2027 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 22-24, 2027 • Bellevue, WA
NEW FOR 2027: The EHDI Conference will be held Monday–Wednesday.
3/17/2024 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Pragmatics in practice: practical strategies to promote pragmatic skill development in early childhood | Capitol 7
Pragmatics in practice: practical strategies to promote pragmatic skill development in early childhood
The importance of pragmatic skills, often thought of as the social use of language, has been well established, including the relevance of pragmatics for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH; Szarkowski & Toe, 2020). Difficulties with pragmatics have been associated with challenges in the areas of peer relationships, academic skills, and lower employment rates (Toe, 2020; Thagard et al, 2012). Although many DHH children who receive early intervention acquire age-appropriate receptive and expressive vocabulary skills, pragmatic language skills frequently lag (Goberis et al., 2012). Because the foundation for pragmatic language skills is established early through caregiver/child interactions and early social experiences (Kelly et al., 2020; Mood et al., 2020), caregivers and early intervention providers are in a unique position to promote pragmatics. Yet, parents and interventionists often feel uncertain how to define and target pragmatics in “real life.” This workshop will be presented by a Deaf leader who is also a parent of a child who is DHH, a parent of a child who is DHH, an early intervention provider who supports families and children who are DHH, and two psychologists/researchers interested in pragmatics. Utilizing case examples, this hands-on workshop will provide information about pragmatic development and what pragmatics “looks like” in the early years, guide participants in understanding early pragmatic skill milestones, and generating options for incorporating activities that can be embedded within daily routines to explicitly target the promotion of pragmatic skills. Participants and presenters will be invited to share strategies for explaining pragmatics and empowering families to feel confident in supporting their child’s pragmatic skill development, and resources will be provided. Additionally, the importance of considering pragmatics during transition planning from early intervention to school-based services will be discussed and tools for assessing pragmatics will be shared (Toe et al, 2020).
- Identify tools to measure pragmatic language outcomes and gaps in DHH children who are under three years of age.
- List 3 possible actions or strategies to promote pragmatic development for children within their program or for their own child
- Participants will be able to include wording in IFSP/IEP goals or objectives that support pragmatic language development.
Presentation:
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Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
3478265_16217DeborahMood.docx
Presenters/Authors
Deborah Mood
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter), Colorado Children's Hospital, DEBORAH.MOOD@childrenscolorado.org;
Deborah Mood, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with Developmental Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She has a Ph.D. in school psychology from University of Northern Colorado and a specialist degree in school psychology from Gallaudet University. Dr. Mood completed a LEND psychology postdoctoral fellowship at JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine, after completing an APA accredited psychology internship at the University of Minnesota. She specializes in working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as children with a variety of developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder.
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Amy Szarkowski
(Co-Presenter), University of Massachusetts Boston, Amy.Szarkowski@gmail.com;
Dr. Szarkowski is a psychologist who specializes in supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. She was on the Writing Team for the FCEI-DHH special issue.
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Sara Kennedy
(Co-Presenter), Hands & Voices, Sara@handsandvoices.org;
Sara Kennedy entered the EHDI world after her third child was born at home and was later identified as deaf/hard of hearing. She began volunteering with Colorado Hands & Voices and Hands & Voices Headquarters in 2001, eventually serving as a parent guide, educational advocate, trainer, and Executive Director of the Colorado chapter from 2011–2022.
Since 2022, Sara has served as a Technical Assistance Advisor with the Hands & Voices FL3 Center, supporting EHDI programs and family-based organizations across the western states and U.S. territories. She is also a co-chair of the EHDI Parent to Parent Committee, a core member of the O.U.R. Children’s Safety Project, a program trainer, and longtime editor of The Hands & Voices Communicator.
Her work has focused on strengthening family engagement and parent leadership, educational advocacy, support for families of late-identified children, children’s safety, and building effective partnerships within EHDI systems. She has written and presented extensively on issues affecting DHH children, families, and the professionals who support them. An introvert by nature, Sara still prefers a good one-on-one conversation or book club—but has learned that she enjoys presenting and teaching once she gets through the first three minutes.
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Karen Hopkins
(Co-Presenter), Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf, karenhopkins@cccbsd.org;
Dr. Karen Hopkins is the Executive Director of The Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf.. She brings over 30 years of experience as a collaborative teacher of the deaf, special educator, early interventionist and educational administrator to her work with Deaf and hard of hearing children. Her work with families, coupled with her own personal experience as a Deaf adult and parent of a daughter who is hard of hearing have inspired her to create systems that empower families. Karen oversees early intervention and statewide educational programming for children who are Deaf or hard of hearing birth to age 22 at CCCBSD. She is active in many organizations and boards, the Hands & Voices HQ Board of Directors and is involved with international FCEI programming including the Deaf Leadership International Alliance. Karen is the Board President of Hands & Voices Headquarters. Karen's current research is focused on perspectives of family empowerment in early intervention systems for Deaf and hard of hearing children.
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No relevant financial relationship exists.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Financial relationship with The Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Kelly Doolittle
(Co-Presenter), Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB), kdoolittle@csdb.org;
Kelly Doolittle, M.A., is a Teacher of the Deaf and CHIP Coordinator with the Colorado Home Inclusion Program (CHIP) at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB). She specializes in early intervention services for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. Kelly is passionate about family-centered practices, language development, and collaborative approaches that support positive outcomes for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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