2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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3/10/2015  |   2:15 PM - 2:45 PM   |  Second Impressions Count: The Impact of Using Positive Terminology with Families of Infants/Toddlers who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing   |  French   |  4

Second Impressions Count: The Impact of Using Positive Terminology with Families of Infants/Toddlers who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

We’ve all heard the phrase, 'First impressions count'.  If that's true, do second impressions matter?   We think they do!  Although we cannot control what families hear first, Early Intervention (EI) professionals have a powerful opportunity to impact parents' perspectives of their child and family as a whole.  Oftentimes, the terminology that is generally used in the field “may not reflect the most contemporary understanding and/or could convey inaccurate meaning” (JCIH, 2013).  For that reason, it is imperative for EI professionals working with families with infants/toddlers who have been recently identified with hearing differences, to model positive language and attitudes about their being deaf or hard of hearing.  This presentation will cover examples of language parents and other family members may hear first when their child is identified, positive terms EI professionals can use and model with families, strategies for supporting other EHDI professionals in implementing positive language in their work, as well as the anticipated outcomes from these efforts.  

  • Participants will be able to identify positive terminology to implement in their work with families of children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
  • Participants will be able to apply strategies for introducing new terminology to EI families and other EHDI professionals
  • Participants will be able to conclude that terminology used in the field has an impact on the family’s perspective of the child as a whole

Presentation:
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Transcripts:
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Presenters/Authors

Sarrea De Suza (Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,POC), PA School for the Deaf, sdesuza@psd.org;
Sarrea De Suza earned a B.S. in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from New York University and a M.A. in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University. She began her career in Loudoun County, VA as a teacher of the Deaf in a center-based D/HH mainstream program and then as an itinerant. Sarrea is currently working at Pennsylvania School for the Deaf’s EI program, First Conversations. She works with families and their young children, ages birth-3, as a home based Early Intervention Teacher.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

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Sarah Honigfeld (Co-Presenter,POC), Thom Boston Metro Early Intervention, shonigfeld@thomchild.org;
Sarah Honigfeld is a 2013 graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelors of Science in Human Services and a graduate certificate in Early Intervention.  She is currently working toward her Masters in School Counseling and Early Intervention from Gallaudet University. She has worked with Boys & Girls Clubs as an Inclusion Specialist. Currently she works as a Developmental Specialist at Thom Boston Metro Early Intervention, where she is a specialty provider for families with children with various hearing levels.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -