Strengthening educational outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Dr Christine Yoshinaga-Itano presents a three-part on-demand presentation to explore the essential factors required to best support outcomes in students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), irrespective of language modality or listening devices. 

Each module focuses on a specific area of Dr Yoshinaga-Itano’s research to support participant reflection and learning.

Module 1: Dr Yoshinaga-Itano reflects on the changing landscape of early diagnosis, early amplification and early intervention since these factors were first identified as significantly impacting outcomes for children who DHH. Dr Yoshinaga-Itano draws on pivotal research papers to highlight the role of neo-natal hearing screening, early identification of hearing loss and early intervention on vocabulary outcomes for children who are DHH. 

Module 2: Dr Yoshinaga-Itano discusses the role of cognition on language outcomes and the relationship between language and social-emotional development. Dr Yoshinaga-Itano describes the most effective interventions for age level outcomes during the early years, as well as exploring the availability of technology for assessment and documenting family gains overtime.

Module 3: Dr Yoshinaga-Itano draws on her work with non-English speaking families in the United States to explore practical strategies to foster cultural competency in early intervention services. Dr Yoshinaga-Itano explores the role of cultural brokers and identifies characteristics important to the use of interpreters. The presentation also explores the experience of trauma in the lives of children and families from refugee, migrant and immigrant backgrounds and identifies strategies to support those impacted by their experiences.  

VDEI recommend the use of Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari (Macintosh users only) as the preferred web browsers to seamlessly register and access this learning.

Please note – Victorian Department of Education staff can access this professional learning offering free of charge. Enter your @education.vic.gov.au email address during the registration process to ensure the registration fee is waivered.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Reflect on the changing landscape of early diagnosis, early amplification and early intervention
• Discuss current outcomes for language, social-emotional and cognitive development in students who are DHH
• Explore practical strategies to build their cultural competence when working with children and families from refugee, migrant and immigrant backgrounds.

Dr Christine Yoshinaga-Itano is a Professor Emerita of the Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences in the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Dr Yoshinaga-Itano is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, Centre for Deaf Studies and an international doctoral faculty board member in the Department of Human Sciences, Psychology area, at the University of Verona.

Dr Yoshinaga-Itano has assisted state departments of public health and education, schools for the deaf, and early intervention programs throughout the United States and its territories. In addition, she has served as a consultant for many countries who have developed early hearing detection and intervention programs. Her research has focused on the predictors of language (semantics, syntax, pragmatics and phonology), social-emotional, cognitive and auditory skill outcomes of infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing, including those with both bilateral and unilateral hearing losses, those with and without additional disabilities, children with autism and other developmental disabilities and children from both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking homes. 

Download on-demand flyer

This On-Demand presentation is delivered in spoken English with captioning

Participants who successfully complete this on-demand presentation will receive a certificate noting 6 hours of professional learning.