2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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3/09/2020  |   3:15 PM - 3:45 PM   |  “First me, then you”: Distilling some of the neuroscience on conversational turn-taking   |  Chicago B

“First me, then you”: Distilling some of the neuroscience on conversational turn-taking

Parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) have long been told that they need exposure to language. Studies such as those that have identified the 30 Million Word Gap (Hart & Risley, 2003; Suskind & Leffel, 2013), have highlighted the various levels of language exposure that children may have to language early in life and the dramatic impact that this can have on childrens’ readiness for school. Important early work by Mayberry and colleagues (2002) demonstrated the significant impact that language exposure can have on brain development. Further, work in the field of speech-language pathology has emphasized the need for parents to “narrate their day” (Wray, 2007). Emerging research, however, points not only to the importance of exposure to language (whether signed or spoken) for DHH children, but to the need for using language to interact. For example, studies involving the Language Environment Analysis (LENA) with children who are DHH and use oral/aural language have revealed some important findings regarding conversational turn-taking (Aragon & Yoshinaga-Itano, 2012; Ma’ayn, 2018). Recent work by Romeo and colleagues (2018) further suggests that conversational turn-taking is imperative for language development, beyond mere exposure. Similarly, Kondourova and colleagues (2019) have explored the influence of conversational turn-taking on parent-infant dyads in babies/toddlers who have cochlear implants. This session will serve as a “deep dive” into the emergent neuroscience related to conversational turn-taking between DHH young children and their caregivers. Participants will then have an opportunity to devise a ‘plan of action’ for either: 1. influencing how they interact with their DHH children, if participant is a caregiver; or 2. using this science to improve their practice as a professional.

  • 1. Identify and describe at least two limitations to the advice to have a DHH child “swim in language.”
  • 2. Recall and state in his/her/their own words one positive effect of focusing on conversational turn-taking between caregivers and infants/toddlers who are DHH.
  • 3. List a minimum of two actions that the individual may make, whether in their role as parent/caregiver or professional, that is informed by the current understanding of the importance of conversational turn-taking.

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Presenters/Authors

Amy Szarkowski (), Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf, Amy.Szarkowski@childrens.harvard.edu;
Amy Szarkowski, PhD, is the Director of The Institute and The Clinic at the Children's Center for Communication/ Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD), and faculty for LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities), at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Szarkowski holds an academic appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is also an adjunct instructor for the Infants, Toddlers and Families (ITF) Interdisciplinary program at Gallaudet University.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
• Receives Salary for Employment from CCCBSD.
• Receives Salary for Employment from Gallaudet University.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.

Christine Yoshinaga-Itano (), University of Colorado-Boulder, Christie.Yoshi@colorado.edu;
Dr. Christine Yoshinaga-Itano is a Research Professor in the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Department of Otolaryngology and Audiology at the University of Colorado-Denver and the Marion Downs Center. In 1996 she developed the Marion Downs National Center. Since 1996, Dr. Yoshinaga-Itano has assisted many state departments of education and public health agencies, schools for the deaf and the blind, and early intervention programs throughout the United States and its territories. In addition, she has served as a consultant for many countries currently developing their early hearing detection and intervention programs, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Korea, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, and South Africa.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.