2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
| Los Angeles County Pediatric Hearing Health Online Resource: A Continued Effort to Decrease Disparities and Enhance Timely Intervention Based on Pilot Feedback
Los Angeles County Pediatric Hearing Health Online Resource: A Continued Effort to Decrease Disparities and Enhance Timely Intervention Based on Pilot Feedback
Approximately 1 to 3 per 1,000 infants in the U.S. are born with permanent hearing loss Ninety percent of children with hearing loss are born to hearing parents. Undetected hearing loss can put children at risk for delays in speech and language development, academic achievement, and social and emotional development. Lifetime local, state, and federal costs are significant for children born with hearing loss. Access to timely and appropriate identification, diagnosis, treatment, and intervention is critical, but disparities prevent access to hearing healthcare. “Compared with families of children without hearing loss, families of hearing-impaired children live closer to the poverty level and utilize some medical services with less frequency.” To reduce disparities, providers who work with infants and children need a greater understanding of hearing health, hearing healthcare systems, and the need for timely intervention. Families of hearing loss children also need access to trusted support and resources. We developed an online resource guide to provide pediatric multidisciplinary providers and families with current information on pediatric hearing health care and management in a culturally sensitive manner. The Los Angeles (LA) Pediatric Hearing Health Online Resource was created as an educational tool for individuals who work with infants and children and the families they support. It provides comprehensive information on LA County pediatric hearing health centers, systems of care and resources, and key national resources. The guide was piloted and evaluated by audiologists, family support professionals and California-LEND trainees answered to ensure the resource was accessible and useful to families and professionals. About 89.7% of participants gained information from the guide, 86.2% were able to easily understand the guide. Based on feedback, we plan to create organized sections for professionals and families to easily access information, primarily online and via handouts to promote timely and appropriate pediatric hearing healthcare.
- Multidisciplinary team members will understand the disparities that exist in accessing pediatric hearing healthcare.
- Multidisciplinary team members working with children who are at risk for hearing loss or do not pass the newborn hearing screening and their families will gain additional understanding of the importance of timely intervention and access to care
- Multidisciplinary team members and families of children who are at risk for hearing loss will have access to a detailed resource guide and two condensed guides, translated into multiple languages, to act as a method to reduce disparities for access to timely and appropriate pediatric hearing healthcare
Presentation:
3545975_18349KristinaRousso.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Anna Linscott
(Primary Presenter,Author), alinscott@chla.usc.edu;
Anna Linscott is a Student Extern at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She is an Audiology fellow in the CA-LEND Program.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Other financial benefit for Other activities from Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with .
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Samantha Rodriguez
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), samantha.rodriguez2@med.usc.edu;
Samantha Rodriguez is a Student Extern at USC Keck School of Medicine in the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology. She is an Audiology fellow in the CA-LEND Program.
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.
Alexis Deavenport-Saman
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Children's Hospital Los Angeles, adeavenport@chla.usc.edu;
Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH, MPH is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at USC and is a Public Health Research Scientist and an who specializes in maternal and child health, social and behavioral health sciences, and the translation of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. She is the Audiology Program Director for the CA-LEND Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Nature: The Maternal and Child Health Bureau funds faculty and Audiology training, as part of a supplement for the CA-LEND program. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Amanda Tyree
(Co-Author), Children's Hospital Los Angeles, atyree@chla.usc.edu;
Amanda Tyree, MA, CCC-SLP is a licensed speech-language pathologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics [Clinician-Educator] through the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California. She is the lead SLP within the Community Mental health program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and is the Discipline Director for Speech-Language Pathology for the CA-Leadership in Education and Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program. Ms. Tyree works on several interdisciplinary teams and provides training to interdisciplinary audiences on communication development and disorders and topics related to bilingual language development.
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.
Kristina Rousso
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), kristina@hearwithyou.org;
Kristina Rousso, AuD, is the Executive Director of the Hear With You Foundation. She is also the Audiology Discipline Director for the CA-LEND Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Other financial benefit for Other activities from Chla Lend/Mchb funding .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Chla .
Nature: Mchb .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.