2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
| A pilot study identifying relative parental value systems for deaf child developmental domains in the context of EHDI system narratives
A pilot study identifying relative parental value systems for deaf child developmental domains in the context of EHDI system narratives
Early decision-making for deaf children’s language and communication choices has an ongoing impact on quality-of-life outcomes across the lifespan. Factors potentially influencing this decision-making process are targets for intervention to improve deaf child development. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible influence of similar information framed differently on values by parents of deaf infants during the newborn hearing screening process.
The research project collected primary survey data from members of the public who received one of two scenarios, presented in either a medical or cultural framework, of their hypothetical deaf newborn undergoing newborn hearing screening and a follow-up appointment with an Audiologist. Respondents answered forced-ranked questions around child developmental domains. The study found that survey participants exposed to the hypothetical deaf newborn in a medically framed scenario had 32% higher odds (1.32 OR) of prioritizing cognitive development, while those exposed to the cultural framework showed 62% higher odds (1.62 OR) of prioritizing physical development.
Preliminary evidence that information presented using a medical or cultural framework biases respondents towards prioritizing different developmental domains for a deaf child. These results indicate that early messaging from clinical practitioners about deafness could bias parents' decision-making regarding language and modality.
- Participants will be able to identify the developmental domains considered most important by respondents for the two frameworks tested.
- Participants will be able to compare and contrast the different language used between the medically and culturally-framed scenarios.
- Participants will be able to integrate the finding in the general public's knowledge gap in their own newborn hearing screening scripts, training, and/or educational materials used in their state.
Presentation:
3545975_18112MichelleKoplitz.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Michelle Koplitz
(Primary Presenter), University of Rochester Medical Center, michelle_koplitz@urmc.rochester.edu;
Michelle is a third-year Translational Biomedical Sciences PhD trainee at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Her research interest is focused on how the deficit-based model of deafness employed by EHDI systems impacts the developmental trajectory and associated long-term health outcomes in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) populations. Previously, Michelle worked for 10 years in Federal service as a Project Officer for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Rochester Medical Center.
Nature: Academic support from TL1 and T32 training grants as funded by NIH. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.