2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/16/2026 | 10:05 AM - 10:35 AM | Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of Evidence Based Early Intervention Educational Supports | City Terrace 8
Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of Evidence Based Early Intervention Educational Supports
Over 1/3 children with hearing differences and their families are not documented as having access to early intervention services and fewer receive timely access (CDC, 2025a). These values are consistent across various maternal racial and ethnic background (CDC, 2025b). Yet, there are documented barriers, challenges, and nuances that families who use Spanish face from a cultural, lingustic, and family centered perspective (Caballero, Munoz, Schultz, Graham, & Meibos, 2018; Steinberg, 1997; 2003; 2007; Woodruff-Gautherin & Cienkowski, 2025).
When looking at families who use Spanish in the home, 13% of the US population, there is a disconnect between these needs and the 3.7% of audiologists who are bilingual in English and Spanish (Caballero, et al., 2018). This study looks at the application of a newly developed educational approach, Swaddling Ear to Ear becomes Oido a Oido, to inform families about hearing and fostering advocacy skills within the cultural values, attitudes, and approaches to medical care specific to Hispanic/Latinx communities (Woodruff-Gautherin & Cienkowski, 2023). This presentation will cover the "lessons learned" in the translation and cultural adaptation of a benign behavioral intervention to support early intervention enrollment for children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing. We will cover the two-prong approach taken with this work and the community panel that supported us specifically, as well as present key ideas and concepts to keep in mind during translation and adaptation processes for other groups and materials.
- Describe the philosophical approach taken to translating and adapting early intervention information from English to Spanish.
- Compare their own past experiences in translation with the presented "lessons learned."
- Critique examples of translated materials.
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Presenters/Authors
Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin
(Primary Presenter), University of Connecticut, tawg@uconn.edu;
Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin, PhD is a Research Scientist in the HELLO Lab of Dr. Derek Houston at UCONN. Passionate about bolstering the voices of stakeholders, Torri Ann implements qualitative methods to highlight the power and value of individual voices in making change. Torri Ann is interested in the intersection of public health, early intervention, and family support.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary,Grants for Employment,Other activities from UConn.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
(I serve on the board)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with UConn - Bennett Award to fund research and is Employed there on NIH grant.
Nature: Board member of CT Hands & Voices.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Aaron Herrera
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), University of Connecticut, aaron.herrera@uconn.edu;
Aaron Herrera, BA
Graduate Student
Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
University of Connecticut
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Kathleen Cienkowski
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), University of Connecticut, cienkowski@uconn.edu;
Kathleen M Cienkowski, Ph.D. CCC/A is an Associate Professor and Department Head of SLHS at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Cienkowski studies the benefits of AR among patients with acquired hearing loss and their families. Her work has been funded by National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration. She is the Past-President of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology, Past-Coordinator for the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Special Interest Group 7: Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation. She currently serves a audiology discipline coordinator for the UCONN LEND and co-investigator for the UCONN Pediatric LEND Supplement grant.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Grants for Other activities from UCONN LEND.
• Receives Salary for Employment from University of Connecticut .
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Other relationship
(Chapter vice president )
relationship for Board membership,Other volunteer activities.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Connecticut
UCONN LEND.
Nature: Employee of UCONN
Discipline Coordinator UCONN LEND.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.