ECHO - Expanding Children's Hearing Opportunities 

"ECHO is a comprehensive program that provides diagnostic services and treatment for any child with hearing loss, regardless of their communication mode, where they live, or the cause of their hearing loss,"  -Dr. Michael Novak, Medical Director of ECHO

The ECHO Program

The ECHO program at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, brings together one of the nation's finest teams for identifying and treating children with hearing loss. Michael Novak, MD, a Carle otologist, leads a multidisciplinary team trained in audiology, speech-language pathology and education of the hearing-impaired.

The ECHO program also has a licensed clinical psychologist and licensed clinical social worker available for consultation and support. By specializing in pediatric evaluations and treatment, providing close follow-up and facilitating education, we are able to provide service that draws families from across the country.

The primary goal is to help children develop their communication skills to their fullest potential. Accomplishing this goal requires more than just treatment, it demands an all-encompassing commitment on the part of the child, parents, family and primary educators. The team strives to bring awareness and understanding of each child's needs by addressing five major areas of service:

• Providing direct service to children (ages birth to 21)
• Advising parents
• Providing consultation services to educators
• Developing materials for assistance
• Conducting research

The ECHO team is dedicated to achieving a comprehensive program for each child.  Realizing every child's needs differ, ECHO team members work with families to develop individual treatment plans, which may consist of any or all of our services.