Optimizing Early Auditory Development for Communication and Education: Strategies for Ages 0-8

This important resource offers teachers, parents, and medical professionals developmentally appropriate, easy-to-implement activities for developing and supporting a strong auditory foundation in young children, helping increase the depth and stability of children’s auditory skills for future communication, language, and literacy learning opportunities. The book addresses specific areas of auditory processing – like decoding, organization, and prosodic – by defining the area and then providing strategies that can be integrated into any early childhood curriculum, home, and classroom environments. Comprehensive in scope, the book explores brain development specific to auditory processing and language and explains the connections between various aspects of auditory processing and its broader implications, including literacy. Addressing existing developmental gaps, this book is important reading for any early childhood educator and parents, as well as occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, pediatricians, educators and administrators, and school psychologists.

Kimberly A. Boynton is a certified speech-language pathologist with licenses in the areas of Speech Language Pathology, Director of Exceptional Services, and School Superintendent. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration. She is currently the Coalition Director of Building Strong Brains, Elkhart County’s Early Childhood Initiative, housed at the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, in Elkhart, Indiana.

Darah J. Regal is a certified audiologist who has specialized in auditory processing during her career as a university professor, clinical and educational audiologist, and as a parent. She holds a doctorate degree in audiology and is currently providing audiological services with Goshen Physicians, ENT, Speech and Audiology, Goshen, Indiana.