EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021
(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)
3/15/2022 | 3:15 PM - 3:40 PM | Promoting Pragmatics Among Deaf Children: Deaf Adult, Parent, and Professional Insights and Current Research | Room 5
Promoting Pragmatics Among Deaf Children: Deaf Adult, Parent, and Professional Insights and Current Research
This presentation will highlight recent advances in understanding deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children’s areas of strengths and vulnerabilities pertaining to pragmatic development - the social use of language and understanding of social/contextual demands. Pragmatic development is quite important for DHH children; even in the presence of solid overall language skills, the ability navigate social situations and understand the demands of social contexts is reduced among many DHH children (Paul et al., 2020). This session will offer insights based on recent research evidence about pragmatics, developmental frameworks (Mood et al., 2020; Toe et al., 2020), and lived experiences (Young et al., 2020). The presentation will employ a strength-based lens, even as it highlights a challenging issue.
This presentation will highlight the real-life impacts of pragmatic challenges for DHH children as they grow. Presenters include a Deaf audiologist, a hearing parent who has raised a child who is DHH, a Deaf professional who has supported families and been involved in education of DHH children, and two hearing psychologists who specialize in working with children who are DHH who have written about pragmatics. Research suggests that the foundation for pragmatics are laid quite early through ‘turn-taking’ (Kelly et al., 2020), through the use of gesture (Goldin-Meadow, 2020), as well as through caregiver-child exchanges (Yoshinaga-Itano et al., 2020). The relevance of pragmatic development, for families as well as professionals, will be emphasized (Szarkowski et al., 2020). The research findings on pragmatics among DHH children relevant to the EHDI audience will be shared alongside salient real-life examples, leaving impactful impressions, memorable anecdotes, and actionable recommendations.
- 1. Define pragmatics, in their own signs or words, and indicate at least one reason why this topic is important for young children who are DHH.
- 2. Share a minimum of two facts of pragmatic development in the 0-3 year period.
- 3. Identify at least two things that they could do to promote pragmatic development, either with their own DHH or DHH Plus child (if they are a caregiver/parent) or with DHH children with whom they work (if they are a professional).
Presentation:
3353554_15024AmySzarkowski.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Amy Szarkowski
(Virtual), 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 -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional (Research Committee Co-Chair)
relationship for Volunteer membership on advisory committee or review panels.
• Has a Professional (Advisory Board)
relationship for Volunteer membership on advisory committee or review panels.
Sara Kennedy
(InPerson), Hands & Voices, Sara@handsandvoices.org;
Sara is a mom of four children, including a daughter who was born at home and later identified with progressive loss. An occupational therapist by training, Sara has worked for Hands & Voices since 2001 as the editor for the quarterly newspaper, the Communicator. Sara has a special interest in advocating for hearing screening in the homebirth community. She was a coauthor for the Virtual Waiting Room web presence at Hands & Voices, the handbook Bridge to Preschool: Navigating a Successful Transition as well as articles and presentations on teaching our deaf/hh children about sex, promoting self-advocacy, progressive hearing loss, and the decision process regarding cochlear implants. Sara transitioned out of her role as Director of Colorado Hands & Voices since 2011 at the end of February 2022. She finds her new consulting role with her young adult children rewarding and challenging.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Sarah Sparks
(Virtual), Sarah Sparks, sarahannsparks@gmail.com;
Sarah Sparks is an educational audiologist within Baltimore City Public Schools. She also owns an online aural (re)habilitation and audiologic counseling-focused telepractice called Audiology Outside the Box.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Deborah Mood
(Virtual), Colorado Children's Hospital, DEBORAH.MOOD@childrenscolorado.org;
Deborah Mood, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with Developmental Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She has a Ph.D. in school psychology from University of Northern Colorado and a specialist degree in school psychology from Gallaudet University. Dr. Mood completed a LEND psychology postdoctoral fellowship at JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine, after completing an APA accredited psychology internship at the University of Minnesota. She specializes in working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as children with a variety of developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder. Current research projects focus on the complex comorbidity of ASD among children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Karen Hopkins
(), The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, karen.hopkins@mecdhh.org;
Karen Hopkins is the Executive Director of The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the principle investigator of Maine's HRSA grant. Karen oversees early intervention and statewide educational programming for children who are Deaf or hard of hearing birth to age 22. throughout the state of Maine. She serves on the Hands & Voices HQ Board of Directors, the Maine Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Board, The Percival Baxter Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Board, was a founding member of Maine’s Hands & Voices chapter and has served on the National EHDI meeting planning committee. Karen has presented at several national conferences and internally at the FCEI conference in Austria and the FCEI conference in China. Karen is a Deaf adult who has three children, one of whom is hard of hearing.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment,Management position from Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.