EAA 2023 Summer Conference
June 20 – 22, 2023
Educational Audiology Association is approved by the American Academy of Audiology to offer Academy CEUs for this activity. The program is worth a maximum of 1.35 CEUs. Academy approval of this continuing education activity is based on course content only and does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedure, or adherence of the event to the Academy’s Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/CE Provider and not necessarily of the American Academy of Audiology.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 20th
Registration Open – 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Welcome Reception, Exhibits, and Poster Sessions:
Poster Sessions (Instructional level varies, up to .15 CEUs):
A Critical Review of Audiological Outcome Measure for School-Age Children
Description: Although there are several questionnaires as outcome measures available for the pediatric population, most of them focus on infants and young children and are completed by the parents alone. These subjective measures are also crucial for school-aged children with hearing losses to validate their amplification and to monitor outcomes reported not only from the parents’ perspectives, but also from the student and their teachers. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) to compile the current questionnaire-based outcome measures for school-aged children and critically review them based on the conceptual clarity, norms and standard values, clinical burden, reliability, validity, responsiveness, culture/language adaptations, etc. (2) to suggest questionnaires for each category, including speech perception in quiet and in noise, listening effort/fatigue, localization, and social/emotional impact of hearing aids. We hope that this study will provide educational audiologists, SLPs, and teachers with a concise list of available and effective outcome measures for children with hearing losses and their teachers, parents, and other frequent communication others to provide a child-centered care.
Presenter: Trudy Jacobs is a 2nd year Doctor of Audiology candidate at the University of Iowa. She is originally from Houston, TX and got her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO. Trudy is particularly passionate about Pediatric and Educational Audiology.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to list the current available outcome measures in questionnaires for school-aged children.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the effective outcome measures for each category, speech perception in quiet and in noise, listening effort/fatigue, localization, and social/emotions.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to demonstrate the utilization of the selected questionnaires for older children, parent(s), and teacher(s) in a child-centered care at a school setting.
A Survey of Classroom Teachers’ Knowledge Regarding Audiology
Description: In this study, the authors examined classroom teachers’ awareness of the profession of audiology. The purpose of the study was to determine the familiarity teachers have with educational audiologists as well as their confidence levels in teaching Deaf/Hard of Hearing children. The survey analyzed teachers’ prior exposure to students with hearing loss, how much access they have to audiological resources, and their knowledge on the interconnectedness between education and audiology. A survey was created using Qualtrics and sent out via email and social media sites. A total of 117 people from 7 different states in the United States of America responded to the survey between January to March 2022. Most teachers indicated that their school system does not employ an educational audiologist. This is likely attributed to the fact that most respondents of the survey teach in a private school system. Overall, findings from this survey indicate that most participants are confident in teaching a child with hearing loss, have little to no experience with educational audiologists as their school system does not employ one, and are unaware of the services an educational audiologist provides.
Presenters: Dr. Alisha Jones earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences, Clinical Doctorate in Audiology, and Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology from the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Jones is currently an associate professor in the department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. Her research focuses on the effects of prematurity on the auditory system, newborn hearing screening education, and aural (re)habilitation. The long-term goal of her research to understand the long-term effects of prematurity on the auditory and vestibular system and develop an early intervention plan to prevent/rehabilitate those deficits.
Dr. Kathleen Lea provides clinical teaching and supervision for Doctor of Audiology student clinicians during practicum experiences at the Auburn University Speech and Hearing Clinic. She also teaches audiology graduate level courses. Her interests include pediatric populations, exceptional individual populations, and auditory evoked potential testing. Prior to Auburn University, Dr. Lea worked as an audiologist at a five physician ENT practice in Tennessee, a multi-specialty physician group in Georgia, and as an educational audiologist serving an eight-county territory region in Georgia.
Mackenzie Harris is a fourth-year Doctor of Audiology student from Peachtree City, GA. She pursued her undergraduate degree at Auburn University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. Her hobbies include spending time with family, drinking lots of coffee, and running. Mackenzie is passionate about serving others and believes audiology is the vessel through which she can fulfill her calling.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify previous research results regarding this topic.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify reasons for the current research results.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify future research needs of the profession.
Hearing Health Awareness and the Role for Educational Outreach Amongst Teachers in Malawi, Africa
Description: Malawi, a low-income country in southeastern Africa, lacks identification and intervention measures for hearing loss. Due to constrained resources, an educational awareness campaign targeted at professionals is a cost-effective instrument in promoting healthcare through awareness, prevention, and early identification of hearing loss. The aim of this study is to assess school teachers’ knowledge of hearing health, audiology services, identification, and management of hearing issues before and after an educational intervention. Compared to the Pre-Survey, the average score on the Post-Survey was significantly improved with the educational intervention. The only predictive variable was location of the school within the capital compared to rural sites. The results suggest that there is a significant improvement in the implementation of an educational program to increase the knowledge and awareness of hearing healthcare among teachers. Our data supports that awareness interventions can be an effective and low cost option to equip teachers to effectively serve as an advocate for improved identification, early diagnosis and appropriate referral of students with hearing loss.
Presenter: Kelly Gordie is a Doctor of Audiology student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She is to graduate May 2023. Kelly is currently completing her externship at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida with a desire to continue a career in pediatric and educational audiology. Throughout her academic career, Kelly has gained a strong interest for humanitarian and global audiology with ongoing professional collaborations with the Audiology Department of the African Bible College in Lilongwe, Malawi in sub-Saharan Africa. She is passionate about early intervention for children with hearing loss and audiologic community outreach for vulnerable populations.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe the current barriers to identifying children with hearing loss in Malawi and other low-income countries.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the most effective tools for low-income countries to combat hearing loss.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how hearing health educational programs can be helpful in identifying children with hearing loss.
Deciding factors in selecting a career path in educational audiology: A survey of audiologists and audiology externs
Description: Educational Audiologists are health-related professionals who specialize in prevention, identification, and treatment of hearing loss for children 3 years of age to 21 in the school system. Given that they play a critical role in ensuring the success of deaf and hard of hearing students, the Educational Audiology Association (EAA) and the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) recommend a ratio of one educational audiologist per 10,000 schoolchildren. However, no state currently meets this ratio, and many far exceed the recommendation. Recognizing there may be a possible shortage of educational audiologists, this project focused on creating a survey designed to identify what factors persuade or dissuade audiologists from pursuing a career as educational audiologists.
