16th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
February 26-28, 2017 • Atlanta, GA
| Early Intervention for Children with Hearing Loss: Shifting the Focus to Families
Early Intervention for Children with Hearing Loss: Shifting the Focus to Families
Early identification, detection and intervention for children with hearing loss has become known worldwide for improving outcomes for children with hearing loss and their families. However, for effective early intervention, there needs to be compliance for follow-up evaluations and habilitation on the part of the families which unfortunately, is still problematic today. Parents report that due to lack of information, resources, and partnership with the clinician, they are not able to comprehend what is happening with their child and what needs to be done next. Successful habilitation goes beyond just screening, diagnostics and treatment. Parents want to be involved in this process, but to do that, they need support.
There are three important concepts to consider for improving family involvement and success of early intervention; family-centered care, communication/counseling, and professional collaboration. Family-centered care focuses on the family’s needs and ensuring adequate follow-up and intervention. This involves empowering families and providing the right resources and support to overcome the challenges and provide the best opportunities for their child. Communication and counseling are key to families knowing, understanding, and coping with what is happening with their child. Therefore, open lines of ongoing communication is essential. Lastly, professional collaboration sets the tone for the outcome of the intervention process and the child’s success. Professionals need to be knowledgeable about hearing loss in children and the importance of early detection and intervention as well as incorporating the family as decision-making partners regarding recommendations for children with hearing loss.
To be successful, the focus of early intervention for children with hearing loss needs to shift to the families. By understanding parents’ expectations and incorporating the family as full partners in the habilitation process, early intervention services can achieve great success for children with hearing loss.
- Identify parents’ concerns and preferences regarding early intervention.
- Discuss the three key concepts to improving the habilitation process for children and families.
- Discuss the importance of family participation in the early intervention services that will offer long-term success.
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Presenters/Authors
Brittany Cuevas
(), University of Miami Health System, Mailman Center for Child Development, bnc35@med.miami.edu;
Brittany N. Cuevas is a clinical doctoral student at the Northeast Ohio Au.D Consortium. She completed her undergraduate degree at The University of Akron where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology with a minor in Child Development. Brittany is currently completing her fourth year externship at the University of Miami Health System, Mailman Center for Child Development. Her career goal is to be a Pediatric Audiologist. She is passionate about the field of audiology, not only because she wants to help others, but also because of a very personal connection to this field; she has a severe to profound hearing loss.
During the past five years, Brittany has volunteered at the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center. She has also participated in a support group for teens with hearing loss; Hearing Teens Interacting Together (Hit It), where she assisted in bringing teens with hearing loss together to discuss hearing loss generally, coping strategies and becoming their own advocate. Brittany feels fortunate to have served as a camp counselor for teens with hearing loss at CampUs-Positively Influencing Post-Secondary Transition for Teens with Hearing Loss, where the primary focus was to discuss transition options after high school and various available services.
Brittany is affiliated with the National Student Academy of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology, and the Ohio Academy of Audiology and has earned several scholarship and fellowship recognitions.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.