01
Identification & Assessment
The 2027 mission builds on PEMM’s foundation through a specialised Deaf and hard of hearing child identification program.
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Challenge 1
Finding and Supporting Deaf Children in Northern Laos
Identification, assessment and family support built on long-standing partnership with Peuples et Montagnes du Mékong (PEMM).
Identification, Assessment & Family Support
Finding pathways into language, learning and participation.
Many Deaf and hard of hearing children in Laos are never formally identified or assessed. Some children arrive at school with little or no access to language, while others remain in remote villages without access to specialist support.
For families, hearing loss is often poorly understood. Medical services, hearing assessments, hearing aids and specialist educational support can be difficult to access, particularly in rural areas.
For more than a decade, PEMM has worked alongside local communities, health services and the Luang Prabang School for the Deaf to improve opportunities for children with disabilities. Annual health visits have helped monitor student wellbeing and strengthen local partnerships.
02
Multidisciplinary Team
The proposed mission team brings together health, education and communication specialists, including ENT, audiology, speech pathology, paediatrics and education/language-access expertise.
ENT Surgeon
Dr Antoine Perdu
Dr Antoine Perdu is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon with more than 30 years of experience supporting Deaf and hard of hearing children. Throughout his hospital career, he has participated in the development of many advances in paediatric hearing care.
Since 2011, Antoine has travelled regularly to Laos, partnering with local health services to strengthen paediatric ENT care. His work began in Phonsavan and now focuses on Luang Prabang, where he is leading the development of this collaborative hearing and language mission.
Education & Language Access
Julie Tait
Julie is a Teacher of the Deaf, Auslan interpreter and Deafblind consultant supporting communication access and educational collaboration.
Julie has worked alongside Deaf children, families and educational communities across Australia for almost four decades. Her work within Focus Matters brings together communication, language pathways, educational collaboration and culturally respectful resources that support Deaf children and their families in Laos.
Project & Communications Manager, PEMM
Maïna Reslinger
Based in Luang Prabang, Laos, Maïna Reslinger is the Project and Communications Manager for Peuples et Montagnes du Mékong (PEMM). She coordinates international partnerships and supports the planning and delivery of health and education projects throughout Laos.
For the 2027 Laos Deaf Education Mission, Maïna is coordinating logistics, communications and stakeholder engagement, ensuring effective collaboration between the French, Lao and Australian project partners.
Audiology
Nicolas Sadoc
Nicolas Sadoc has been a state-certified hearing aid specialist since 2002, specialising in paediatric hearing care. He worked as a cochlear implant programmer for both adults and children in hospitals in Paris and now works for Amplifon in Bordeaux.
He also develops software for audiologists through the company Audivimedia. During the mission in Laos, he will oversee the fitting of hearing devices for children and the production of custom earmolds.
Nicolas has previously participated in hearing missions in Cambodia and will be based in Luang Prabang with his family from January to March 2027. His extended stay following the January mission will provide valuable continuity for hearing aid follow-up, relationship building and support for the long-term development of the project.
Speech Pathology
French Speech Pathologist
Specialist role supporting communication and language planning.
Paediatrics
LFHC Paediatrician
Clinical link supporting child health and developmental perspectives.
03
Family Understanding
The goal is to help families better understand their child’s communication, hearing and learning needs through respectful, practical support.
04
Understanding Language Pathways
The mission aims to support communication, education, health and community connection. This includes profiling student communication and literacy pathways, considering whether children may access literacy through sign language, audition, visual language, or a combination of supports, and strengthening collaboration around children who may not yet be connected with educational services.
Understanding Language Pathways Read More
Student communication and literacy profiling
This work will help build a clearer picture of each child’s communication and literacy pathway, including the roles of sign language, audition, visual language, classroom access and family/community context.
In Development
Student Profiling Document
Collaborative Review Phase
Currently under consultation with the Laos mission team.
MB-CDI adaptation for Lao context
The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI) are internationally recognised tools used to understand early communication and language development. Since their formal publication in 1993, they have been adapted into more than 100 languages and dialects. As there was no Lao adaptation available, Julie sought permission and received advice to begin adapting this framework for the Lao context.
MB-CDI Lao Adaptation
Trilingual language inventory resource for supporting communication and vocabulary profiling.
Trilingual teacher/caregiver guidance sheet for supporting the delivery of the assessment tool.
Resource Set
MB-CDI Resource Categories
Vocabulary and image resources being developed to support culturally contextualised language assessment, language exposure tracking, and multimodal communication development for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children in Laos.
Category Areas
- Attention & Engagement
- Basic Needs & Routines
- Emotional Language
- Household and Living
- Food & Drink
- Animals
- Clothing and Accessories
- People
- Places
- Transport
- Body Parts
- Health and Bodily Functions
- School & Learning
- Nature & Weather
- Numbers & Counting
- Verbs and Actions
- Prepositions
- Pronouns
- Time Words
- Connecting Words
- Helping Words
- Quantifiers
- Concepts & Describing Words
- Colours
- Toys & Play
PDF and editable PowerPoint resources will be added once the category lists are confirmed.
Why It Matters
Language changes lives.
Many Deaf children miss out on the everyday conversations and experiences that hearing children acquire naturally. Early identification and appropriate support help children develop communication, literacy, confidence and stronger connections with their families and communities.
Impact
Partnership creates lasting change.
Through partnership, training and sustainable support, this project aims to create lasting change for Deaf and hard of hearing children in northern Laos, helping each child reach their full potential.