Presenter: Natasha Seaton is a former teacher of the deaf and recent graduate from The University of Arizona with a doctorate degree in audiology. As a graduate student she was involved in NSSLHA and SAA. As a former TOD and a graduate student member of the Educational Audiology Association Advocacy Team, she is acutely aware of the shortages and struggles educational audiologists face. To bring awareness and identify potential solutions, she focused her doctoral project on surveying audiologists and their decision on whether or not to become an educational audiologist. Her project was awarded a grant through the University of Arizona’s Graduate and Professional Student Counsel.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe two perceived factors that motivate individuals to become educational audiologists.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe two perceived factors that deter individuals from becoming educational audiologists.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify one or more possible recommendations for recruiting new educational audiologists.
Decision-Making Factors of Caregivers When Choosing an Oral-Only Communication Modality in Children with Hearing Loss
Description: Despite hearing loss being the most common birth defect in the United States, more than 90% of deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children are born to hearing parents. Since the Early Hearing Detection and Identification Act of 2010, more than 95% of infants in the United States undergo a universal newborn hearing screening. Infants who do not pass the screening are on track to be identified at three months and receive intervention strategies by six months of age. Caregivers are coping with this same timeline to make decisions about the communication modalities for their children that could impact them for a lifetime. To better understand their decision-making processes, this study used semi-structured interviews with caregivers whose children were identified with any degree or type of hearing loss in the first three months of birth. Participants were asked about their journeys with their child’s diagnosis and the factors that affected their decision to choose an oral-only communication modality. Preliminary data will be shared during the presentation, along with recommendations for audiologists working with these children and their families based on the participants’ experiences.
Presenter: Kasey Cain, B.S. is a second-year Doctor of Audiology student at California State University, Sacramento and an ASTra Educational Parent Advocate at California Hands & Voices. She became passionate about audiology and helping other families with DHH children after her first son was born with hearing loss. She knows how valuable it is to have the specialized support and resources to help parents make the best-informed decisions for their child’s educational needs. Kasey plans to work in pediatrics and educational audiology to help children and support other parents through their child’s unique journey.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe caregiver concerns after learning of their child’s hearing loss diagnosis.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify potential obstacles that caregivers may face to be aware of when counseling families.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to state factors that led to the decision of an oral-only communication modality for families of deaf or hard-of-hearing children.
Cultural & Informational Center for Individuals with Hearing Needs
Description: Often individuals and their families have limited access to impartial information about hearing and hearing differences. It is known that better outcomes for the management, treatment, and acceptance of hearing differences can be related to greater knowledge. This poster presentation will discuss the need and development of an accessible and neutral center where individuals and their families can access diverse information around topics related to hearing and hearing differences. It will also cover details about fundraising and development of this cultural and informational center.
Presenter: Kelly Sarhage – I am a third-year student in the doctoral of audiology program at Illinois State University. In 2021, I began volunteering with Dr. Tena McNamara and the Peoria Area Speech-Language Hearing Association (PASHA) to help establish the Cultural & Informational Center for Individuals with Hearing Needs. Since then, our University’s Student Academy of Audiology chapter and I have collaborated to fundraise and raise awareness in both the creation and need for establishing this Center. I am excited to be continuing this work next year during my 4th year externship at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL and hope to continue to spread awareness of our efforts!
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to list the importance of improved personal health literacy on hearing loss/differences for individuals and their families.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to create a step-by-step plan for development of a cultural/informational center.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify funding sources and describe management strategies for a center.
Wednesday, June 21st
8:00 am – 9:30 am – Keynote: Let’s Talk About Stress & Burnout, Joy Stories, and Resiliency in Audiology (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Diana Emanuel, PhD, CCC-A
Description: Stress and burnout have a tremendous impact on physical and mental health. Curiously, audiology is often labelled a low-stress profession based on broad categories of stressors considered across diverse careers. However, to label an entire profession as low stress diminishes the lived experience of individual audiologists who experience stress and burnout in the workplace that impacts their professional caregiving role and quality of life. This talk will describe stress and burnout, provide approaches to build resiliency in the workplace, and share share audiologists’ joy stories that serve to remind us of the powerful positive impact we have on our patients.
Presenter: Diana Emanuel, PhD, CCC-A, is a professor in the Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Department at Towson University. She has 30 years of teaching experience and received the USM Regent’s Award for excellence in teaching. She has 28 years of academic leadership and faculty mentoring experience, serving as founding director of TU’s AuD program and as department chairperson. Her scholarship is eclectic, including textbook, book chapters, journal articles, editorials, tutorials, webinars, and open-access video training (Pure Tone Hearing Screening in Schools). Her current research focus is the Lived Experience of the Audiologist project, an exploration of the rich perspectives of audiologists.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe the difference between stress and burnout.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to list common stressors facing audiologists in the workplace.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe strategies audiologists can use to build resiliency.
10:00 am – 11:30 am
#EdAudAdvocacy: How to Advocate for Educational Audiology When the Service Doesn’t Exist (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Kym Meyer, PhD, CCC-A
Description: Educational audiology is a related service stated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; special education law). However, EdAud service delivery can be sporadic and too many special education directors tell parents/school providers “we don’t have that service here.” This presentation will provide information and resources to advocate for EdAud services “where it does not exist.” Come and learn how the #EdAudAdvocacy hashtag came to be, and how you can use it in your social media to make educational audiology visible!
Presenter: Kym Meyer, Ph.D. worked in Deaf Education for 30 years as a teacher, an educational audiologist and program administrator. In 2002, she created the first Massachusetts public school educational audiology consultation program and has the only #EdAudAdvocacy page on Wrightslaw (a special education law website for parents).
In 2021, she completed a PhD in Special Education Policy at UMass-Amherst in order to help school personnel outside of DeafEd understand the language and learning needs of low incidence deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children. In 2022, Dr. Meyer completed a Certificate in Disability and Health Policy through LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Fellowship at the Shriver Center/UMass/Chan Medical School. LEND provides graduate-level interdisciplinary training to improve the health of children and youth with developmental disabilities. If you are interested in improving services and reducing systemic barriers for disabled people, applying for a LEND Fellowship in your state is highly recommended: https://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=473
Dr. Meyer’s research interests include interprofessional practices to improve service delivery and prevent language deprivation in DHH children. In her new role as Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Worcester State University, she teaches #RethinkingAuralRehab courses to undergraduate and graduate SLP students, and looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to improve services for DHH students everywhere.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the laws and resources that support access to educational audiology.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify ways an educational audiologist can collaborate with other school professionals, including the teacher of the deaf, speech-language pathologist, special educators, and clinical audiologists.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify services that educational audiologists provide as a school district employee and as an itinerant service.
