2027 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 22-24, 2027 • Bellevue, WA
3/17/2026 | 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM | The Impact of Professional Development on Early Intervention Providers Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children | Orlando
The Impact of Professional Development on Early Intervention Providers Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
This presentation shares the results of a mixed-method action research study that examined the impact of professional development (PD) on the knowledge and self-efficacy of Early Intervention (EI) service providers working with Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and their families.
A primary goal of EI for DHH children is to provide them with full access to a complete language as early as possible. However, many EI providers have very little Deaf Education-specific training (Sass-Lehrer et al., 2020). PD can give providers knowledge and resources to better support these families. PD that includes a workshop and individualized coaching produces better outcomes than a workshop only (Kretlow & Bartholomew, 2010). When the coach provides examples and models strategies, professionals are more likely to accept and employ those practices. Catalano et al. (2022) employed a coaching intervention with teachers of the Deaf (TOD) that improved their use of individualized instruction and increased students’ active engagement.
While getting her Master’s degree at Flagler College, Erin Furtado, an EI TOD, recognized the need for intervention in her own state. Under the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Jennifer Catalano, she designed an action research study to support providers working with DHH children and their families. As a result of this coaching intervention, all participants mastered the desired indicators and adjusted home visiting practices that were not present at baseline.
The findings of the study demonstrate the importance of providing meaningful and impactful PD for EI service providers to ensure that DHH children reach developmental milestones and thrive in non-oppressive learning environments. By sharing these findings, we hope that participants will be inspired to create their own professional development for providers working in the birth-to-three systems in their states.
- Participants will identify the attitudes, knowledge, and preparedness of EI providers working with DHH children (birth-to-three) and their families in urban and suburban home visiting environments.
- Participants will identify the impact of professional development, including a workshop and one-on-one coaching, on EI providers’ attitudes, knowledge, and preparedness.
- Participants will apply the findings and suggestions from this study to develop PD to support providers working DHH children and their families in their own states.
Presentation:
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Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Erin Furtado
(Primary Presenter), Flagler College, erin2683@msn.com;
Erin Furtado is a ToDHH and Early Interventionist in Rhode Island. She has worked in Early Childhood Education for more than 15 years, which includes her time coaching childcare professionals and as a teacher at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. In 2020, she worked for the RI Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as the COVID-19 Community Educator and Outreach Specialist. In 2024, she earned her master's degree in Deaf Education from Flagler College. Erin is passionate about Early Intervention and dedicated to supporting families and colleagues as they learn about and celebrate DHH children.
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.
Jennifer Catalano
(Co-Presenter), Flagler College, jcatalano@flagler.edu;
Dr. Jennifer Catalano is an associate professor and the director of the graduate and undergraduate Deaf Education programs at Flagler College. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Cortland and her master’s degree in Deaf Education and her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Arizona. During her doctoral studies, she was a research assistant with the Center on Literacy and Deafness (CLAD) for five years. Prior to going back to academia, she taught for 14 years as an itinerant and self-contained classroom ToDHH, and in a variety of general and special education settings.
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.