjects.
Staff members are flexible, creative and capable of working with students of all age groups as they follow a child over a number of years. Furthermore,
through experience, MOSD personnel have developed knowledge related to the impact of a hearing loss on children and its effects on their performance
in school and social life. Staff members are also trained in assisting families to understand the special needs of their hearing-impaired child and
to develop language stimulation techniques.
Support personnel include audiologists, a social worker/family counselor, a psychologist, a family care assistant, a technician, and an occupational
therapy consultant.
Educational Programs
MOSD has established several elementary and high school resource room/units in the Montreal area, where hearing-impaired students may receive daily support. About
15% of MOSD students are taught full-time by educators of the hearing-impaired, with social integration in non-academic areas. A further 20%, while fully mainstreamed,
also receive daily support. Approximately 60% of MOSD students are fully integrated into their local schools, with twice weekly help from an MOSD itinerant teacher.
In order to deal with the varying abilities of students, MOSD has developed a wide range of options, which allows for flexibility in meeting the needs of the
children and their families. The options available to a given student depend on the child's age, distance from Montreal, and on many other factors. Each child's
placement is reviewed yearly.
Parent-Infant Programs
Guidance for hearing-impaired babies aged birth
to three years and their families.
- Sessions with a teacher of the hearing-impaired once or twice per week (home or centre-based)
- Weekly Parent-Tot group
- On-going audiological assessment
- Home visitation program provided by the family care assistant
- Parent information workshops
- Parent and sibling support groups
- Liaison with cochlear implant team in Quebec City, as well as accompaniment to Quebec City before, during and after surgery
- Volunteers to provide respite, help in acquiring English, and additional language stimulation\support to daycare educators
Preschool Programs
Diagnostic Nursery
For three- to five-year olds in a reverse integration setting.
- Full-day integrated nursery program (both hearing-impaired and normally hearing children)
- Teachers of the hearing-impaired, nursery school teacher, assistants
- Ratio 1 adult to 3 children
- Continuing audiological management
- Emphasis on use of audition at all times
- Daily individual speech and language sessions
- Language-intensive curriculum
- Weekly individual parent guidance
- Monthly parent group meetings
- Comprehensive evaluation and reporting
- Liaison with other agencies, as needed
- Preparation and follow-up for cochlear implantation, including accompaniment to Quebec City before, during and after surgery
Academic Programs
Elementary Classroom Units
Elementary classroom settings are:
- Resource room: children integrated for most of the day, but seen daily by a teacher of the hearing-impaired
- Team teaching: hearing and hearing-impaired children taught jointly by both a regular teacher and a teacher of the hearing-impaired
- Self-Contained class: children integrated for non-academic subjects, such as gym and music
- Reverse mainstreaming: hearing children brought into MOSD class for specific academic and non-academic subjects
All of these programs include:
- Daily help from teacher of the hearing-impaired
- Integration for varying amounts of time each day
- Audiological management
- Specific goals for auditory, speech, language and cognitive development
- Special focus on reading and written language as well as content subjects
- Individual intervention plans
- Emphasis on independence
- Student participation in activities of the host school
- MOSD teacher involvement in all aspects of the host school life
- Close contact with parents
High School Units
- Integration into specially chosen high school, where MOSD teacher works full time
- Audiological management
- Daily support for the student's communicative and academic needs
- Development of both personal/social skills and independence
- One-to-one discussion to facilitate the development of abstract thinking and general knowledge
- Emphasis on learning various adaptive strategies such as use of FM systems, study skills, note-takers, special consideration for tests and exams
- Daily support for regular teachers
- Close contact with parents
- Vocational/career planning
- Student participation in activities in all aspects of host school life
- MOSD teacher involvement in all aspects of host school life
- Group youth activities with other hearing-impaired students
Mainstream Programs
Itinerant Services at the Nursery or Kindergarten
Level
- Integration into a local program with support from an itinerant teacher
- Weekly individual sessions at child's local school
- Support for the classroom teacher
- Weekly parent guidance at home
- Monthly parent guidance group meetings
- Audiological management
Itinerant Services at Elementary and High School
- Full mainstreaming possible at any point in the child's school career
- Audiological management
- Support for the student's communicative, academic, and personal/social needs
- Emphasis on independence and adaptive strategies such as FM systems, note-takers, course outlines, special consideration for tests and exams
- Close contact with parents
- Bilingual support for students in bilingual or immersion programs
- Counseling role to students: special understanding of hearing-impaired individual's specific needs
- Assistance in selection of academic options and career direction
- Liaison with regular teachers, interpreters, aides, and other professionals
- Advocate to student and his/her family
- One-to-one discussions to facilitate the development of abstract thinking and general knowledge
- Social activities with other hearing-impaired students
Indirect Services
This type of service is offered to hearing-impaired students in the Montreal area who need only periodic intervention to monitor their progress and hearing-impaired
students from outlying areas, where distance prevents more frequent support.