Collaboration between Educational Audiologists and Teachers of the Deaf: Understanding Current Practices and Preparing Future Providers (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Samantha Gustafson, AuD, PhD; Nicole Pilling, M.Ed., AVEd, LSLS Cert
Description: Collaboration between educational audiologists and teachers of students who are deaf/hard of hearing (TSDHH) is essential to developing successful, comprehensive service delivery plans for students with hearing loss. Despite the importance, little is known about how these two professions work together. In this break-out session, we will discuss the results of a study funded by the Educational Audiology Association that explored the self-reported collaborative practices of 759 TSDHH and educational audiologists. Using these data, we will share (1) elements of successful partnerships, (2) barriers to effective collaboration, (3) impacts of collaborative practices on job responsibilities outside one’s scope of practice, and (4) factors that influence collaboration. This break-out session will conclude with an interactive discussion of how the fields of educational audiology and education can improve collaboration between educational audiologists and TSDHH via interdisciplinary training of future providers.
Presenters: Samantha Gustafson, AuD, PhD, CCC-A is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Gustafson has specialized clinical training in pediatrics and in working with children who have hearing loss along with other healthcare needs. Dr. Gustafson’s research uses a variety of research methods – including behavioral responses and cortical-evoked potentials – to enrich our understanding of typical auditory development in the school-age population, to describe how childhood hearing loss influences this development, and to evaluate the role of hearing assistive technology in mitigating challenges caused by hearing loss. She also studies collaboration between educational audiologists and teachers of students with hearing loss and co-directs a training program for graduate students preparing to work with school-age children with hearing loss.
Nicole Pilling, M.Ed., AVEd, LSLS Cert. is the Program Coordinator and assistant professor in the Deaf Education Teacher Training Program within the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah. She teaches courses in language, speech, and auditory development as well as educational instruction and programming for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Nicole is a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist and comes from a background of classroom and clinical experience providing services to children with hearing loss and their families.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe two practices that facilitate collaboration between educational audiologists and teachers of students who are deaf/hard of hearing.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify at least two barriers to collaboration between educational audiologists and teachers of students who are deaf/hard of hearing.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss the role that collaboration has in operating within your scope of practice.
Addressing Listening Needs of Underserved Children in Schools (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Brandy Heckroodt, Au.D.
Description: Children that present with normal hearing sensitivity may still experience challenges in the classroom and at home. This presentation will discuss ways to address the listening needs of children with Autism, auditory processing disorders (APD), and unilateral hearing loss (UHL).
Presenter: Brandy Heckroodt, Au.D. is an Audiology Development Manager for Phonak US. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Nova Southeastern University, and practiced privately until she joined Phonak in 2012 as a Lyric Clinical Trainer. Brandy continued to support independent providers as a Clinical Trainer for all solutions, as well as a Clinical Training Manager, where she led a team of Clinical Trainers on the east coast until 2021, when she moved to her current role on the Audiology and Education team. Brandy has presented informative sessions regarding Phonak products, thought leadership topics such as eAudiology, cognition, social-emotional and physical well-being, and led experiential trainings locally and globally. Dr. Heckroodt is passionate about supporting audiologists and patients live a life without limitations.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to list listening challenges of children with autism and unilateral hearing loss.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to list questionnaires available to administer to families and teachers.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to list 1 way to address listening difficulties in these special populations.
12:00 pm – 1:20 pm Lunch – EAA Annual Meeting and Frederick S. Berg Award Presentation
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Contracting with Schools 101 (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Rachel Parkington, AuD; Sarah Florence, AuD; Kate Jablonski, AuD
Description: This presentation will focus on how to establish relationships with school districts by contracting services that support students with hearing related needs. Topics will include: start up and set up of your business, marketing, contractual agreements, service models and business growth. We will also discuss how onboarding districts through education and needs assessment leads to successfully supporting caseloads.
Presenters: Dr. Jablonski received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Washington University and her Doctorate from AT Still University, Arizona School of Health Sciences. Since 2001, Dr. Jablonski has worked as an Educational Audiologist with students ages 3 to 21 in districts around greater Puget Sound and founded Sound Audiology Consulting in 2007. From 2008 to 2011 Dr. Jablonski was employed by Phonak as commercial territory sales manager for Washington and Alaska. In 2011, she returned to Educational Audiology in school districts full time. In 2019 she was a founding partner in Wave Education Partners providing support for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in underserved areas of greater Puget Sound and assisting in developing in District Audiology support programs. At home Dr. Jablonski enjoys traveling the world with her husband and two sons and rehabbing unloved furniture.
Dr. Rachel Parkington earned her Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D) from The University of Northern Colorado and her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Communication Disorders from The University of Massachusetts. Dr. Parkington is the founder and owner of Hear to Learn, LLC, a company that provides Educational Audiology services throughout New Hampshire to students aged 3-21 years. Dr. Parkington is very active in her state and is currently the president of the New Hampshire Academy of Audiology. She is also a member of the Educational Audiology Association (EAA) Advocacy Committee and is the New Hampshire EAA State Representative. In her free time, she spends time with her husband, son, and twin girls enjoying the many outdoor activities that New Hampshire has to offer.
Sarah Florence, Au.D. received her B.S. in Communication Disorders from Baylor University (1999) and her M.S. in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas (2001). In 2010, she completed her Doctor of Audiology degree at A.T. Still University. Dr. Florence has worked primarily as a Pediatric Audiologist at The University of Texas at Dallas and The University of North Texas since 2001 with a focus on Educational Audiology and Cochlear Implants. She is currently licensed in three states: Texas, Colorado (CDE), and Wisconsin. Since moving to Colorado in 2017, Dr. Florence has provided remote educational audiology services to school districts from her home in Colorado. She currently works as an Account Executive with DotCom Therapy to improve access to special services for students across the country.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the basics needed to start an educational consulting business.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the important building blocks for a contractual/service agreement.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how time management and building relationships with districts are critical to caseload and workload success.
Effective School-Based Solutions for Auditory Processing: Assessment & Intervention (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Amy Bradbury, AuD, CCC-A; Matthew Barker, AuD, CCC-A, MNZAS
Description: Management of auditory processing can be quite overwhelming for an educational audiologist. It is an evolving area of audiology and taking the time to review all the opinions and approaches can be very time consuming and confusing, yet schools are reliant on the knowledge of the educational audiologist to guide them in this area. There are many aspects to consider, including the number of students that should be tested for deficits, who is able to administer the screening/testing, and when should referral to the educational audiologist be initiated. In addition, there is a continual need to maintain knowledge of current and effective assessment and intervention approaches. This session will focus on the experience of an educational audiology team that has managed hundreds of students across multiple districts involving direct support from the speech/language pathologists and school psychologists. A framework for assessment and intervention from the individual student level up through managing large numbers of students will be presented. Specific new evidence-based methods for testing and intervention of students will be reviewed. Practical hands-on experience will be included.
Presenters: Amy M. Bradbury, AuD. CCC-A received her Doctorate in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2007. Dr. Bradbury has worked as an educational audiologist in the Central New York area for the past 20 years. Her previous experience includes working in otolaryngology offices and private practice with children and adults. Dr. Bradbury continues to be a preceptor for Au.D. students enrolled in Syracuse University and enjoys sharing her rewarding career in educational audiology with her students. She is passionate about creating awareness and providing continued education to children and school personnel on diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss and diagnosis and intervention of central auditory processing disorder. Dr. Bradbury is also committed to providing continued education to children and school personnel on improvement of classroom acoustics and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. Dr. Bradbury’s interview for educational audiology was recently published in Dr. Frank Musiek’s online Pathways magazine through Hearing Health Matters.
Matthew Barker, AuD CCC-A and MNZAS, is the director of Acoustic Pioneer and developed the tools to be discussed in this seminar. He has been pursuing improvements in the auditory processing area since his doctoral research project in 2003 from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has published multiple journal articles and has presented internationally on the subject. In addition, he has been adjunct lecturer for Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand and with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas teaching courses in auditory processing, psychoacoustics, advanced amplification and aural rehabilitation.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to state ways to easily measure for auditory processing deficits outside of a sound booth.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain ways to liaise with and support local educational professionals (e.g., SLPs and educational psychologists) for management of students with auditory processing deficits.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify ways to monitor, or support the monitoring of, direct targeted interventions for students.
Evidence to support automation in on-ear and remote hearing solutions (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Brandy Heckroodt, Au.D.
Description: In order to thrive in school, it is important that both hearing instruments and remote microphones have integrated and automatic technology that allows the listener to access speech in the most challenging of listening environments. This session will focus on the research supporting automation when it comes to hearing aid and remote microphone technologies.
Presenter: Brandy Heckroodt, Au.D. is an Audiology Development Manager for Phonak US. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Nova Southeastern University, and practiced privately until she joined Phonak in 2012 as a Lyric Clinical Trainer. Brandy continued to support independent providers as a Clinical Trainer for all solutions, as well as a Clinical Training Manager, where she led a team of Clinical Trainers on the east coast until 2021, when she moved to her current role on the Audiology and Education team. Brandy has presented informative sessions regarding Phonak products, thought leadership topics such as eAudiology, cognition, social-emotional and physical well-being, and led experiential trainings locally and globally. Dr. Heckroodt is passionate about supporting audiologists and patients live a life without limitations.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain why hearing aid beamformer automation is beneficial.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe why remote microphone automatic adaptations are beneficial.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to list the reasons why you would choose automation over manual behavior.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Development of Autonomy in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children with Social Emotional Involvement (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Katelyn Monaghan, AuD, ToD/HoH
Description: In this session, you will explore the DESE definitions of impairment, how D/HoH children fit into this definition, the impacts of social-emotional learning on literacy and language development, and support the student to develop their autonomy to persevere and succeed socially and academically.
Presenter: Katelyn McLaughlin Monaghan, M.A., Au.D., CCC-A, OSEP Scholar for Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Fontbonne University received her Master’s in Audiology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2006 and completed her doctorate in Audiology from AT. Still Arizona Health Sciences in 2012. Dr. McLaughlin Monaghan has worked as a clinical audiologist focusing on pediatrics, was an associate professor in the Au.D. program it Northeastern University, worked as an educational audiologist, and now as an Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing through emergency licensure in Massachusetts. Dr. McLaughlin Monaghan is an Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Clarke School for Hearing and Speech.
Dr. McLaughlin Monaghan’s passion has been to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing students have the most optimal access to their curriculum, working directly with the students, consulting with their teachers’, and the students’ families.
Dr. McLaughlin Monaghan has a unique perspective on auditory development, diagnosis, pathologies, technology, educational intervention, and differentiation, and how to provide a collaborative team for students with these perspectives in mind. Dr. Monaghan also provides educational consultation to a large pediatric primary care practice in Massachusetts.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the DESE definition of Emotional Disturbance and how Deaf and Hard of Hearing children with social emotional involvement fit the DESE definition for eligibility for special education services.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify how the physiology of the auditory system can lead to a greater risk of social emotional difficulties.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to apply the basic psychological needs of children to the application of autonomy to D.HoH children and help to facilitate autonomy.
Conversations with deaf/hard of hearing audiologists: how audism/ableism impacts our work and life experiences, and what can we do as a profession? (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Kym Meyer, Ph.D., CCC-A; Sarah Sparks, AuD; Tina Childress, AuD; Michelle Hu, AuD
Description: Deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) audiologists are in a unique position as professionals and as clients of services. However, most audiologists are not aware of the discrimination (audism/ableism) that DHH people experience. This panel is an opportunity for DHH audiologists to discuss their experiences, and for audience members to ask questions.
Presenters: Tina Childress, Au.D., CCC-A is an educational audiologist in the mainstream and residential school settings. She is also an award-winning presenter, adjunct lecturer, mentor for children and adults, and is active on various local, state and national Boards and Committees as well as social media. As a late-deafened adult with bilateral cochlear implants and who is fluent in ASL, she is able to seamlessly navigate between the Deaf and Hearing worlds. Her areas of expertise include assistive technology for visual and auditory communicators, advocacy to promote accessibility in venues such as the performing arts and virtual conference platforms, apps and psychosocial adjustment to hearing loss. Dr. Childress has created numerous online resources on a variety of technology and accessibility-related subjects in an effort to help individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing connect to the world around them. Her resources can be found at http://TinaChildressAuD.com
Michelle Hu has been a pediatric audiologist for over 13 years working specifically with the diagnosis, hearing amplification, cochlear implant evaluation, programming and aural rehabilitation. Something unique about her is that she grew up hard of hearing herself. She was fit with hearing aids at age 3 years and now utilizes bilateral cochlear implants. She is the creator of Mama Hu Hears, a safe space to share, laugh, learn and inspire others about living life with hearing loss.
Kym Meyer, Ph.D. worked in Deaf Education for 30 years as a teacher, an educational audiologist and program administrator. In 2002, she created the first Massachusetts public school educational audiology consultation program and has the only #EdAudAdvocacy page on Wrightslaw (a special education law website for parents).
In 2021, she completed a PhD in Special Education Policy at UMass-Amherst in order to help school personnel outside of DeafEd understand the language and learning needs of low incidence deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children. In 2022, Dr. Meyer completed a Certificate in Disability and Health Policy through LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Fellowship at the Shriver Center/UMass/Chan Medical School. LEND provides graduate-level interdisciplinary training to improve the health of children and youth with developmental disabilities. If you are interested in improving services and reducing systemic barriers for disabled people, applying for a LEND Fellowship in your state is highly recommended: https://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=473
Dr. Meyer’s research interests include interprofessional practices to improve service delivery and prevent language deprivation in DHH children. In her new role as Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Worcester State University, she teaches #RethinkingAuralRehab courses to undergraduate and graduate SLP students, and looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to improve services for DHH students everywhere.
Sarah Sparks is an educational audiologist within a large urban public school district. She is also the founder of Audiology Outside the Box, through which she provides online aural (re)habilitation, audiologic counseling, and education about audiology topics. Additionally, she teaches graduate level audiology courses for AuD students as well as students in other deafness-related disciplines. She holds an AuD from Gallaudet University and four master’s degrees, including one in early childhood education. Her clinical interests are pediatric audiology, aural (re)habilitation, cochlear implants, pediatric vestibular assessment, and ASL-English bilingual audiology services.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe the relationship of audism to Deaf culture and the audiology profession.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to apply strategies for addressing audism in their workplaces and professional careers.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to recognize the impacts of audism on Deaf, deaf, and hard of hearing students and colleagues.
Diagnostic Auditory Evaluations with Infants, Toddlers, and Older Children Who Have Developmental Disabilities (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Robert Fifer, PhD
Description: There are occasions when pediatric audiology can be as much an art as it is a science. Standards of care are based on typically developing children and designed to provide accurate hearing sensitivity information. The goal of these standards must remain universal for all children. But the pathway to achieve this goal may be different for children with developmental disabilities. The science of what we do as pediatric audiologists must endure, but our efforts then become estimates of hearing abilities rather than precise measurements. Knowledge of frequency bandwidth, sideband characteristics, and other stimulus characteristics is essential when non-standard stimuli are necessary to capture the child’s attention and generate a response. Rules of when non-standard stimuli can or cannot be used must be obeyed. Knowledge of auditory neuroanatomy and neurophysiology for sound field or evoked potential testing is essential in order to maximize efficiency, minimize error, and recognize limitations of diagnostic testing. This presentation will discuss methods of generating accurate estimates of hearing sensitivity in extremely difficult to test developmentally disabled children.
Presenter: Robert C. Fifer, Ph.D. is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Audiology and SpeechLanguage Pathology at the Mailman Center for Child Development, Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Speech-Language Pathology with a minor in Deaf Education. His M.A. degree is from Central Michigan University in Audiology. And his Ph.D. degree is from Baylor College of Medicine in Audiology and Bioacoustics. Dr. Fifer’s clinical and research interests focus on the areas of auditory evoked potentials, central auditory processing, early detection of hearing loss in children, and auditory anatomy and physiology. His non-clinical interests focus on health care economics. He is a Past-President of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, a former member of ASHA’s Health Care Economics Committee, and the former ASHA representative to the American Medical Association’s Health Care Professions Advisory Committee for the Relative Value Utilization Committee in addition to being ASHA’s representative to the AMA’s Practice Expense Advisory Committee from 2002 until 2014. From 2016 through 2018 he was a member of the ASHA Board of Directors as the Vice President for Audiology Practice. Additional responsibilities at the state level include serving as a consultant to the Florida Department of Health’s Children’s Medical Services, Florida Medicaid, and audiology representative to the Genetics and Newborn Screening Advisory Council, and audiology representative to the State EHDI Advisory Council. In 2016 he was part of an interdisciplinary team to study the long-term effects of the Zika virus. And in 2017, he became the project director for a HRSA grant to establish health care infrastructure and resource materials concerning the Zika virus for health care providers in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss the difference between subjective and objective stimulus characteristics for estimating hearing sensitivity.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify diagnostic limitations based on stimulus or response attributes.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify cross-check procedures necessary to validate behavioral or evoked potential responses.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Networking and Mingling Social Event
Thursday, June 22nd
8:00 am – 9:30 am
The Role of Educational Audiologists in Supporting Transition for Deaf Youth (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Nicole Genser, BA; Sarah Sparks, AuD, CCC-A, CH-TM
Description: Like all youth, deaf students experience transition at various points in their academic career. However, they face unique barriers throughout this process and leverage support networks available to them. Many professionals, such as educators, accessibility service providers, speech language pathologists, are part of this network, but it is often unclear where educational audiologists fit in. A successful transition involves effective planning, a team-based approach, and motivating the student to take an active role in making decisions. This session will explore the role of the educational audiologist and how they can use their services to support deaf students through educational transition. Areas covered will include, but are not limited to, self-advocacy development and securing and use of accommodations throughout the transition. We will also discuss the importance of collaboration with other key professionals in this process and provide recommendations for how to get started.
Presenters: Nicole Genser is an audiology doctoral student at Montclair State University and a Research & Data Team member at the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes. She has engaged in multiple educational and advocacy-based initiatives related to promoting equal access for deaf individuals. Being deaf and a hearing-aid user herself, she is motivated towards fusing her academic, work, and personal experiences to help close substantial gaps in these areas. Her clinical and research interests relate to exploring developments in the field of audiology, and higher education, particular to working with teens and young adults with hearing loss.
Sarah Sparks is an educational audiologist within a large urban public school district. She is also the founder of Audiology Outside the Box, through which she provides online aural (re)habilitation, audiologic counseling, and education about audiology topics. Additionally, she teaches graduate level audiology courses for AuD students as well as students in other deafness-related disciplines. She holds an AuD from Gallaudet University and four master’s degrees, including one in early childhood education. Her clinical interests are pediatric audiology, aural (re)habilitation, cochlear implants, pediatric vestibular assessment, and ASL-English bilingual audiology services.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe your role as an educational audiologist in transition for deaf students.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify key collaborators important to work with and each of their roles in facilitating the transition process.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to recall resources that available to you to support deaf students.
The TEST OF AUDITORY FUNCTIONING (TAF): A Criterion-Based Test for Toddlers through School-Aged Kiddos Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Donald Goldberg, PhD
Description: Following years of analysis and planning, field testing on four continents (and COVID!) — the TEST OF AUDITORY FUNCTIONING is in production for release by BlueTree Publishing. The TAF includes 19 subtests from Duration Discrimination, Pitch Discrimination, F0 Discrimination and Recognition, Environmental Sound Recognition, the Ling Six Sounds, Learning to Listen (LTL) Animal and Vehicle Sounds, four measures of Pattern Perception, Word Recognition (one and two critical elements), Sequencing (Quiet and +10 SNR), and Listening Comprehension measures (Quiet, +5, and 0 SNR). Beautifully illustrated, testing formats will include images on easel-format (with audioclips on a jump drive) and as an APP. The TAF is targeted for Educational Audiologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Teachers of the Deaf, Cochlear Implant diagnostic team members, PLUS — all in great need of measuring baseline data on the auditory functioning skills and abilities of their “guests.” Intended for annual administration, this criterion-based measure also provides clear insights into the level an individual with hearing “difference” “breaks down” for goal and objective setting for follow-up intervention.
This presentation will focus significantly on the Test of Auditory Functioning and will not include information on other similar or related products.
Presenter: Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP / A, LSLS Cert. AVT, is a Full Professor at the College of Wooster in Ohio. He also serves on the Professional Staff of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Goldberg’s areas of clinical and research activities are focused on the auditory and spoken language outcomes of infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing; notably with youngsters using cochlear implants and/ or hearing aids. Goldberg is the co-author of Educational Audiology for the Limited Hearing Infant and Preschooler (1997, Pollack, Goldberg, & Caleffe-Schenck), along with numerous book chapters, and journal contributions. He is a Past President of both the AG Bell Board of Directors and the AG Bell Academy Board.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify how the TEST OF AUDITORY FUNCTIONING can determine most basic through higher levels of auditory functioning for preschoolers through school-aged “guests” (and potentially Adults!) with hearing differences.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to view and then be able to identify the content, testing instruction, scoring, and determination of ceiling level for the 19 subtests of the TAF.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to perform annual TAF administration in order to determine each child’s current auditory functioning level and develop intervention targets.
Optimizing Your Hearing Aid or Cochlear Implant Programming Appointment (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Michelle Hu, AuD
Description: Technological advances seem to be at an all time high with a multitude of amplification options available for DHH people. However each person’s brain and neural pathways respond differently from one person to the next – even from one person’s right ear vs their left ear. Deaf/Hard of Hearing audiologists are far and few between – most have hearing within normal limits. As a hard of hearing adult who grew up utilizing hearing aids and now cochlear implants, I know first hand how important it is for my hearing devices to be working and programmed optimally. I’ve experienced broken cables, clogged microphones, intermittent battery contacts, painful ear molds and moisture filled earmold tubing. As an audiologist I’ve spent years studying and manipulating the programming for many of these different devices. I’m here to help bridge the communication gap between student and audiologist and help optimize their programming or troubleshooting appointments. Because it can be difficult to explain, express and recreate, I’ve created a list of tactics to help bridge the gap between patient and audiologist in order to support and optimize programming and troubleshooting appointments.
Presenter: Michelle Hu has been a pediatric audiologist for over 13 years working specifically with the diagnosis, hearing amplification, cochlear implant evaluation, programming and aural rehabilitation. Something unique about her is that she grew up hard of hearing herself. She was fit with hearing aids at age 3 years and now utilizes bilateral cochlear implants. She is the creator of Mama Hu Hears, a safe space to share, laugh, learn and inspire others about living life with hearing loss.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to utilize patient empowerment, patient/professional partnership and patient/professional collaboration to optimize outcomes
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the benefits of constructive and critical thinking as an amplification user and how to express/communicate with their student/patient’s audiologist or hearing aid dispenser.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to utilize strategies and tactics to help students understand and express appropriately in order to enhance their user experience/collaboration with their professional.
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Low Gain Hearing Aids for Children and Teens with Normal Pure-Tone Audiograms and Functional Communication Deficits (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Dave Gordey, PhD; Jessie Bradley AuD; Gail Whitelaw, PhD
Description: Guidelines have emphasized the importance of investigating the functional auditory abilities of children referred for hearing assessments. Children with normal pure tone audiograms have reported listening and communication difficulties associated with deficits in managing auditory information. However, investigating children with auditory deficits (e.g., auditory processing) may be challenging, as test batteries and recommendations for treatment are highly variable. Researchers from educational audiology, clinical and university practice, and the hearing device industry will discuss findings from survey and interview research from North American Audiologists’ on their assessment and management practices of children with functional communication deficits and normal pure-tone audiograms. This will include audiologist’s recommendations for using low gain hearing aids and remote microphones. Presenters will reflect upon these findings and engage attendees in a discussion of this developing area of audiology.
Presenters: Dave Gordey, Ph.D., has been a pediatric audiologist for over twenty years. Dave is the director of pediatric audiology and research for Oticon and an adjunct professor at Western university. Dave’s current research projects include pediatric hearing aids, unilateral hearing loss, functional communication deficits in children with normal peripheral hearing, and the social and emotional development of children with hearing loss.
Dr. Jessie Bennett Bradley, Au.D., CCC-A is an Educational Audiologist at Oswego County B.O.C.E.S. Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation. She earned her Doctorate of Audiology at Central Michigan University in 2000 and has actively served as an Educational Audiology Association State Representative for New York since 2020. Dr. Bradley is committed to advocating for and empowering children with hearing loss and auditory processing disorders. She has dedicated her career to increasing awareness in schools and communities in the Central NY region on topics ranging from the importance of Educational Audiology services, the treatment and management of hearing loss and auditory processing disorders in school-aged children, the importance of classroom acoustics and hearing assistance technology on enhancing access to communication and instruction, and the impact of noise exposure and hearing loss prevention in teens.
Gail M. Whitelaw, Ph.D., is a clinical associate professor in the AuD program and the director of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Her areas of clinical interest are tinnitus, auditory perception in children and adults, educational audiology, and working with people with HD (hearing deficits-those with functional auditory complaints). She is interested in the diagnosis and treatment of functional hearing loss, most specifically in people who have had traumatic brain injury. She is a past-president of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology. She provides both direct patient care and precepts doctor of audiology students at the Ohio State University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to define functional communication deficits in children.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain the rationale for using low gain hearing aids for children with functional communication deficits.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe potential benefits of low gain hearing aids for children with functional communication deficits.
Short term and long term benefits of sound field amplification for phonological awareness and oral language development, kindergarten to grade 3 (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Pam Millett, PhD
Description: This presentation will describe research on effects of sound field amplification on phonological awareness and oral language in students from kindergarten to grade 3, in a Northern Canadian school district. Study objectives were to investigate the impact of sound field amplification on student phonological awareness and oral language skills over one school year, and to follow oral language skills of students in amplified classrooms from JK to grade 3. Standardized measures included the Test of Phonological Awareness-2 (norm referenced test of phonological awareness), and the Oral Language Assessment (criterion referenced test with school board normative data). Results indicated statistically significant increases in both domains. A small cohort of students was also followed from kindergarten to grade 3, and results showed statistically significant improvements on the Oral Language Assessment over time. OLA results at the beginning of kindergarten fell significantly below both school board normative data and the benchmark for age appropriate oral language skills. Over time, OLA scores improved to first meet, and then exceed, both school board norms and the benchmark for achievement.
Presenter: Dr. Millett has been an educational audiologist for 35 years in school boards, and is currently an Associate Professor and Academic Coordinator in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program at York University. She teaches courses in Educational Audiology, Classroom Amplification and Teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Inclusive Settings. Her areas of research are in educational audiology and accommodations for postsecondary education (with a recent focus on the use of automated speech-to-text captioning). Dr. Millett chaired the Canadian Interorganization Steering Group for the development of the Canadian Guidelines for Auditory Processing Disorder in Children and Adults: Assessment and Intervention. She was awarded Honours of the Association for the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in 2015.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe the rationale for studying the potential benefits of sound field amplification on language and literacy.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the key findings of this research study.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to summarize the results of this study for the purposes of knowledge mobilization (e.g. for administrators, classroom teachers, etc.).
Spectral and Temporal Processing in Children: Potential Diagnostic and Mapping Tools for the Future (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Susan Nittrouer, PhD
Description: For decades, scientists studying language deficits have explored the hypothesis that temporal processing problems may underlie those deficits. More recently, scientists studying spoken language in children with cochlear implants have examined the hypothesis that spectral processing may subserve the acquisition of spoken language by this population: Spectral structure is very degraded by cochlear implants, but at present it is hard to obtain a measure of the extent of that degradation for individual children. This presentation reviews research on the relationships among spectral and temporal processing abilities on the one hand and two kinds of language skills on the other hand: lexicosyntactic and phonologically based language skills. Outcomes of this research are leading to refinements in our understanding of how spectral versus temporal processing abilities are related to each of lexicosyntactic and phonologically based language skills. This work helps pave the way for a day when such measures may be used in the clinic to help diagnose a child’s risk of language deficit for children with normal hearing, and help refine cochlear implant maps for children with hearing loss.
Presenter: Susan Nittrouer received her PhD from the City University of New York in Speech and Hearing Science. After a post-doctoral fellowship at Haskins Laboratories she worked at Boys Town National Research Hospital, Utah State University, and the Ohio State University. Currently she is Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on auditory and language development, and on challenges encountered by children with risk factors for language deficits.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of spectral and temporal processing by describing each kind of processing and providing examples of specific measures.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of lexicosyntactic and phonologically based language skills by describing each kind of skill and providing examples of each in real-world communications.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how and why there are differences in the magnitude of relationship between spectral versus temporal processing on one hand and lexicosyntactic versus phonologically based language skills on the other hand.
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Lunch Session (90 minute presentation) – Preliminary Data on Online Learning and Positive Hearing Health Behavior Change in Children (Instructional Level: Introductory – .15 CEUs)
Jenny Rajan, AuD
Description: An estimated 5.9 million youths in the US have hearing loss suggestive of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL negatively affects communication, learning, academic achievement and psychosocial development. Due to potential risks of overexposure to high levels of noise among this population, hearing loss prevention education remains an important public health focus. Health communication science provides a theoretical framework to motivate individuals to reduce their health risk by positively changing their knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviors towards hearing health. The Dangerous Decibels® (DD) classroom program incorporates several of these health communication theories. While in-person health communication messaging has been proven to be effective, limited research exists on the efficacy of web-based technology in promoting hearing protective behavior change. The DD website hosts the dBZone! which is an online hearing health promotion resource based off of the DD museum exhibit that was hosted at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry for 10 years. This presentation will report on the preliminary pre and post survey outcomes regarding changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in 38 youth who engaged virtually with the dBZone! These preliminary data analyses are generally consistent with previous studies using in-person DD program delivery.
This presentation will focus significantly on the Dangerous Decibels® (DD) classroom program and will not include information on other similar or related products.
Presenter: Dr. Rajan has a clinical audiologist for 21 years with a focus on pediatrics for most of her career. Her desire to work with pediatric patients and their families in healthcare stemmed from an early age through volunteer work at youth camps and her mother, who was a registered nurse for over 40 years. Dr. Rajan earned her Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certificate (PASC) in 2017 through the American Board of Audiology. She is a clinical preceptor at the Pennsylvania Ear Institute and has been teaching at Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology since 2015. Prior to this, she worked in both inpatient and outpatient medical facilities while teaching medical students, residents and AuD. students. In addition to her teaching and patient-care commitments Dr. Rajan is currently pursuing her PhD. Her research interest is in noise-induced hearing loss and hearing loss prevention education for youth.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe consequences of noise-induced hearing loss in school-age children.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify theoretical models which are applied to hearing loss prevention programs, to promote behavior change.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss components of the Dangerous Decibels® dBZone! and how it may be incorporated in schools or by parents at home.
2:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Eligibility Criteria in 2023 – Are We Reaching Everyone? (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
John Coverstone, AuD; Gail Whitelaw, PhD
Description: This presentation will review current eligibility criteria across states for hearing loss and explore whether current criteria are appropriate for including all children needing support through an IEP. We will discuss the origins of current criteria and the appropriateness for identifying children who require special education. Alternate criteria will be highlighted and whether these criteria might appropriately qualify more children needing support of educational audiology.
Presenters: John A. Coverstone, AuD, is the President and CEO of Sentient Healthcare, an audiology consulting company and parent company of Audiology Ear Care clinic in New Brighton, MN, where he provides clinical and educational audiology services. Dr. Coverstone has worked as an educational audiologist for over fifteen years, including serving the state school for the Deaf, public, private and charter schools. Dr. Coverstone received bachelor’s degrees in Speech Communication and in Speech & Hearing Science from Portland State University. He received a master’s degree from Portland State University and an AuD degree from Salus University.
Dr. Coverstone is a co-founder and inaugural President of the Audiology Practice Standards Organization in 2018. He has served on the Board of Governors for the American Board of Audiology, serving as ABA Chair in 2015, and has twice served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Academy of Audiology, including serving as President in 2012. Dr. Coverstone has chaired the Marketing Committee for ABA, the State Network and Governmental Relations Committees for the American Academy of Audiology, and the Finance Committee for MAA. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Sight & Hearing Association, St. Paul, MN and has served on a number of other committees for each of these organizations.
Gail M. Whitelaw, Ph.D., is a clinical associate professor in the AuD program and the director of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Her areas of clinical interest are tinnitus, auditory perception in children and adults, educational audiology, and working with people with HD (hearing deficits-those with functional auditory complaints). She is interested in the diagnosis and treatment of functional hearing loss, most specifically in people who have had traumatic brain injury. She is a past-president of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology. She provides both direct patient care and precepts doctor of audiology students at the Ohio State University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in current state criteria used to qualify children with hearing loss for special education.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe similarities and differences between criteria of different U.S. states.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how current criteria may be updated to qualify more children who need special education support to access instruction in a daily basis.
