2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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3/03/2019  |   9:00 AM - 12:00 PM   |  Difficult Conversations: Delivering News, Challenging False Ideas, and Conveying Hard-to-Digest Information   |  International A

Difficult Conversations: Delivering News, Challenging False Ideas, and Conveying Hard-to-Digest Information

Led by a psychologist with expertise in working with deaf and hard of hearing children and their families, this session will incorporate easy-to-implement counseling strategies to help professionals in the field have difficult conversations with families. Dr. Szarkowski will be accompanied by professionals working in EI, early childhood education, parent infant programs, and pediatric audiology. Collectively, this team will share information, informed by the literature as well as their professional experiences, about difficult conversations. This presentation will offer participants an "inside look" at difficult conversations through a series of role plays that they will witness and critique. Participants can expect to be engaged in watching and analyzing a series of role plays as well as considering how the 'lessons learned' can be implemented in their professional lives. Participants will gain insights into strategies for delivering news that might be upsetting to caregivers, challenging families' false ideas in order to provide more accurate information, and conveying difficult-to-digest information in a way that maintains and even fosters the parent-professional alliance.

  • Participants will be able to list a minimum of 3 phrases that they can add to their repertoire for having difficult conversations with caregivers.
  • Participants will be able to list a minimum of 3 phrases to be avoided when interacting with upset, concerned or angry caregivers.
  • Participants will be able to identify and describe a minimum of 3 characteristics of 'successful difficult conversations' between professionals and caregivers.

Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.

Handouts:
Handout is not Available

Transcripts:
18878_10178AmySzarkowski.docx


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.

Nicole Hutchinson (), The River School, nhutchinson@riverschool.net;
Nicole Hutchinson holds a BA in Linguistics: American Sign Language from the University of California, San Diego and a MA in Deaf Education: Family-Centered Early Education from Gallaudet University. She holds teaching licenses in Deaf Education, Early Childhood Education, and Early Childhood Special Education. At The River School, Nicole coordinates the Parent-Infant Program for deaf and hard of hearing infants, toddlers and their families and teaches in a preschool classroom. Outside of The River School, she is co-chair of the Early Intervention Committee for the DC Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Board


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.

Emily Wojahn (), Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, ewojahn@csdb.org;
Emily Wojahn, M.A, is a Colorado Regional Hearing Resource Coordinator (CO-HEAR) for the Pikes Peak region of southeastern Colorado. She is also a former Kindergarten-2nd grade teacher in the Family-Centered Early Education department at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB). During the summer 2017, Emily completed the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Families: Collaboration and Leadership certificate program through Gallaudet University including a capstone project proposing a parent-infant program for CSDB. Emily’s passions include meeting the needs of the child in the family system and promoting a love of reading among all children.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -

Cailin Shanahan (), Boston Children's Hospital, cailin.shanahan@childrens.harvard.edu;
Cailin Shanahan is a pediatric audiologist at Boston Children's Hospital. She works in both the Weymouth and Dartmouth satellites offering diagnostic and hearing aid services to patients and families. Cailin obtained her Au.D. from the University of Tennessee.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

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Nonfinancial -

Jennifer Clark (), Hawaii Department of Health Early Intervention, Jennifer.Blohm@doh.hawaii.gov;
Jennifer Clark received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders and Deaf Studies: Sign Language Interpreting, from California State University, Fresno and her Master’s Degree from Gallaudet University in Deaf Education: Family Centered Early Education. Since 2010, Jennifer has been working with D/HH/DB children (birth-3) as the Early Intervention Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Specialist for the Hawaii Department of Health.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -