2025 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA
DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER
| Quality of early parent-child interaction and spoken language outcomes in deaf/hard-of-hearing children
Quality of early parent-child interaction and spoken language outcomes in deaf/hard-of-hearing children
Parent-child interaction is foundational to language development in young deaf/hard-of-hearing (D/HH) children. Joint engagement and maternal sensitivity are key indicators of early interactions that promote language growth. D/HH children benefit linguistically when they and their caregiver attend to and engage in the same object or activity and the caregiver is sensitive to the child’s acts of communication (e.g., eye gaze, pointing) and interests. Our study extends previous research of joint engagement and language development in DHH children by examining additional features of quality parent-child interactions.
We examined the quality of parent-child interactions in a group of 13 D/HH children and caregivers (12 mothers; one father) at 6- or 9-month post-hearing aid or cochlear implant fitting and expressive and receptive language outcomes at 18- or 24-month post-device fitting. All children used hearing aids or cochlear implants. Dyads were video recorded, and interactions were rated using the Joint Engagement Rating Inventory, a measure of quality elements of parent-child interactions. Child language abilities were measured using the Preschool Language Scale-5, a play-based assessment of expressive and receptive spoken language. We implemented the “three-boxes” task, a semi-structured play procedure, used in studies with hearing and DHH children. The task involves three separate bins containing various open-ended toys. As expected, joint engagement was significantly correlated with language outcomes. This study also demonstrates the important roles of fluency and connectedness in parent-child interactions (e.g., balance in turn taking, parent and child using verbal and nonverbal cues to stay on topic) and engaging in everyday routines and rituals (i.e., interactive activities consisting of predictable patterns, such as sharing a snack). Our findings highlight the importance of early intervention providers educating families about the types of parent-child interactions that promote language growth. Future research directions and further implications for family support will be discussed.
- Identify three indicators of high-quality parent-child interaction.
- Describe parental sensitivity.
- Describe implications of the study findings.
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Presenters/Authors
Carrie Davenport
(Primary Presenter,Author), Building Bridges Consulting, LLC, carrietdavenport@gmail.com;
Carrie Davenport, Ph.D. recently founded Building Bridges Consulting, LLC, a company focused on creating connections across fields, disciplines, and the people that touch the lives of children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing (D/HH) and their families. Prior, she was a postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the Wexner Medical Center. She has a doctorate in Special Education from The Ohio State University and master’s degree in Family-Centered Early Education from Gallaudet University. She completed the Educational Consultant Training Program in cochlear implants at the California Ear Institute. She was a teacher of the deaf in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and the Early Childhood Consultant for the Center for Outreach Services at the Ohio School for the Deaf. She co-founded Ohio Hands & Voices and a statewide community collaborative, Children’s Hearing and Language Development Resource Network [CHLDRN] of Ohio. Her research centers on early parent-child interaction and language development in deaf/hard-of-hearing children and parental self-efficacy. She is particularly interested in using a community-based participatory research approach to addressing the needs of D/HH children and their families.
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.
Katharine Suma
(Co-Author), University of Georgia, suma@uga.edu;
Katharine Suma is a doctoral candidate at University of Georgia in Human Development and
Family Studies. Her main research interests broadly encompass parent-child interactions: how to
systematically observe joint engagement, identifying caregiver contributions, and the application of systematic observation measures across diverse cultures and developmental abilities.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Elaine Smolen
(Co-Author), Teachers College, Columbia University, es3519@tc.columbia.edu;
Elaine Smolen, PhD, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research work centers around language and literacy development for young deaf and hard of hearing children who use listening and spoken language. Smolen received her PhD in deaf and hard of hearing education from Columbia as a National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities scholar. An experienced teacher of the deaf and certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Smolen has served young children with hearing loss and their families as a head classroom teacher and in an itinerant role. She holds teaching certification in the areas of deaf education, elementary education, and English.
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.
Precious-Janae Romain
(Co-Author), HELLO Lab at the University of Connecticut, precious-janae.romain@uconn.edu;
Precious-Janae Romain is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She earned her B.A. in Linguistics with a Psychology minor at Rutgers University in 2023. Her previous research engagements include work in psycholinguistics, dialectal variation and lexical processing, and the role of family dynamics in language acquisition outcomes in deaf/hard-of-hearing children. She currently works in the Hearing Experience and Language Learning Outcomes (HELLO) Lab with current research projects on child temperament moderation in word learning. Her research interests include spoken language development and acquisition in children with hearing loss, bilingualism, auditory and speech perception in language learning, and child temperament.
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.
Robert Bourque
(Co-Author), HELLO Lab at the University of Connecticut, robert.bourque@uconn.edu;
Robert Bourque is a Research Assistant in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut. He works in the Hearing Experience and Language Learning Outcomes (HELLO) Lab and coordinates the one of the lab’s major projects, Parent-Infant Eye-tracking (PIE). He earned his B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior and Italian Studies at Wesleyan University in 2023. He is interested in language acquisition, interaction design, and games as a tool for learning.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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• Receives Salary for Employment from University of Connecticut.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Derek Houston
(Co-Author), University of Connecticut, derek.houston@uconn.edu;
Derek M. Houston, PhD, received his doctorate in cognitive psychology from Johns Hopkins University in 2000, focusing on how typically developing infants segment words from fluent speech and recognize words across different talkers. After graduating, he constructed the world's first laboratory to investigate the speech perception and language skills of deaf infants who receive cochlear implants at Indiana University. Since then, his work (supported by NIDCD) has investigated the role of early auditory experience and parent-child interactions on cognitive, linguistic, and social building blocks of language development. He also engages in community-based participatory research aimed at addressing barriers families face in obtaining high-quality early intervention services for their children.
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.