2027 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 22-24, 2027 • Bellevue, WA
3/17/2026 | 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Implementation of Parent Education to Support Early Intervention | City Terrace 8
Implementation of Parent Education to Support Early Intervention
In 2022, the US identified 6,272 infants as D/deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) via Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs (CDC, 2024a). However, over 1/3 of those children are lost to intervention (LTI), with the most common known reason being family refusal (CDC, 2024a; b). Early Intervention Services (EI) are considered best practice, and state-run services are made accessible through federal legislation (IDEA of 2004). LTI places children at a developmental disadvantage due to a lack of linguistic access and neglects the intervention in EHDI. There is a critical need to modify family responses around EI. The first step is to understand why families decline these services. The federal reporting of refusal does not help us understand why it happens, and what can be done to support family decisions around enrollment in EI. Instead, the perceptual barriers to accessing early intervention center on how individuals integrate their family culture, family experiences, perceived vulnerability to negative sequelae of LTI, the perceived benefits of EI, and the perceived barriers to accessing EI (Woodruff-Gautherin & Cienkowski, 2023; Woodruff-Gautherin, LaSpada, & Cienkowski, in review). The future of LTI and the evolution of communication sciences through inclusive and family-centered practices is a critical step in the field. Taking an implementation approach, pilot data on the implementation of Swaddling Ear to Ear with families currently in early intervention or who have received early intervention (n=15) identified no significant differences on HBM-related beliefs between pre- and post-intervention. Descriptive statistics showed that participants’ perceptions were generally high (Mean score > 80 for most items). A few baseline risk perception items were significantly related to effect and program perceptions, which indicates that participants with higher baseline risk perceptions are more likely to evaluate the program favorably. Additional information on p values and impact of the program on knowledge are pending.
- Outline the barriers to early intervention access for families and children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing
- Describe the use of behavior change theory to support early intervention access
- Compare implementation science findings with current clinical practice
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Presenters/Authors
Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,Co-Author), University of Connecticut, tawg@uconn.edu;
Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin, PhD is a Research Scientist in the HELLO Lab of Dr. Derek Houston at UCONN. Passionate about bolstering the voices of stakeholders, Torri Ann implements qualitative methods to highlight the power and value of individual voices in making change. Torri Ann is interested in the intersection of public health, early intervention, and family support.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary,Grants for Employment,Other activities from UConn.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
(I serve on the board)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with UConn - Bennett Award to fund research and is Employed there on NIH grant.
Nature: Board member of CT Hands & Voices.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Emily LaSpada
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), University Of Connecticut , emily.laspada@uconn.edu;
Emily LaSpada is an Au.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She completed undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut where her interest in research was piqued. She continues to support work in the UConn Aural Rehabilitation Lab centered around family education and access to early intervention services. Emily’s passion for working with individuals that are D/deaf and Hard of Hearing stems from fluency in ASL and a history with the American School for the Deaf.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
relationship for Volunteer employment,Volunteer membership on advisory committee or review panels.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Connecticut .
Nature: Paid by Pilot Grant .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Marsha Ma
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), University Of Connecticut , zexin.ma@uconn.edu;
Dr. Zexin “Marsha” Ma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Ma conducts research at the intersection of health communication, persuasion, and media psychology. She is particularly interested in understanding the processing and persuasive effects of health narratives.
Her recent projects include developing and testing the effectiveness of narrative pictorial warning labels to communicate health risks, determining the impact of emerging media (e.g., VR, AR) on narrative influence, understanding online health-related narrative misinformation, and identifying the role of narratives in countering misinformation. She currently serves as the Principal Investigator on an R03 award from the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Ma’s research has been published in top communication and interdisciplinary journals, including Human Communication Research, Media Psychology, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Health Education & Behavior, and Computers in Human Behavior. She serves on the editorial board of Health Communication.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Grants for Independent contractor from NIH.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Connecticut.
Nature: I'm a faculty member at the University of Connecticut. This project is funded by our internal grant. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Kathleen Cienkowski
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), University of Connecticut, cienkowski@uconn.edu;
Kathleen M Cienkowski, Ph.D. CCC/A is an Associate Professor and Department Head of SLHS at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Cienkowski studies the benefits of AR among patients with acquired hearing loss and their families. Her work has been funded by National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration. She is the Past-President of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology, Past-Coordinator for the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Special Interest Group 7: Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation. She currently serves a audiology discipline coordinator for the UCONN LEND and co-investigator for the UCONN Pediatric LEND Supplement grant.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Grants for Other activities from UCONN LEND.
• Receives Salary for Employment from University of Connecticut .
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Other relationship
(Chapter vice president )
relationship for Board membership,Other volunteer activities.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Connecticut
UCONN LEND.
Nature: Employee of UCONN
Discipline Coordinator UCONN LEND.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.