Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children

COMBINE

Led by Maree Rennie, M.Ed, the clinical team has developed a methodology called COMBINE, which it uses at the Centre and teaches to parents and professionals globally.

COMBINE identifies a child’s unique developmental profile, allowing optimal outcomes from a variety of clinical disciplines. Each child has access to Speech Pathology, Audiology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Specialist Education programs, which are provided concurrently in a transdisciplinary environment.

COMBINE stands for:

C creating communication
O optimising opportunities
M movement and mobility
B belief
I integration
N nurturing
E education

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Our team

The centre is staffed by an experienced transdisciplinary team including Special Educators, Speech and Language Pathologists, Audiologists, an Occupational Therapist and a Physiotherapist. An ENT specialist, Paediatrician, Psychologist and a Family Counsellor are used on a consultative basis.

The RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre team work collaboratively with other agencies and professionals involved with the child and/or family.

Staff:

• Maree Rennie
• Rebecca Kildea
• Caren Matthews-Lane
• Terry Meskin
• Mandy Meyer

Maree Rennie (M. Ed.)

Maree is a Certified Infant teacher and a Certified Teacher of the Deaf.

Maree began her career in South Australia as an early childhood teacher, and quickly moved to teaching hearing impaired children. She then trained as a teacher of the deaf in Melbourne in 1965.

Since that time Maree has worked and studied in South Australia, Victoria, Massachusetts, Papua New Guinea, Canberra and Sydney in the field of special education specifically related to children who are deaf, visually impaired or hearing impaired children who have an additional special need.

Whilst working at Monnington Early Intervention Centre in Kew and then at The Royal Victorian Institute for Blind Children in Burwood, Maree’s work led her to receive a Rotary Foundation Scholarship. This took her to Boston where she gained a Masters degree in Education (Deaf, Deaf/Blind and Multiple Impairment) from Boston College.

Maree returned to Australia and began working with the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre in 1990. There her observation of the struggle some children were experiencing to maximise their potential following Cochlear Implantation made her realize that this group of children and their families could benefit from a specialized program. Maree was delighted to be invited to develop The Matilda Rose Early Intervention Centre, where she has worked since it opened in 2001. During her time at RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre she and her team have developed a creative, holistic, trans-disciplinary approach to improve educational outcomes for children with hearing impairment and additional needs.

Rebecca Kildea (Bach App Sc (OT))

Rebecca graduated from Sydney University in 2004 with a degree in Occupational Therapy. Since graduating she has worked as a paediatric occupational therapist and now specialises in Sensory Integration. She has a passion for Early Intervention and has experience working with children with disabilities including;

Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome and Hearing Impairment.

Rebecca has training in a variety of areas including Sensory Integration and Regulation, the Developmental Individualized Relationship-based (DIR) model (Floortime™), Therapeutic Listening, Therapressure (‘Brushing’), the Alert Program and M.O.R.E (Integrating the mouth with sensory and postural functioning.)

Rebecca began working at RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre in 2007 and has enjoyed being a member of the transdisciplinary team that develops and implements individual and group programs. She has provided valuable presentations at workshops for professionals and parents. Rebecca has recently presented to parents and professionals in Bangkok.

Caren Matthews-Lane (BSc. (Hons) Speech Pathology and Therapeutics)

Caren trained as a Speech Pathologist at Glasgow University, Scotland. She left University saying that she never wanted to do Speech Therapy again but now has over 20 years experience in paediatrics! Her experience includes working with the Aboriginal Community in Redfern, community itinerant support work in schools and preschools plus over 10 years working with hearing impaired children with Cochlear Implants.

Caren joined the RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre team in 2003 and her role includes case managing and working with the RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre children.

Caren is a member of the original, transdisciplinary team that developed the holistic approach known as the COMBINE methodology now used at RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre. She has been highly involved in pioneering the intense group and individual programs tailored to meet the needs of these children and their families.

Caren is involded in developing and presenting at the workshops for both parents and professionals.

Terry Meskin (BA (Sp & H) Therapy)

Terry qualified as Speech and Language Pathologist and Audiologist from The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She began her career at a school for the deaf in Johannesburg, providing both speech and language therapy and audiological management for children. This included providing in service training for teachers and parents, fitting of hearing aids and FM systems.

When Terry came to Australia in 1990 she worked as Speech and Language Pathologist at Royal Far West Children’s Home for four years.

In 1995 Terry was the first Speech and Language Pathologist to work at The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre. She was a dedicated Auditory Habilitationist who worked with many severe to profoundly deaf infants and children with their families both pre and post Cochlear Implantation.

Terry has worked at The Matilda Rose Early Intervention Centre since its inception and over the years has been proactive in creating and developing The COMBINE Methodology practiced as a model of Early Intervention for hearing impaired children with additional needs. Terry is passionate that all children with a hearing impairment despite their additional need can learn to listen (if there are no contraindications) using an adaptation of Auditory Verbal Therapy. This has led Terry to specialise in managing the needs of children with Dyspraxia and developing skills to facilitate the development of augmentative systems of communication for nonverbal children. At RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre Terry is not only valued for her exceptional work with children and families but also her ability to present at workshops for parents and professionals and presentations of papers at professional conferences both in Australia and overseas.

Mandy Meyer (BA Dip Sp Ed. MA Ed)

Mandy Meyer obtained her Masters of Education from Macqarie University. She began her career in Special Education working with young children in primary school settings. This gave her experience teaching many children with a wide range of learning difficulties and sensory issues including hearing loss and visual impairment.

Mandy joined The Matilda Rose Early Intervention Centre in 2006 and is a very valued member of the team. She is always committed to the children and families and willing to share and learn. Mandy has developed in depth knowledge of hearing impairment, child development (including attachment), social connection, communication and language that is invaluable when working with hearing impaired children with additional needs.

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History

A Centre (“MREIC”) was established in 2001 as a joint venture between The Carnegie Foundation and The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (SCIC). The Carnegie Foundation directors, Mark and Tanya Carnegie, were parents of a young child with hearing impairment and additional special needs. Their vision was to develop a specialised yet comprehensive program to meet the educational, social, communication and emotional needs of their daughter and other hearing impaired children with additional special needs.

In 2011 the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) assumed responsibility for the ownership and operation of the centre.

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Philosophy

Our philosophy is that every one of our clients and their family:

• have the right to an individualised program from the time of diagnosis;
• are entitled to a specialized learning environment to enable their needs to be met; and
• require experienced professionals to focus on and believe in the child’s ability to develop to their potential.

This philosophy permeates all clinical activities and infrastructure planning of the Centre.

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Services

The RIDBC Matilda Rose Centre provides intensive, holistic and flexible diagnostic teaching programs, which include:

• One on one, individualized sessions with input from parents/care-givers
• Small group sessions
• Preparation, transition and support for pre-school, school or other educational placements, often including in-classroom assistance; and
• Ongoing comprehensive assessment of each child’s and family’s needs.
• in addition, we provide training programs to clinicians and parents, globally, and are increasing our research output in order to further distribute our knowledge.

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