2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/16/2026 | 1:55 PM - 2:25 PM | Guiding Communication Pathways: Using the "Auditory Potential Rubric" to Tailor Intervention Supports | City Terrace 11
Guiding Communication Pathways: Using the "Auditory Potential Rubric" to Tailor Intervention Supports
Practitioners engaged in EHDI systems play a critical role in supporting decision-making related to communication, and parents encounter a continuum of approaches. Effective intervention services are those that are well-matched to both the capacity of the child and the priorities of the family, though often characteristics such as a child’s overall auditory potential are difficult to quantify objectively, given the myriad of factors that contribute to communication outcomes. Participants will be introduced to the “Auditory Potential Rubric”, a practical tool that synthesizes predictive, evidence-based factors to identify communication pathways that are best suited for children with hearing differences. Applications for the tool include coaching parental decision-making, tailoring communication supports, and informing individualized programming. The session will include a review of the varied communication profiles of children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing, with an emphasis on factors that predict proficiency in listening and spoken language. Challenges with services that are not well-matched to the child's communication profile will be discussed, as well as the development of the Auditory Potential Rubric as a practice-based tool to guide clinicians, families, and educational teams. The Auditory Potential Rubric instrument will be applied to three case studies that differ in various factors, with participants scoring the rubric and collaborating to make recommendations for well-matched communication supports across a continuum of strong, moderate, and weak auditory potential.
- Participants will describe the implications of ten key factors that influence spoken language outcomes for children with hearing differences.
- Participants will differentiate three levels of potential related to using auditory processes as a part of a child’s overall communication profile.
- Participants will apply the Auditory Potential Rubric for three contrasting case studies, including scoring and interpretation.
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Presenters/Authors
Sarah Wainscott
(Primary Presenter), Texas Woman's University, swainscott@twu.edu;
Dr. Sarah Wainscott trains professionals in deaf education and speech-language pathology at Texas Woman’s University and pursues research in areas of early language intervention, integration of auditory and visual communication, and interdisciplinary practices.
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.
Carrie Norman
(Co-Author), Collaborative Communications, carrie@carrienorman.com;
Carrie Norman, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVEd is the President of Collaborative Communications, a private consulting firm dedicated to helping bridge the gap between clinical and educational services for students and families impacted by hearing differences. Her experience spans infancy through high school in both clinical and educational settings.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -