2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
| Preschool Hearing and Speech Education – University of Pittsburgh (PHASE-UP)
Preschool Hearing and Speech Education – University of Pittsburgh (PHASE-UP)
The implementation of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) has significantly lowered the age at which congenital hearing loss is detected in children. As a result, children can now receive early intervention for hearing loss within their first year of life. However, UNHS does not ensure that all children with hearing loss are receiving early intervention and identification due to false negatives, late-onset hearing loss, and other preventative factors. The prevalence of hearing loss rises from 1-3 cases per 1,000 at birth, to 9-10 cases per 1,000 children in school. This statistic emphasizes that as children become older, unidentified hearing loss becomes more pronounced. The Preschool Hearing and Speech Education – University of Pittsburgh (PHASE–UP) program seeks to bridge this gap of unidentified hearing loss during crucial periods of childhood development. PHASE-UP collaborates with the local Pittsburgh community to offer free, comprehensive hearing screenings to a wide variety of preschools. On average, PHASE-UP screens 800-1,000 children between the ages of 3 to 6 years each academic year. Under the supervision of a certified clinical audiologist and speech-language pathologist, first-year audiology and speech-language pathology graduate students perform the hearing and speech screenings. This benefits children and families of local communities and in turn, provides students with a unique academic and personal experience that enhances clinical skillsets across disciplines. This poster presentation will emphasize the fundamental aspects of the PHASE-UP hearing screening and prevention program, including the team members involved, hearing screening protocols, data collection guidance, and overall goals.
- Understand the advantages of preschool hearing screenings.
- Describe the basic components of a community-based preschool hearing screening and prevention program.
- Recognize the benefits of establishing a hearing screening and prevention clinical practicum for audiology and speech-language pathology graduate students.
Presentation:
3478265_16440NicoleCorbin.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Hayley Schneider
(Primary Presenter,Author), University of Pittsburgh, has306@pitt.edu;
Hayley Schneider is a second-year Doctor of Audiology student and current LEND trainee at the University of Pittsburgh.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Madeline Sutter
(Co-Presenter,Author), University of Pittsburgh, mas969@pitt.edu;
Madeline Sutter is a third-year Doctor of Audiology student and former LEND trainee at the University of Pittsburgh.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Sarah Meier
(Co-Presenter,Author), University of Pittsburgh, sam484@pitt.edu;
Sarah Meier is a third-year Doctor of Audiology student and former LEND trainee at the University of Pittsburgh.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Nicole Corbin
(Author), Association of Public Health Laboratories, nec61@pitt.edu;
Nicole Corbin is a Scientist and the Director of the Pediatric Binaural Integration Lab at Boys Town National Research Hospital. The goal of her lab is to understand how children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing in one ear learn to navigate complex listening environments and optimize auditory input to support their academic, communication, and social-emotional development. Prior to joining Boys Town National Research Hospital, she was an Assistant Professor and the Co-Investigator of a Pediatric Audiology Competitive Supplement to the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) program at the University of Pittsburgh.
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.
Katie Vellody
(Author), University of Pittsburgh, LEND, katie.vellody@pitt.edu;
Katie Vellody is adjunct faculty in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a clinical pediatric audiologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Ms. Vellody’s responsibilities include administrative, clinical, academic, and research. Ms. Vellody is the coordinator of the Preschool Hearing and Speech Education – University of Pittsburgh (PHASE UP) Clinic. She coordinates with over 40 schools in the surrounding Pittsburgh area to provide evidenced based preventative care and screening to the preschool and school age populations. In the PHASE UP clinic, she oversees all 1st year audiology (AuD) and speech language pathology (SLP) graduate students in the administration of preschool & school age hearing screening protocols. Other clinical responsibilities include providing free audiological hearing care to adults residing in Pittsburgh regions of Homewood & East Hills at the Wellness Pavilion Community Engagement Center – University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Vellody teaches two academic graduate level courses to both SLP and AuD graduate students in the fall and spring terms. She is the audiology LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) faculty for the University of Pittsburgh and participates as LEND faculty in the CARES (Connection, Advocacy, Resources, Empowerment and Support) program, a free family centered program to help children and young adults with neurodevelopmental and related disorders, and their families meet their goals. Ms. Vellody’s research interests include pediatric hearing health preventative care and peer assisted learning (PAL) in graduate level health science programs.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from University of Pittsburgh.
• Receives Salary for Employment from UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Pittsburgh
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Nature: Employment.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.