2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
| Validating a Learning App for Parents of DHH Infants and Toddlers
Validating a Learning App for Parents of DHH Infants and Toddlers
Family-centered early intervention (FCEI) is the gold standard for families of DHH infants and toddlers, no matter the language approach (Moeller, et al., 2013). For families who choose listening and spoken language (LSL), effective FCEI includes highly trained providers sharing information regarding hearing and hearing technology, language development, and habilitation strategies, and coaching parents in implementing these strategies in their everyday routines (Noll, et al., 2021). Access to such specialized providers can be limited for families who do not live near a LSL program or whose locality provides services only with general early interventionists who do not have experience with deafness (Bar, et al., 2019).
To address these challenges, a team of LSL specialists and parents at the Foundation for Hearing Research developed Talk2MeTM, a parent learning app for families of DHH children from birth through age 3. The web-based app, which can be accessed through phone, tablet, or computer, uses short videos and text to provide parent-friendly lessons about developing listening, receptive and expressive language, speech, cognition, and pragmatics in the child’s home and community. Users move through each domain from foundational to more advanced strategies as their child’s skills progress. Access to the app can be shared with other family members and with EI providers so the entire team learns together. A live coach and help desk are also available.
This poster will detail plans to explore the app’s usability and acceptability through a school-university partnership. Families from across the US are currently being recruited for the randomized waitlist-controlled trial, which provides access to the app for 12 weeks. Pre- and post-questionnaires collect data on children’s listening and language skills, as well as parents’ understanding and use of LSL strategies. Semi-structured interviews provide qualitative feedback on families’ experiences using the app. Preliminary results will be shared.
- Discuss the challenges families of DHH infants and toddlers may encounter in accessing DHH-specific intervention in their local areas.
- Identify the domains of listening, language, and cognition covered in the Talk2MeTM parent learning app.
- Outline the research plan to validate the app through qualitative and quantitative methods.
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Presenters/Authors
Elaine Smolen
(Primary Presenter,Author), Teachers College, Columbia University, es3519@tc.columbia.edu;
Elaine Smolen, PhD, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, is an Assistant Professor of Teaching 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 is proud to be hard of hearing.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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• Receives Salary for Employment from Teachers College, Columbia University.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Financial relationship with Teachers College, Columbia University.
Nature: salary.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Maria Hartman
(Co-Presenter,Author), Teachers College, Columbia University, mch33@columbia.edu;
Maria Hartman, PhD, is the Director of the Program for the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she teaches graduate level courses in language and literacy development as well as courses in assessment and teaching methods. Dr Hartman also supervises pre-service teachers in schools, clinics and agencies that serve deaf and hard of hearing children throughout the New York City area. At Teachers College, her research and publications focus on language and literacy development. Dr. Hartman is a NYS certified Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing with many years of classroom teaching experience.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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No relevant financial relationship exists.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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No relevant financial relationship exists.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
William Doyle
(Author,Co-Author), Foundation for Hearing Research/Weingarten Children's Center, doyle@weingartencc.org;
Bill brings private sector career experience focused on building strong organizations by combining operating management, strategy, and capital. He has managed organizations, served on boards of directors of for-profit and nonprofit entities, raised equity and debt capital as fund manager and investment banker, and provided strategic and operating advice as consultant. He holds a B.S.E. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bill works with FHR and its strategic partners to strengthen, finance, and deliver highly effective early intervention and truly significant impact for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, wherever they may live and whatever their circumstances.
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Meg Farquhar
(Co-Author), Foundation for Hearing Research/Weingarten Children's Center, mfarquhar@weingartencc.org;
Meg is a clinical social worker with 20 years of experience in educational, medical, and community settings and earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is passionate about serving families with children with hearing loss through advocacy, support, direct clinical care, therapeutic interventions, and care coordination. She is a founding member of the Baby Talk program and has worked with the team since 2011. She directs FHR’s outreach efforts with audiology centers and counties throughout the state and leads collaboration and coordinated care with outside medical teams and Early Start. She has worked in community, educational, and medical settings including a decade with Stanford Children’s Health.
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Sara Cline
(Co-Author), Foundation for Hearing Research/Weingarten Children's Center, scline@weingartencc.org;
Sara is an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist who provides teletherapy services through WCC and BabyTalk, and serves as the BabyTalk Program Coordinator. She earned her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her M.A. at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she developed her skills both in clinical intervention and in conducting scientific research. Sara enjoys partnering with parents and caregivers to develop individualized intervention that fits the family’s lifestyle and goals. Sara’s favorite parts of her job are watching children gain confidence and ease in their ability to listen and talk, and seeing parents become skillful communication partners and advocates for their children.
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Jan Christensen
(Co-Author), Foundation for Hearing Research/Weingarten Children's Center, jchristensen@weingartencc.org;
Jan received her teaching credential and Masters Degree in Special Education with a focus on Deaf/Hard of Hearing from San Francisco State University. She has been teaching in special day classrooms for infants and toddlers with cochlear implants and/or hearing aids since 1999. Additionally she was the school program director for the Auditory Oral School of San Francisco and the San Francisco Kids Academy (preschool). As a teacher she worked in mainstream classrooms as an itinerant teacher of the deaf, and provided individual aural rehabilitation for children and adults with cochlear implants. She presented on topics related to hearing loss for parents and professionals, and she is certified trainer for the Program for Infant Toddler Care through West Ed and the California Department of Education. Her journey into deaf education began thirty-three years ago when her oldest son was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. She is proud to have watched him become a successful high school teacher who now holds a doctorate in education. Her experiences raising her son using listening and spoken language inspires her commitment to providing training to parents and professionals to ensure educational success for children with hearing loss. She currently teaches a toddler class at Weingarten Children’s Center and provides parent coaching through the BabyTalk teletherapy program.
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