2027 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 22-24, 2027 • Bellevue, WA
3/17/2026 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Practitioner Perspectives: Supporting Families of Children with Hearing Loss | River Terrace 3/Deck 3
Practitioner Perspectives: Supporting Families of Children with Hearing Loss
Families of children with hearing loss often encounter a maze of recommendations from multiple providers, creating confusion and sometimes undermining caregiver confidence. While maximizing hearing potential is essential, services can become fragmented and overly focused on isolated skills, rather than embedding learning in everyday routines and honoring family culture and priorities. This session addresses this gap by demonstrating how practitioners can align evidence-based natural learning environment practices and coaching with hearing-focused strategies to provide family-centered, culturally responsive early intervention.
Drawing on the perspectives of three experienced early intervention providers—a speech-language pathologist, a teacher of the Deaf, and an early interventionist—this session highlights recommended practices that strengthen collaboration across disciplines and with families. Participants will examine real-world challenges that arise when coaching families of children with hearing loss and will learn practical strategies to maximize children’s hearing opportunities in ways that build caregiver capacity and confidence within natural learning environments. Examples will include video case studies, role-play demonstrations, and interactive polls to engage participants in applying evidence-based strategies.
Participants will leave with ready-to-use strategies, infographics, and planning tools designed to strengthen their practice. All materials will be provided digitally via QR code for easy access during and after the session.
By bridging discipline-specific expertise with evidence-based early intervention practices, this session equips practitioners to improve coordination of services, reduce family confusion, and promote meaningful, culturally responsive outcomes for young children with hearing loss and their families. This session supports the EHDI Conference goals of enhancing comprehensive state-based services, strengthening provider cultural competence, and fostering effective collaboration with families and professionals. Ultimately, participants will expand their capacity to build ongoing working relationships that improve outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Participants will describe the challenges associated with using natural learning environment practices and coaching when working with families of children with hearing loss.
- Participants will identify effective strategies to maximize hearing potential while using natural learning environment practices and a coaching interaction style.
- Participants will describe recommended practices to families despite competing recommendations that may have been made by other professionals.
Presentation:
View Presentation File
Handouts:
View Handout File 1
View Handout File 2
View Handout File 3
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Lauren Stansell
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter), Family, Infant and Preschool Program, lauren.stansell@dhhs.nc.gov;
Mrs. Stansell graduated from Lenoir Rhyne University with her Bachelor’s degree in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education in 2007 and Appalachian State University in 2010 with a Master’s degree in Literacy. Lauren holds a North Carolina professional educator’s license in elementary education, special education, reading education, birth to kindergarten education and deaf and hard of hearing education. Prior to joining FIPP in August 2022, Lauren was employed by McDowell County Schools and worked with children and families in kindergarten through fifth grade to address a variety of academic, behavioral, and mental health needs. Lauren also previously taught children who were deaf and hard of hearing in Avery County Schools including assisting them with use of their cochlear implants and hearing aids as well as language and academic development.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Kris Everhart
(Co-Presenter), Family, Infant and Preschool Program, kris.everhart@dhhs.nc.gov;
Following four years as a musician in the United States Marine Corps, Ms. Everhart graduated from Frostburg State University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communication and a minor in Public Relations. She received a second Bachelor of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson State University in 1996 and went on to receive her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola College in Maryland in 1998. Ms. Everhart endeavored as a speech-language pathologist in a variety of early childhood settings and has worked with the Family, Infant and Preschool Program in Morganton, NC since 2010. Ms. Everhart’s professional experience includes duties in the following roles: supervisor of several team members, internal professional development coordinator, model-demonstration project coordinator, research and dissemination team member, certified early intervention fidelity coach, contributor to the development of new practitioner tools, service as a trainer and training presenter for state early intervention staff and providers, leader of specialized clinical team to support families of children with autism, leader and facilitator of various special projects and workgroups as assigned, contributing author of scholarly journal article submissions, contributor to the development and delivery of online training modules, and provider of direct early intervention services to families of children who are experiencing developmental delays. Ms. Everhart enjoys working on teams with other professionals and likes to learn from professional challenges. In her free time, Ms. Everhart loves to laugh, spend time with her family, and explore the mountains and waterways surrounding her home in Morganton
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Family, Infant and Preschool Program.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP).
Nature: I am a full-time employee of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Sara Carter
(Co-Presenter), Early Learning Sensory Support Program, Sara.carter@dpi.nc.gov;
Sara Carter has a B.S. in auditory oral/birth to kindergarten education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a M.Ed in deaf education from Mt Saint Mary’s University and the John Tracy Clinic. Sara is a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Certified Auditory Verbal Educator. She has been a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing for 14 years. Sara has been an itinerant teacher of the deaf in Wilkes and Alexander counties in North Carolina. She is currently a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing with the Early Learning Sensory Support Program for Children with Hearing Impairments.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Rebekah Norris
(Co-Presenter), Family Infant and Preschool Program, rebekah.norris@dhhs.nc.gov;
Ms. Norris is a licensed speech-language pathologist through the North Carolina Board of Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologists and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Ms. Norris received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Carolina University (WCU) in 2012 and 2015 respectively. While pursuing her master’s degree, Ms. Norris served as the program coordinator for an inclusive two-year postsecondary education program for college-age students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at WCU. As program coordinator, Ms. Norris supported students and their families in the college experience as well as planning for transition back to their home communities, competitive employment and independent living. Prior to joining FIPP in the summer of 2018, Ms. Norris was employed by Catawba County Schools and worked with children ages 3-21 with a variety of communication needs related to autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairments, cochlear implants, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, multiple disabilities and other phonological/articulation/language delays.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.