SLHS Faculty presents at 2024 EHDI National Conference
1.Virtual Site Visits (VSV): Supporting the Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Colorado - Jami Fries (Primary Presenter), Arlene Stredler-Brown (Co-Presenter), Lauren Pontis (Co-Presenter)
Newborn hearing screenings are the first encounter most parents have with anything hearing related. Ensuring a strong newborn hearing screening program in your state is essential to successful outcomes for Deaf/Hard of Hearing children. Screeners set the tone for the importance for follow up (ensuring the 1-3-6 guidelines are being met), and supporting parents' emotions with their children's hearing differences. But our screeners need to be given the tools to make this a successful journey for families. Colorado EHDI and Colorado Hands & Voices adopted and adapted NCHAM’s Virtual Site Visit (VSV) curriculum in 2020 during the peak of COVID. Because of COVID, we were no longer able to make physical visits with hospital screening programs. Our VSV team includes the Colorado EHDI Director, a Colorado Hands & Voices Parent Guide, an audiologist, a cCMV Champion with the CO Chapter of the AAP, and a regional Colorado Hearing (CO-Hear) Resource Coordinator. To date we have conducted 27 VSVs across the state. We have collected data that has helped us shift how we look at newborn hearing screenings, and has also helped guide us on what needs to be done in our state to ensure we have a successful and supportive newborn hearing screening program for families.
2. Using LENA as a Tool to Support Language Outcomes in Early Intervention - Lauren Pontis (Primary Presenter), Kelly Doolittle (Co-presenter), Kimberly Coulter (Co-presenter)
The LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) device, sometimes referred to as a “talk pedometer,” collects information about the spoken language and auditory environment of a child for one day. LENA generates a report indicating the number of adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns, as well as information about the child’s auditory environment. Functional use of the LENA device in CHIP, Colorado’s early intervention program for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, will be discussed. Examples of LENA reports for several children, as well as family perspectives about this powerful technology, will be shared. Ways in which early intervention providers can utilize data from the detailed LENA report to guide their sessions and to support language outcomes will be explored.
For more information regarding next years EHDI Annual Conference please visit EHDI Annual Conference.