2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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3/02/2021  |   2:50 PM - 3:10 PM   |  Empowering Caregivers through Language Sampling Practices   |  Topical Breakout

Empowering Caregivers through Language Sampling Practices

Parents and caregivers are the primary facilitators of language development in the early years. The shift to receiving services through tele-intervention has created a need for more tools and strategies to further empower parents and caregivers to become even more engaged in the language development and progress monitoring activities. In our tele-intervention practice with families around the world we see that language samples of spontaneous utterances and parent-child interactions are a powerful tool to coach and empower the families to monitor and facilitate their child’s language development across ages, stages, and also languages. In this presentation we will share how we have empowered families to document and evaluate their child’s language development through systematic language sampling. First, we will identify how families can be coached to take language samples of their child at various ages and stages (even before first words). Second, we will discuss how our modified language sampling approach can be used as a tool to help families reflect on the quality and quantity of language input in one or more languages. This approach allows parents to analyze and evaluate their child’s stage of language development as well as the listening and spoken language strategies the parents are using. By using specific prompts for analyzing the language sample that take into account sentence structure, word choice, complexity of ideas, and pragmatics, parents can obtain a comprehensive picture of the child’s language use. Finally, we will share our TEAM TALK strategy parent-professional collaboration. Example videos and resources will be shared.

  • Describe how language sampling can be used to empower caregivers to support the language of the home and heart
  • Explain how language sampling can be used as tool to monitor progress across ages, stages, and languages
  • Identify components of the TEAM TALK strategy to promote collaboration between families and professionals

Presentation:
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Transcripts:
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Presenters/Authors

Uma Soman (), Listening Together, uma.soman@listeningtogether.com;
Uma Soman, PhD, LSLS Cert AVEd. is an educator of students who are deaf and hard of hearing. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Programs at Listening Together, a nonprofit organization that advances the education and rehabilitation of children who are deaf or hard of hearing through parent empowerment, professional development, and public awareness around the world. She teaches online courses related to development of listening and spoken language in children who are deaf and hard of hearing to professionals around the world. She also trains and mentors teachers and therapists pursuing LSL Specialist certification. Additionally, Dr. Soman is an Assistant Professor at Fontbonne University. She has served on the board of OPTION Schools and AGBell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -

Ahladhini Rao (), Listening Together, ahladhini.dugar@listeningtogether.com;
Ahladhini Rao Dugar, M.E.D. is an early interventionist and educator of the students who are deaf or hard of hearing, with more than 15 years of experience working in the United States and India. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Parent Empowerment at Listening Together, a nonprofit organization that advances the education and rehabilitation of children who are deaf and hard of hearing through parent empowerment, professional development, and public awareness around the world. Ahladhini provides family-centered tele-intervention to children and families from varied socio-economic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -