Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Associated With The Psychosocial Wellbeing Among Parents Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard-Of-Hearing, Karen F. Munoz, John J. Whicker, Clarissa W. Ong, Michael P. Twohig

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: To identify factors associated with low psychosocial wellbeing among parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Method: A cross sectional survey that included instruments to measure psychological distress, functional impairment, and psychological inflexibility. Two hundred and ninety-six parents completed the survey.

Results: Analyses revealed that lower income, presence of additional disabilities, younger child age, and psychological inflexibility were factors associated with low parent psychosocial wellbeing.

Conclusions: Parents of younger children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing with low income, have children with additional disabilities, and higher psychological inflexibility may experience lower psychosocial wellbeing. Clinicians serving families may need to …

Readability Of Online Hearing-Based Early Intervention Materials, Torri Ann Woodruff, Kathleen Cienkowski

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: A quantitative readability assessment of currently accessible online materials for parents of children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing.

Design: Consistent with current recommendations discussing “grade-level” of materials, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) analysis, along with five other related measures, was conducted for each website. These analyses provide a readability score for each of the websites analyzed.

Study sample: The first five pages of results from a Google search of “early intervention deaf” and “early intervention hear” were compiled for readability assessment.

Results: Sixty-three websites were included in the analysis. Following article modification, inter- and intra-rater reliability were excellent …

Theory Of Mind Acquisition In Children Who Are Deaf: The Importance Of Early Identification And Communication Access, Kimberly A. Peters, Jessica Beer, David Pisoni, Ethan Remmell

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare Theory of Mind (ToM) acquisition in typically-hearing preschool-age children (TH), and deaf children of hearing parents (DCHP) who received a cochlear implant by 18 months of age, to determine if early access to spoken language via a cochlear implant affected ToM acquisition.

Methods: Participants included 25 children with cochlear implants ages 3.0 to 6.5 years and 25 age-matched children with TH all of whom were enrolled in preschools with typical peer models. The test battery included measures of expressive and receptive language and ToM.

Results: There were no …

Exploring Speech And Language Intervention For Preschoolers Who Are Deaf And Hard Of Hearing: A Scoping Review, Hillary Ganek, Janis Oram Cardy

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The objective of this study was to summarize the extant literature on the effectiveness of speech and spoken language interventions for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in order to determine which types of speech-language interventions might be most effective, for which hearing levels and types of hearing losses, and at which dosage.

Methods: Using a scoping review methodology, a database search identified 10,360 studies of which 16 met the requirements for inclusion. Data was extracted from each for analysis.

Results: Due to the limited number of studies available, high variability in the nature of …

Impact Of Face Masks On Audiovisual Word Recognition In Young Children With Hearing Loss During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Erin Lipps, Jody Caldwell-Kurtzman, Lina Motlagh Zadeh, Chelsea M. Blankenship, David R. Moore, Lisa L. Hunter

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objective: To investigate effects of surgical and transparent face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic on audiovisual speech recognition of words for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Design: Recorded Word Intelligibility by Picture Identification test (WIPI) was presented in quiet via a computer monitor to children in a quiet test room. The acoustic power spectra of each mask type were compared to the baseline no mask condition. Percent correct word recognition was recorded for four mask conditions (no mask, surgical mask, transparent apron mask and ClearMask) in counterbalanced order. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to test for significant differences in word recognition …

Hearing Loss Diagnosis Provision Of Information And Support: Audiologist And Parent Perspectives, Brandi Davis, Emily Knowd, Alisha L. Jones

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

When a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, the parents are faced with many decisions that will impact their child’s future. This study aimed to obtain data to determine viewpoints on information being provided to parents of children with hearing loss from both audiologist and parent perspectives. Topics of information surveyed included information on modes of communication, Deaf culture, cochlear implants, emotional support, and state resources/laws. A survey was created and shared in Facebook groups for audiologists and parents of Deaf/hard of hearing children. The survey was completed by 91 audiologists and 111 parents. Audiologist and parent survey data was …

Advancing Clinical Practice Through Integration Of Congenital Cytomegalovirus (Ccmv) Testing With Newborn Hearing Screening At Mayo Clinic, Joscelyn R. K. Martin, W. Charles Huskins, Lisa A. Schimmenti, Shelagh A. Cofer, Gayla L. Poling

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Although cCMV is the leading non-genetic cause of childhood hearing loss in the United States, neither targeted nor universal screening protocols have been well established to identify cCMV in newborns. Moreover, until cCMV testing is universal, clinical protocols need to account for the complexities of individualized care in partnership with interprofessional care teams. This work addressed an immediate clinical practice need to identify cCMV with subsequent hearing monitoring of babies who test positive for cCMV. This effort focused on three primary objectives to: 1) define interprofessional, team-based approach to facilitate care pathways; 2) develop a clinical workflow for all babies …

Intervention And Outcomes Of Children In Different Types Of Listening And Spoken Language Programs, Jace Wolfe, Sharon Miller, Erin C. Schafer, Amanda M. Rudge, Betsy Moog Brooks, Joanna Smith, Darcy Stowe, Amy L. Birath, Parker Wilson, Elizabeth Fales, Tamara Elder

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This study explores the impact of the type and dosage of listening and spoken language (LSL) services on speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants or hearing aids in two LSL programs. Identical demographic variables were collected across the two programs for use in the statistical analyses. Speech and language outcomes were examined at ages 3 and 5 using standardized test measures. At age 3, significant differences in LSL outcomes existed between programs for children using cochlear implants but not for children using binaural hearing aids. However, at age five, outcomes were similar between the different LSL programs …

Psychosocial Experiences Of Parents Of Young Children Who Use Hearing Devices: A Scoping Review, Karen F. Munoz, Natalie Nichols, Sydnee Hill

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to provide information about the research base related to psychosocial experiences of parents of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and use hearing devices. A scoping review identifies trends and gaps in available evidence and this information can be used to inform practice and identify areas in need of further research.

