The Center for Hearing, Speech and Language (CHSL) is devoted to improving people’s lives by providing quality hearing, speech and language services.  In its 90 years of service to Colorado, CHSL has gone from a volunteer-run, lip-reading club to a full-service not-for-profit organization providing audiology services, support groups, in-school language screenings and speech, language and learning services to the community.

CHSL and Mile High United Way are long-time partners and currently collaborate in our life-changing School Readiness initiative which prepares children from low-income families to succeed when they enter school. 

Diagnosing and treating hearing and speech disabilities at a young age is incredibly important.  Check out these staggering facts according to Wrightslaw from Emotions to Advocacy:

•31 percent of adolescents with learning disabilities will be arrested within five years of leaving high school. 
•Up to 60 percent of adolescents who receive treatment for substance abuse disorders have learning disabilities. 
•62 percent of learning disabled students were unemployed one year after graduation. 
•74 percent of children who are unsuccessful readers in the third grade are still unsuccessful readers in the ninth grade. 
•Only 52 percent of students identified with learning disabilities will actually graduate with a high school diploma. Learning disabled students drop out of high school at more than twice the rate of their non-disabled peers. 
•At least 50 percent of juvenile delinquents have undiagnosed, untreated learning disabilities.

Hearing loss for young children is devastating: even a slight loss can affect their progression in school.  Unfortunately, vision, speech and hearing screenings are not available to all children through their childcare center or school.

CHSL’s KidScreen program provides vision, hearing, and speech screenings to children in low-income neighborhoods, preschools and private schools.  Pending results, children from low-income families then have access to CHSL professionals who can help them to see, hear and talk as clearly as possible.  The program has tested over 4,800 children so far. 

Life Saving Services
KidScreen has even proved to be life saving.  A few years ago, a CHSL employee was testing a group of children for potential hearing, vision or language disorders.  Energetic, four-year old Anna’s screening was alarming: she exhibited depth perception problems and showed signs of a left eye tremor.  Something wasn’t right and Anna’s mother was urged to see a physician immediately.  Anna was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. 

Now nearly 6 years old, after chemotherapy and various other treatments, Anna will enter kindergarten with a clean bill of health, ready to learn.    

“This is a caring, family atmosphere where all people can come and get the help they deserve – whether they can pay for it or not.  We care about everyone who walks through our doors as individuals, with individual needs.  How are you expected to hold down a job or learn in school if you have trouble hearing?  It becomes a vicious, life-long cycle if children are not treated at a young age,” said Jill Wayne, CHSL executive director and audiologist.

Click here to learn more about CHSL’s School Readiness programs. 

Click here to donate online to Mile High United Way’s School Readiness initiative.