2025 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA
| The Communication Plan: A Tool for Establishing Partnership Between the Family and Audiology in Early Intervention
The Communication Plan: A Tool for Establishing Partnership Between the Family and Audiology in Early Intervention
The Communication Plan is an essential, mandated component of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to facilitate effective communication for school-age students who are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing/Deaf-Blind (D/HH/DB). The primary purpose of the Communication Plan is to establish a discussion among IEP team members in relation to a student’s communication skills, access, and needs. Specifically, it addresses language and communication needs, various communication modalities, opportunities for direct communication and progress, assistive technology, devices, and services. The Communication Plan should be used to complete all sections of the IEP, including accommodations, appropriate specially designed instruction, and IEP goals. While not mandatory in the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), the Communication Plan proves to be beneficial in Early Intervention (EI) settings. Practitioners are encouraged to use this plan to tailor IEP or IFSP services and goals to promote effective communication based on the unique needs of every child. This poster will review the Pennsylvania Communication Plan and describe ways in which this plan can be used to address the communication needs of D/HH/DB children in EI and educational settings, thus facilitating achievement of both IEP and IFSP goals. Participants will gain insights into resources developed by the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), empowering them to apply these tools in their professional practice.
- Participants will be able to explain the importance and usage of the Communication Plan in early intervention
- Participants will be able to describe the components of the Communication Plan and how/when/by whom it is to be completed
- Participants will be able to list ways that audiologists can partner, collaborate, and team with educational professionals, families, and students in preparation for school entry
Presentation:
3478265_16548ShelbySydenstricker.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Shelby Sydenstricker
(Primary Presenter), ses291@pitt.edu;
Shelby Sydenstricker is a third-year Doctor of Audiology student and current LEND trainee at the University of Pittsburgh.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Grants for Other activities from University of Pittsburgh: LEND Audiology Supplement Training Grant.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN).
Nature: Shelby Sydenstricker, Madeline Sutter, and Katherine Bart receive(d) the University of Pittsburgh LEND Center Audiology supplement training grant. Jennifer Craig and Erin Campion: Employed by the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN). Nicole Corbin: Employed by the University of Pittsburgh and Boys Town National Research Hospital. Dr. Jennifer Craig has no non-financial disclosures related to this presentation. Erin Campion is the parent of two adult deaf children.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Madeline Sutter
(Co-Presenter), 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 -
• Receives Grants,Other financial benefit for Other activities from Maternal and Child Health Bureau - LEND Program.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Other relationship (University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Audiology Student; Collected portions of these data as part of clinical practicum requirements for AuD Program)
relationship for Other volunteer activities.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Maternal and Child Health Bureau - LEND Program, Preschool Hearing and Speech Education - University of Pittsburgh.
Nature: University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Audiology Student; Collected Portions of These Data as Part of Clinical Practicum Requirements for AuD Program.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Katherine Bart
(Co-Presenter), kab489@pitt.edu;
Katherine Bart is a third-year Doctor of Audiology student and current LEND trainee at the University of Pittsburgh.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Other financial benefit for Other activities from University of Pittsburgh: LEND Program (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities).
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Institutional (Student at the university)
relationship for Other volunteer activities.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with The LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Center at the University of Pittsburgh .
Nature: Student at the University of Pittsburgh
Trainee of the LEND program.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Jennifer Craig
(Author), Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, jcraig@wpsd.org;
Jennifer Craig has dedicated the majority of her professional career to The Western PA School for the Deaf (WPSD), where she initially served as the Educational Audiologist and Outreach and Parent-Infant Coordinator. Additionally, she was a clinical supervisor and part-time professor at the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught courses in Audiology Assessment, Educational Audiology, and Anatomy and Physiology of Hearing.
For the last five years, Jennifer served as an Educational Consultant for the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), focusing on initiatives related to Deaf and Hard of Hearing education, Deaf-Blind services, secondary transition, and assistive technology. Recently, she rejoined the WPSD team as the Director of Student Life, overseeing the residential program, health center, after-school activities, early intervention, and athletics.
Jennifer's academic journey began and flourished at the University of Pittsburgh, guiding her toward a career in hearing health and deaf education. Her professional goals center on ensuring that children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing achieve outcomes comparable to their hearing peers, promoting communication access, fostering seamless collaboration between clinical and educational settings, and enhancing family involvement in the process.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Erin Campion
(Author), Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), ecampion@pattan.net;
Erin Campion, M.Ed. is the Parent Coordinator for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Initiative at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) Central office and an office lead on the Family Engagement Initiative. Prior to joining PaTTAN, Erin was a classroom teacher for almost 20 years, teaching students from preschool through college. She has a Masters in Education from Regent University. She has served on several statewide advisory boards and published writings within deaf education and the field of disabilities. She is a happily married mother of four: two deaf/two hearing, two boys/two girls, and all with outstanding personalities!
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Nicole Corbin
(Author), Boys Town National Research Hospital, nicole.corbin@boystown.org;
Dr. Nicole E. Corbin is a Scientist and the Director of the Pediatric Binaural Integration Lab at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Her research primarily focuses on the development and outcomes of children who have unilateral hearing loss. Prior to joining Boys Town National Research Hospital, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders and the Co-Investigator of a Pediatric Audiology Training Grant in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) Center. Dr. Corbin continues to collaborate with the University of Pittsburgh in her scientific and audiology training endeavors.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Pittsburgh
Maternal and Child Health Bureau LEND Grant.
Nature: Salary support.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.