Design: A scoping review was conducted in June 2020 to identify English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published through May 31, 2020.

Study sample: Nine articles were found that investigated psychosocial factors of parents of children birth through five …

Visual Reinforcers Designed For Children With Developmental Disabilities, Angela Yarnell Bonino, Amanda Hemann, Deborah Mood, Emily Kay, Elizabeth S. Pancoast, Kristin K. Sommerfeldt

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

A library of visual reinforcers has been created to facilitate visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) testing in children with developmental disabilities. The library includes 45 reinforcer sets – photos or videos grouped by a common theme – that were created based on commonly reported interests of children with developmental disabilities. Each reinforcer set contains a minimum of 20 unique photo or video files that can be download in two formats: one for commercially available VRA reinforcement systems and another for a custom setup. The library is freely available for download online under a Creative Commons License (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International …

Diagnostic Infant Abr Testing Via Telehealth: A Survey Of Professional Opinions And Current Barriers, Haley B. Prins, Kimberly A. Peters, Douglas P. Sladen

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: To examine the barriers to Washington State audiologists adopting telehealth as a means of improving accessibility to diagnostic audiology for infants.

Methods: A Qualtrics survey was distributed via e-mail and social media. Survey participants were required to be audiologists practicing in Washington State. The sixteen-question survey consisted of topics related to participant demographics, previous telehealth experience, and barriers to the use of telehealth for diagnostic infant auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing. A total of 17 participants completed the survey.

Results: Survey responses indicated that Washington State audiologists are largely neutral or disagree with telehealth being an effective means of …

The Role Of Early Intervention In Parental Self-Efficacy For Parents Of Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Children, Carrie Davenport, Derek Houston, Kristina Bowdrie, Rachael Frush Holt

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: To investigate the effects of age at enrollment in early intervention (EI) and dosage of EI services (frequency and intensity) on parental self-efficacy (PSE) and to determine whether parents with better PSE demonstrate more involvement in deciding Individualized Family Service Plan goals (IFSP), services, and amount of services.

Method: Sixty-five parent-child dyads were included in this retrospective between-subjects study. PSE was measured using the Scale of Parental Involvement and Self-Efficacy (DesJardin, 2003). Dosage of EI services and parent/professional involvement in IFSP decision-making were measured using a Child Demographic Questionnaire.

Results: Statistically significant correlations were not found between age at …

Developing A Spoken Language Outcome Monitoring Procedure For A Canadian Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Program: Process And Recommendations, Olivia Daub, Janis Cardy

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Abstract:

Purpose: Routine spoken language outcome monitoring is one component of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs for children who are hard-of-hearing and learning a spoken language. However, there is no peer-reviewed research that documents how spoken language outcome monitoring may be achieved, or what processes EHDI programs can use to develop these procedures. The present paper describes the process used by a Canadian EHDI program, and the final recommendations that were developed from this process.

Methodology: Through consultation with the program’s stakeholders, consideration of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing’s recommendations, and drawing on our own expertise in …

The Effects Of Early Intervention On Language Growth After Age 3 For Children With Permanent Hearing Loss, Lisa Davidson, Andrea Osman, Ann E. Geers

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The overall goal of this study was to examine language performance in children with permanent hearing loss who were enrolled in a Listening and Spoken Language program. The influence of time spent in Early Intervention (EI) on language trajectories and ability to attain age-appropriate language skills was examined.

Methods: Retrospective data were obtained from children (N=48) who attended Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) for various lengths of time between 2004 and 2017. Children were grouped into those who had received EI prior to age 3 years versus those who did not. Standardized tests of receptive and …

Increasing Access To Augmentative And Alternative Communication Services For People With Complex Communication Needs During Covid-19 And Beyond, Cristina L. Pujol, Anamaria Nevares, Michelle Schladant

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected the disability network across the world. In the United States, there are millions of people who cannot use their natural speech to communicate. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a form of assistive technology (AT), helps people with complex communication needs (CCNs) to communicate with others. Examples of AAC include printed pictures and speech-generating devices. A team of professionals work together with the person with CCNs and their caregivers to choose the right type of AAC. Often, people with CCNs need face-to-face and ongoing AAC support. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this population already faced …

Ehealth Parent Education For Hearing Aid Management: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Karen F. Muñoz, Guadalupe G. San Miguel, Tyson S. Barrett, Courtney Kasin, Kelsey Baughman, Bailey Reynolds, Caitlyn Ritter, Makynzie Larsen, John J. Whicker, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Objective: Parents frequently experience challenges implementing daily routines important for consistent hearing aid management. Education that supports parents in learning new information and gaining confidence is essential for intervention success. We conducted a pilot study to test an eHealth program to determine if we could implement the program with adherence and affect important behavioral outcomes compared to treatment as usual.

Design: Randomized controlled trial

Study sample: Parents of children birth to 42 months who use hearing aids. Eighty-two parents were randomly assigned to the intervention or treatment-as-usual group. Four parents assigned to the intervention group did not continue after baseline …