2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/11/2025 | 1:45 PM - 2:15 PM | Assessing Language Acquisition for Three Year Olds Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Washington State | 302
Assessing Language Acquisition for Three Year Olds Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Washington State
The Washington State Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention (EHDDI) program has a robust tracking and surveillance system to ensure infants receive newborn hearing screenings, those who refer receive audiological evaluations, and those identified as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) are referred to early support (intervention) services by six months of age.
However, the EHDDI program does not currently collect information on infants after they are enrolled in Part C services and is aware of inconsistencies within the state related to assessing language for children who are DHH.
To better understand our state’s capacity to assess language and determine language assessments used on children aged three identified as DHH in our state, the EHDDI program surveyed early support providers (Part C) in Washington to determine what assessments are currently being used, who is conducting the assessments, and how the data are being stored.
Our presentation will discuss:
• Results collected from our survey.
• Gaps in data collected.
• Recommendations and next steps to ensure proper assessments are being used and that data are being stored in a way that is easily accessible and reportable.
- Understand the process used to collect information about language assessments in Washington State.
- Learn about challenges that occurred during this project.
- Identify recommendations and next steps.
Presentation:
3545975_18095JulieWalker.pdf
Handouts:
3545975_18095JulieWalker.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Julie Walker
(Primary Presenter,Co-Author), WA State Dept. of Health, Julie.Walker@doh.wa.gov;
Julie Walker, CHES, MPH, is the Washington State Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention (EHDDI) Coordinator. Julie received her Master of Public Health from American Public University, and her bachelor’s degree in Community Health from Western Washington University.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Washington State Department of Health.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Washington State Department of Health - EHDDI Program.
Nature: The EHDDI Program receives state funding from Washington State, and Federal funding from HRSA and CDC. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Anna Dodd
(Co-Author), Washington State Department of Health, anna.dodd@doh.wa.gov;
Anna Dodd, M.Ed is a Follow-Up Coordinator at the Washington State Department of Health, Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention (EHDDI) program. She received her undergraduate degree in social work from the University of Montana and invested two semesters of post-baccalaureate studies in speech-language pathology before settling into her Master's in Deaf Education at Utah State University.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Karin Neidt
(Co-Author), Washington State Dept. Of Health, karin.neidt@doh.wa.gov;
Karin Neidt, MPH is the Section Manager for the Washington State Department of Health, Screening and Genetics Section. Karin received her Master of Public Health from the University of Washington and her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Kelsey Davis
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Washington State Department of Health, kelsey.davis@doh.wa.gov;
Kelsey Davis is a Follow-Up Coordinator at the Washington State Department of Health, Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention (EHDDI) program. Kelsey received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Texas.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Washington State Department of Health.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Washington State Department of Health - EHDDI Program.
Nature: The EHDDI Program receives state funding from Washington state and federal funding from HRSA and CDC.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.