Implementing Standards for Classroom Acoustics: A Collaborative Effort (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Cheryl DeConde Johnson, EdD; Stephen Wilson; Andrew Carballeira; Kathi Riley, AuD; Kym Meyer, PhD, CCC-A; Frank Iglehart, PhD
Description: Design deficiencies such as high background noise and excessive reverberation times decrease speech recognition, especially for students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, have learning disabilities, or are English Language Learners. The EAA Classroom Acoustics Coalition has combined architectural and acoustical design experts along with audiological, educational, and parent perspectives to increase implementation of classroom acoustics standards throughout the U.S.
The ANSI/ASA (2009/2010) requirements for improved classroom acoustics were adopted in 2017 by the International Code Council (ICC) for Accessible Facilities and introduced in 2021 by the International Building Code (IBC), but few jurisdictions have yet to adopt the code. As a result, many school facility managers and architects are not familiar with the requirements, or how to design classrooms to meet them.
This panel presentation will include an update of recent activities regarding classroom acoustics standards and adoption by pertinent agencies, including research and rationale for changes in the reverberation time standard. Perspectives from architectural and acoustical design experts regarding fundamentals of acoustic design and best practices for classrooms and the importance of acoustic accessibility in learning environments will be discussed. Finally, the presenters will discuss the ongoing efforts of the coalition to increase awareness of classroom acoustics standards.
Presenters: Cheryl DeConde Johnson, Ed.D., is an educational consultant and advocate for deaf and hard of hearing children through her practice the ADEvantage, audiology – deaf education vantage consulting. She has been a member of the ASA/ANSI Classroom Acoustics Working Group since 2000. Cheryl is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Education. She is co-author of the Educational Audiology Handbook, a past president and member of the Educational Audiology Association and co-founder and member of Hands & Voices, a parent-driven organization supporting families of deaf and hard of hearing children.
Andy Carballeira is a Principal Consultant at Acentech, a national firm specializing in acoustics, noise control, and AV system design. Their practice includes the design of schools for high acoustical performance, with several staff members playing active roles in the committees of ANSI, ASA, and ASTM. Andy holds a Board Certification from the Institute of Noise Control Engineering, and is the proud dad of a 2-year old explorer.
Frank Iglehart, Ph.D., has worked as an audiologist specializing in the listening needs of children with hearing impairments in the classroom. He was a member of Working Group S12/WG 52, Revision of ANSI S12.60-2002. He has conducted research studies on speech perception in children with and without hearing loss when listening in classroom levels of noise and reverberation. The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research funded this work.
Stephen Wilson is a Quality Control Architect and Project Manager at The Collaborative, an architectural design firm that specializes in the design of spaces for K-12 and higher education. Stephen’s expertise includes reviewing projects for compliance with building codes and accessibility standards. As a parent of a child with a hearing disability, he represents Hands & Voices on the Classroom Acoustics Committee. Stephen is a licensed architect in the State of Michigan, and a member of the American Institute of Architects.
Dr. Kathleen J Riley (Kathi Riley) retired from Delaware School for the Deaf/ Statewide Services for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deafblind students in 2017. Currently, she teaches graduate and undergraduate coursework at University of Delaware, Widener and Salus Universities. Kathi Riley is the VP of Advocacy for the Educational Audiology Association and serves on the Board of Directors. Within that role, Kathi is serving on several committees and projects including the federal revision of 504 accommodations, classroom acoustics standards, educational audiology certification and the Aligned Sense of Purpose Coalition involving 5 audiology associations. She also remains active in the DE EHDI committee for which she was a founding member in 1999.
Kym Meyer, Ph.D. worked in Deaf Education for 30 years as a teacher, an educational audiologist and program administrator. In 2002, she created the first Massachusetts public school educational audiology consultation program and has the only #EdAudAdvocacy page on Wrightslaw (a special education law website for parents).
In 2021, she completed a PhD in Special Education Policy at UMass-Amherst in order to help school personnel outside of DeafEd understand the language and learning needs of low incidence deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children. In 2022, Dr. Meyer completed a Certificate in Disability and Health Policy through LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Fellowship at the Shriver Center/UMass/Chan Medical School. LEND provides graduate-level interdisciplinary training to improve the health of children and youth with developmental disabilities. If you are interested in improving services and reducing systemic barriers for disabled people, applying for a LEND Fellowship in your state is highly recommended: https://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=473
Dr. Meyer’s research interests include interprofessional practices to improve service delivery and prevent language deprivation in DHH children. In her new role as Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Worcester State University, she teaches #RethinkingAuralRehab courses to undergraduate and graduate SLP students, and looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to improve services for DHH students everywhere.
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain the formal adoption process to implement classroom acoustics standards and strategies for promoting them.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to describe 2 architectural and/or acoustical design strategies that improve noise levels and reverberation times in classrooms.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to 2 learning implications that result from lack of auditory access due to poor classroom acoustics.
Power in Your Pocket: Accessibility features in iOS and Android devices (Instructional Level: Intermediate – .15 CEUs)
Tina Childress, AuD, CCC-A
Description: It seems like every few months, our iOS and Android devices get a notification for a new operating system (OS) upgrade. With these upgrades often come things like security patches and/or new features. There have been quite a few new accessibility features related to DHH individuals lately and they have been emerging on both platforms. We will discuss not only the native accessibility options available on iOS and Android but also specific helpful apps that can be used on both of these platforms. Bring your device(s) and let’s look around! Make sure your device(s) have the newest update!
Presenter: Tina Childress, Au.D., CCC-A is an educational audiologist in the mainstream and residential school settings. She is also an award-winning presenter, adjunct lecturer, mentor for children and adults, and is active on various local, state and national Boards and Committees as well as social media. As a late-deafened adult with bilateral cochlear implants and who is fluent in ASL, she is able to seamlessly navigate between the Deaf and Hearing worlds. Her areas of expertise include assistive technology for visual and auditory communicators, advocacy to promote accessibility in venues such as the performing arts and virtual conference platforms, apps and psychosocial adjustment to hearing loss. Dr. Childress has created numerous online resources on a variety of technology and accessibility-related subjects in an effort to help individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing connect to the world around them. Her resources can be found at http://TinaChildressAuD.com
Learner Outcome 1: Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss the devices they are working with such as make and model of device and operating system version.
Learner Outcome 2: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify where to go on a device to access accessibility features.
Learner Outcome 3: Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how to utilize 3rd party apps to augment access.
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