2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
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
(Primary Presenter,Author), Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf, amyszarkowski@cccbsd.org;
Amy Szarkowski, PhD, is the Director of The Institute 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. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from CCCBSD.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf and University of Massachusetts Boston.
Nature: Employment.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Sara Kennedy
(Co-Presenter,Author), Hands & Voices, Sara@handsandvoices.org;
Sara is a mom of four children, including a daughter born at home and later-identified as deaf after a progressive loss. An occupational therapist by training, Sara has served at Hands & Voices since 2001 as the editor for the quarterly newspaper, the Communicator, and a trainer for the educational advocacy program, ASTra. Sara has a particular 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 topics ranging from children's safety, promoting self-advocacy, the decision process around cochlear implants, and supporting fathers and rural families. Sara transitioned out of her role as Director of Colorado Hands & Voices (2011-2022). She finds her new consulting role with young adult children rewarding and challenging.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Sarah Sparks
(Co-Presenter,Author), 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 -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Deborah Mood
(Co-Presenter,Author), 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.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Grants for Independent contractor from MCH.
• Receives Grants for Independent contractor from NIH/NIDCD.
• Receives Honoraria excluding diversified mutual funds,Speaker for Other activities from Phonak.
• Receives Salary for Employment from University of Colorado Anschutz.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Colorado- Denver- employment
NIH/NIDCD grant/research support
MCH/LEND grant support
Phonak- past honoraria.
Nature: University of Colorado- Denver- employment
NIH/NIDCD grant/research support
MCH/LEND grant support
Phonak- past honoraria.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Karen Hopkins
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, karen.hopkins@mecdhh.org;
Karen Hopkins is the Executive Director of The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and the principal investigator of Maine's HRSA grant. She brings over 30 years of experience as a collaborative teacher of the deaf, special educator, early interventionist and educational administrator to her work with Deaf and hard of hearing children. Her work with families, coupled with her own personal experience as a Deaf adult and parent of a daughter who is hard of hearing have inspired her to create systems that empower families. 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 is active in many organizations and boards in Maine, the Hands & Voices HQ Board of Directors and is involved with international FCEI programming including the Deaf Leadership International Alliance. Karen is the Board President of Hands & Voices Headquarters. Karen's current research as she finalizes her doctoral journey is focused on perspectives of family empowerment in early intervention systems for Deaf and hard of hearing children.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary,Grants for Employment from The Children's Center for Communication/ Beverly School for the Deaf.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with The Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf.
Nature: Employment.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.