Book excerpt: Most children with hearing loss attend neighborhood schools as the only student with hearing aids. These devices are the lifeline to their education yet malfunction is not uncommon. It is only the student who, with training, will be able to recognize and report when an issue occurs and can deal with it in the most timely manner. Building Skills for Independence in the Mainstream provides IEP goals and step-by-step materials to provide students with the skills they need to be independent with their hearing aids and to advocate for their listening and communication needs in the classroom. A hierarchy of expected skills by grade with specific activities for each has been included. Geared for students in preschool through elementary, this book will benefit parents and teachers who work with these children. The role of the student, classroom teacher and the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing has been defined for each goal. The book has engaging color pages and also includes 51 downloadable files for easy sharing with classroom teachers and to facilitate skill-building by students.Purchase from http://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/buildingskills_independence