- Case management by a teacher of the hearing-impaired
- Assessment of needs and abilities which may include audiological, educational and psychological evaluation
- Plan for intervention with suggestions for educational placement and recommendations for extra assistance in dealing with communicative, academic and personal/social
needs
- Guidance to the family and teachers such as use of FM systems, note-takers, alternative assignments, preferential seating
- In-service training of personnel either at student's school or in Montreal, suggestions for professional readings, materials
- Periodic contact with an MOSD teacher of the hearing impaired
- Re-assessment as required
Clinical Services
The services of the teachers of the hearing-impaired, audiologists, psychologist, social worker and technician are available to all MOSD students. Children
are referred to the Montreal Oral School from the Montreal Children's Hospital Audiology Department; Hôpital Ste. Justine; pediatricians; ear, nose and
throat specialists; and school personnel in the Montreal area. Occasionally, children are referred from other hospitals or school systems in the province.
Hearing-impaired students may begin to receive MOSD services at any age. During a diagnostic period, students are evaluated by the audiologist, an educator
of the hearing-impaired and the psychologist. At this time the child's needs and abilities are identified. The family is fully involved with professionals
in selecting an appropriate educational placement. The audiologists and psychologist may also provide assessment to some external clients, either through agreement
with an agency or privately.
Initial intake assessments of communication needs and abilities are carried out for the hearing-impaired school-aged children attending various school boards
in the Montreal area whether or not the child eventually receives services from MOSD.
Audiological
Audiological management is available through
in-house audiologists and a technician. These services include continuing assessment of hearing status: unaided, aided and middle ear status; emittance; otoscopy;
and earmold checks at both the audiology clinic and/or on-site at our unit (satellite) classes. The audiologists also work as part of the team which reviews
candidacy of children for cochlear implants, pre- and post-evaluation protocol, and mapping of the processor. The audiologists and technician evaluate and
maintain a variety of amplification systems, and also provide information to government and lobby groups on emerging products and policy.
Cochlear Implant
Families of children who may benefit from a cochlear implant
receive counseling and preparation at the MOSD. The child's teacher will usually travel with the family to Quebec City, where the surgery is performed, for
pretesting and for initial mapping. Rehabilitation is carried out as part of the child's regular intervention,with parent guidance continuing to be crucial.
After the initial MAPping in Quebec City, children can be MAPped at the MOSD.
Counseling
Both the MOSD psychologist and social worker/family
counselor provide services to individual students and families, and lead support groups for parents and siblings. These professionals are also involved in
academic, intellectual, social and personal assessment. In addition, they have developed specialized programs for hearing-impaired children on such topics
as sex education, abuse prevention and social skills. They provide liaison with social agencies and employment groups. Staff members find them to be an invaluable
support and resource.
