Five ladies from Kyrgyzstan (Anastasia N., Anastasia K., Irina, Larisa and Ainur) have two weeks internship in St. Petersburg and Moscow

EURO-CIU NEWSLETTER – June 2025

Within the framework of the Lehnhardt Foundation project, financially supported by the GIZ (German Association for International Cooperation): “Development of a sustainable support program for hearing-impaired and deaf children in Kyrgyzstan” five specialists from Kyrgyzstan completed an internship in St. Petersburg and Moscow from March 22 to April 6, 2025.  The first stop of the internship was at “Logopedprofi”, a Children’s Development and Rehabilitation Centre.  During the visit to this centre, various aspects of the institution’s work were shown, including the equipment of the offices, interaction with parents, explanation of homework, as well as the documentation used to track the children’s progress.

We also had the opportunity to participate in the St. Petersburg International Educational Forum.  We presented our report and listened to the reports of our colleagues from Russia.

A wonderful opportunity for us was a meeting with the music teacher Olga Evgenievna Rankova.  At the meeting with this music teacher, the possibilities of integrating musical elements into the classes of a teacher for the deaf were discussed.  She told us about the history of the formation of ARDIS and emphasized that music can become an important tool for comprehensive work with children.

We were able to observe classes at the Deaf Centre at the city of St. Petersburg for five days.  During our visit, we were introduced to various types of classes that are held for children with hearing impairments.  We observed both group and individual classes with the participation of teachers of the deaf, speech therapists, teachers who specialize in special education and a music teacher.  Getting to know this Children’s Deaf Centre in St. Petersburg was especially important, since Kyrgyzstan does not have a similar centre yet.  We visited a group for parents of children with hearing impairments on March 27.  At this meeting the organization and activities of parent groups, created to support families with children with hearing impairments, were discussed.  The group holds various activities: music and developmental classes, free games, joint tea parties, lectures and conversations for parents, as well as festive events.  The meeting was informative and inspiring, especially due to the opportunity to feel like a member of the group.

As part of our introduction to the activities of the “Tosha & Co” centre, we were able to observe classes by various specialists: speech therapists, teachers of the deaf, a neuropsychologist, a teacher who specializes in special education, a sensory therapist, a play therapist, and music teachers.

During a week-long internship in Fryazino (close to Moscow) we participated in several lectures on the development of hearing and speech in children with CIs, sensory integration, and technical rehabilitation tools.

We were also honoured to participate in a master class by Emilia Ivanovna Leongard.  The master class offered comprehensive theoretical knowledge and practical tasks that allowed the participants to deepen their skills in working with children with hearing impairments.  All the methods presented at the master class can be effectively applied in the daily practice of teachers of the deaf to develop auditory perception and speech understanding in children.  At the end of the event, Emilia Ivanovna Leongard signed books for each participant, which was a pleasant end to a busy day.  We are grateful to all the internship organizers for the opportunity provided.  It was a valuable experience that gave not only a practical understanding of the organization of an interdisciplinary approach to helping children with hearing impairments, but also a reason for personal reflection.

Anastasia Naimanova