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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Presenter Information:	Presenter 1: Name: Karen Cassidy Affiliation: Karen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and a Master’s in Deaf Education. She holds certification in Deaf Education and an Early Childhood Education teaching license. Presenter 2: Name: Gloria Menezes-Furtado Affiliation: Gloria holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature, as well as a Master’s of Education of the Deaf. She is a certified Auditory Verbal Therapist and holds certification as a Teacher of the Deaf. Presenter 3: Name: Sarah Wainscott Affiliation: Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Language Pathology, a Master’s of Education in Hearing Disorders, and has completed her Doctorate work in Deaf Education. She is licensed as an Audiologist and holds certification in Deaf Education.
Author Information:	Author 1: Name: Karen Cassidy Affiliation: Chattering Children
Abstract Information:	Title: Optimizing Early Identification with Effective Strategies for Infants Primary Track: 3-Early Intervention Keyword(s): spoken language, auditory verbal, tyical development Abstract: Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and early diagnosis provide families with the opportunity to implement early intervention from the first months of life, although an effective approach to intervention during early infancy is not always clear to the provider or the parent. Infants with severe to profound hearing loss are not yet benefiting from cochlear implants during this period, and the fitting and adjustment to hearing aids can also require a period of time. A team of therapists will share specific strategies for supporting early auditory skills and pre-linguistic communication for infants. This approach maximizes use of residual hearing and provides a foundation for later learning with either a cochlear implant or well-fitted hearing aids. With typical infant development as a framework, and grounding in basic auditory verbal principles, presenters will describe activities incorporating listening and spoken language into therapy sessions and home visits. The focus of the session is promoting listening and vocal communication within the parent-infant dyad. Techniques will be presented for parent coaching, using simple play and basic routines, and incorporating favorite toys and songs. The progression of skills in detection, pattern perception, discrimination, and word recognition will be embedded within the activities. Presentation(s): Not Available Handouts: Not Available