2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/11/2025 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Check(list) Yourself: Evidence-Based Evaluation Practices for Young Children Who Are D/HH During the EI to Preschool Transition | 304/305
Check(list) Yourself: Evidence-Based Evaluation Practices for Young Children Who Are D/HH During the EI to Preschool Transition
Many preschoolers who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH) using listening and spoken language (LSL) are not qualifying for continued services at the IDEA (2004) Part C to Part B transition. This reduction in eligibility results from a research-to-practice gap in adopting evidence-based assessment practices aligned with the purpose of a special education eligibility evaluation rather than decreased need for continued services. A recent survey study of 149 school-based special education practitioners found that eligibility teams are consistently following recommended practices for the quantity of developmental assessments used, but the evidence-based quality of those assessments is often lacking, particularly for language assessments (Carden et al., 2023). Given that insufficient time is often reported as a significant barrier to leveraging evidence-based practices (EBP), particularly in schools (Fulcher-Rood et al., 2018; Greenwell & Walsh, 2021), we have assimilated EBPs from the literature for young children who are D/HH using LSL that align with the National Association of State Directors of Special Education’s (NASDSE, 2018) evaluation guidance to create a sensitive, feasible framework. We will present a recently published evaluation checklist to aid educational teams in balancing assessment sensitivity and feasibility for young preschoolers who are D/HH using LSL being evaluated during the Part C to B transition period (Carden et al., 2024). Further, this interactive presentation will give participants real-life practice evaluating case studies for eligibility using the checklist. This evidence-based evaluation checklist has the potential to be a springboard for closing significant research to practice gaps in the initial gatekeeping process of evaluation for special education eligibility during the early intervention to preschool transition. Closing this gap could positively impact preschoolers who are D/HH using LSL by ensuring they receive the support they need to fully access participation in age-appropriate activities during the preschool years and beyond.
- Participants will be able to describe an evidence-based evaluation checklist that aligns with current special education assessment recommendations for preschoolers who are D/HH using LSL at the IDEA (2004) Part C to Part B transition.
- Participants will be able to identify three strategies for leveraging the evaluation checklist to reduce barriers to equitable access for young children who are D/HH and their families when transitioning from early intervention to preschool.
- Participants will be able to apply the evaluation checklist to a case study to document adverse effects of a hearing difference on participation in age appropriate activities in the general preschool setting when making eligibility decisions.
Presentation:
3545975_18125KameronCarden.pdf
Handouts:
3545975_18125KameronCarden.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Kameron Carden
(Primary Presenter), Samford University , kcarden1@samford.edu;
Dr. Kameron C. Carden has over 15 years of experience serving young children who are deaf/hard of hearing as a speech language pathologist and listening and spoken language specialist. As a practitioner, she has taught in oral preschool programs, served children and their families through early intervention, and provided outreach services to students and their teachers in public school settings throughout the state of Alabama. Dr. Carden is a board member of the Division for Communication, Language, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DCD) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). She also serves on Alabama’s Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) and the Alabama Hands and Voices board of directors as a parent of a child with a hearing difference. Her research interests include complex language development, ecologically valid language assessment practices, and special eligibility determination practices for preschoolers who are D/HH.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Samford University.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Personal,Professional,Other relationship
(parent, sibling of individuals who are D/HH)
(Certified through ASHA and AG Bell Academy)
(Board member of DCD of CEC and Alabama Hands and Voices)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Samford University .
Nature: I receive a salary from Samford University. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Kristina Blaiser
(Co-Presenter), Idaho State University, Kristina.Blaiser@isu.edu;
Kristina Blaiser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is
a Professor of Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and directs the HATCH (Helping Adults Talk to Children) Lab at Idaho State University. Dr. Blaiser has extensive experience leading early childhood education programs and evaluating the outcomes of children who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. Her research interests include program evaluation and graduate training related to assessment and early intervention practices of children who are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing. Dr. Blaiser’s recent work has focused on using telehealth to support families in early intervention. Kristina is the Coordinator for ASHA SIG 9: Hearing Loss and Hearing Disorders in Childhood.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Grants for Other activities from OSEP.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
(Board)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Office of Special Education Programs funding.
Nature: Coordinator of SIG 9, Special Projects Chair on CECDCD, Advisory Member of AAP-PEC, Advisory Member of FL3.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Betsy Moog Brooks
(Co-Presenter), The Moog Center for Deaf Education, bbrooks@moogcenter.org;
Betsy Moog Brooks is the Executive Director of the Moog Center for Deaf Education. She received her Master degree in Speech and Hearing from Washington University and is certified in Deaf Education, Behavior Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Early Childhood Education, and is a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Instructional Leadership with an emphasis in Andragogy, the study of adult learners. She has been in the field of early intervention for more than 40 years. Betsy is the author of the book, My Baby and Me: A Book About Teaching Your Child to Talk. She has lectured throughout the US, South America, and Europe. Betsy continues to provide direct child service and parent support to families with children birth to three. She has provided parent support through teleintervention for more than 10 years.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from The Moog Center for Deaf Education.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with The Moog Center for Deaf Education.
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Robin McWilliam
(Author,Co-Author), The University of Alabama, ramcwilliam@ua.edu;
For over 35 years, Dr. Robin McWilliam has been investigating how best to help young children with disabilities and their families. Through experiences as an early interventionist, a program administrator, a trainer, a researcher, a university professor, and a consultant, he has developed a model for early intervention—the Routines-Based Model, so called because the interventions for children happen in their daily lives (home, classroom, and community routines). Dr. McWilliam has written over 85 scholarly articles, written or edited 8 books, and made hundreds of presentations around the world. He is the Executive Director of EI@UA, an early intervention (0-3) program funded through the State of Alabama.
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.