Additional Programs
Support Groups
Youth Group
Hearing-impaired students aged 12-21 meet several
times a year for social and parapedagogical events. Events in recent years have included an information sharing day, an advocacy workshop, craft demonstrations,
camping trips, and parties. Teens are also asked to speak at parents' groups or in panel discussions.
Parent Group
Parents of young children meet approximately once monthly
to discuss issues relating to hearing-impairment, parenting, educational options, etc. Parents are also encouraged to join VOICE
for Hearing Impaired Children (Montreal Chapter), which holds social events and fundraisers in support of the MOSD and the Alexander
Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.The parents of children who have or will receive cochlear implants also meet a few times yearly
to provide support and to share experiences and information.
The MOSD Parents' Association has created a web site, www.MOSDparents.org, aimed at informing parents about events
at the MOSD and about ways to be involved in the school. It will also highlight the accomplishments of children and families.
Sibling Group
Siblings of hearing-impaired children may feel lost in the shuffle, so a group has been formed for them. They meet a few times a year, usually for social events
but also to foster friendships which may develop outside of the group.
Summer Sessions
The MOSD follows the academic year, from the end
of August to the end of June. Offices are closed for 4-5 weeks in July and August.
During the summer, families are encouraged to enroll children in park programs, daycares, etc. Teachers may suggest activities for the families to
carry out over the summer. A small number of children receive weekly therapy over the summer, either at cost to the parent or through a small fund
provided by MOSD for this purpose. Priority is given to children recently diagnosed, recently receiving a cochlear implant, or with greater needs.
Professional Outreach
In their daily work MOSD staff pass along valuable information and adaptive strategies to various individuals who have contact with hearing-impaired
students. MOSD personnel also offer inservice workshops and speak at conferences both locally and internationally. They also teach master's level
students at McGill University and supervise professionals in training from a wide variety of studies.
MOSD staff members meet frequently to share ideas and materials. Case conferences, weekly staff meetings and professional development seminars help
to provide a network of mutual support for colleagues.
Research
The MOSD is presently involved in a research project funded through the Régie Régionale de la Santé et des Services Sociaux (Health
and Social Services) of Montreal. This project concerns the effects of the early intervention and of cochlear implant programs at MOSD on children's
acquisition of speech, language and listening skills, as well as on family dynamics.
News and Information
Newsletter
Read through our Newsletter: Sounds Alive (PDF, 608K) , published November, 2007. (This newsletter is a PDf file, in Adobe Acrobat
format. You may need to install the Adobe Acrobat Reader to see it.)
Getting In
Admission Procedures
Children are referred to the MOSD by audiologists,
pediatricians, school psychologists, speech pathologists, or other parents. Once a hearing loss has been diagnosed, children are further evaluated to determine
their communicative abilities and needs. In order for the child to be considered "hearing-impaired", the hearing loss must meet government criteria (Ministry
of Education) of a minimum average of 25dB at the frequencies of 500, 1k, 2k in the better ear, along with delays in speech and language development. Optional
educational programs are presented to parents and, if the child is over five years of age, the school board is also involved in deciding upon a suitable placement
and level of services for the child.
Students over the age of three at the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf are required to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility for English Schooling. This is usually
carried out as part of the intake procedure. Children of parents who were themselves educated mainly in English in Quebec are eligible, as are children who
have special needs such as hearing impairment. If one child in a family is eligible to attend English school, then other siblings will also receive eligibility.
Tuition
The Parent Infant Program is privately funded through
donations, foundations, and grants. The MOSD Nursery Program for three- and four- year olds is funded through the Ministry of Education of Quebec. Services
for children of school age are funded through agreements with school boards. Transport is provided at no cost to parents for those living in Montreal and neighbouring
suburbs. Parents are asked to pay a small registration fee ($100 to $150 per year), and are encouraged to be as active as possible in fundraising, which is
needed to fund many components of these programs. About 80% of funding is derived from government and school boards, with the remaining 20% being raised privately
through donations, corporations, foundations, and fundraising activities.