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Volume 8, Issue 2 of the Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (JEHDI) is now available at no cost. The following articles are included in this issue:

-Assessing Tracheostomy as a Risk Factor for Hearing Loss in Neonates with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia pages 2-8: Emma Hershey, Terrence Pleasant, Andrew Benvenuto, Katie Kuboushek, Clare Furuta, and Patricia Purcell

-Preliminary Validation of the Conditioned Assessment of Speech Production in Spanish pages 9-15: Alliete R. Alfano and Tan Li

-Factors Contributing to Late Identification of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children in Louisiana pages 16-25: Danielle D. Mercer, Tri Tran, Dawne McCabe, Terri Ibieta, and Dana Hubbard

-Sociodemographic Factors influencing Pandemic-Era EHDI Use and Access pages 26-33: Nicole Perez, David Adkins, Marissa Schuh, Jennifer B. Shinn, Lori Travis, and Matthew L. Bush

-A Retrospective Analysis of Hearing Screening Outcomes in Infants Whose Mothers were COVID-19 Positive during Pregnancy pages 34-38: Sangamanatha Ankmnal Ankmnal Veeranna, Charles G. Marx, Hwanseok Choi, Clinton White, and Kimberly Ward

All previous articles published in JEHDI can also be downloaded for free at www.jehdi.usu.edu. The Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Interventionis a scholarly, peer-reviewed, online publication dedicated to advancing Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) by publishing articles that describe current research, evidence-based practice, and standards of care.

The aim of the JEHDI is to promote access to current research and information about improving on all aspects of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. Taking a broad systems perspective, the JEHDI focuses on newborn and early childhood hearing screening, diagnosis, family support, early intervention, the medical home, information management, financing, quality improvement and other key factors critical for an effective EHDI system.

Earworm has just released a new dialogue on hearing health you won’t be able to stop thinking about. This new episode is entitled, The Potential of Preventing the Most Common Non-Genetic Cause of Hearing Loss with a Vaccine and features a conversation with Lori Panther, MD, MPH who is the Vice President of Infectious Diseases at Moderna where she leads the vaccine development program for congenital Cytomegalovirus or cCMV. Dr. Panther will be talking about ways to mitigate the effects of CMV in the early childhood population, with a special focus on a new vaccine that is under investigation. 

The Earworm podcast features conversations with a wide array of professionals, family members, advocates, and scientists whose experiences, ideas, curiosities, and activities are committed to ensuring that all children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can thrive. The Earworm podcast is available for streaming anywhere you listen to podcasts, as well as on www.earwormpodcast.org.

Last call for Nominations – Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence

Nominations are invited for the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence to be presented at the 2024 National EHDI Conference in Denver, Colorado. This award honors the life and work of Dr. Antonia Brancia Maxon to promote effective Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs for all newborns, infants, and young children. Dr. Maxon was a pioneer in EHDI programs, beginning with her leadership in the Rhode Island Hearing Assessment Project in the late 1980’s. She was one of the first to recognize the feasibility and value of universal newborn hearing screening and was a tireless advocate for connecting screening programs with timely and appropriate diagnosis and early intervention.

Her extensive contributions to creating excellent EHDI programs were abruptly ended by a tragic automobile accident in May of 2007. In memory of her contributions, an Award for EHDI Excellence is presented each year at the National EHDI Conference to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to achieving excellence in EHDI programs nationally or in a particular state or region.

Nominations for the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence should be emailed to karl.white@usu.edu, or mailed to:

National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management

Utah State University

2615 Old Main Hill

Logan, Utah 84322-2615

Nominations must be received by Monday, December 4, 2023 and MUST BE LIMITED to 500 words. The nomination should describe:

The outstanding accomplishment(s) that contributed to improving EHDI programs.

How the accomplishment(s) demonstrate(s) significant creativity or initiative.

The specific ways in which the nominee has contributed to EHDI excellence.

Presentation of the 2024 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence will be made on Monday March 18, 2024 at the National EHDI Conference in Denver, Colorado. More about the National EHDI Conference, including past nominees and recipients can be found at www.ehdiconference.org.

Join us for next Thursday, 12/7, for our webinar “Getting Ready To Be Readers: Preliteracy During the EHDI Period”. Register at this link: https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cuy1DG7cycBGdJIJom/jfe/form/SV_cuy1DG7cycBGdJI

Webinar Description

Literacy achievement has long been a concern of parents and professionals working with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. Recent research has found that age-appropriate reading skills are possible for many of today’s DHH elementary schoolers to achieve (e.g., Mayer et al., 2021; Smolen et al., 2020). But the road to successful reading begins long before formal schooling. In fact, the early intervention (EI) period provides many opportunities for parents and professionals to facilitate preliteracy skills. This presentation will explore preliteracy development for DHH infants and toddlers as they are getting ready to become successful readers. 

Results of a longitudinal study of reading achievement in DHH children enrolled in specialized listening and spoken language intervention show that while basic reading skills, including phonological awareness, are generally strong for this population, challenges with reading fluency may impact reading comprehension for some. How can parents and professionals strengthen DHH infants’ and toddlers’ prereading skills? Strategies for targeting preliteracy through shared book reading, routines-based language learning, mental state talk, and auditory memory will be presented, along with tools to track the development of these skills in very young children.

Webinar Presenters

Elaine Smolen: Elaine Smolen, PhD, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research work centers around language and literacy development for young deaf and hard of hearing children who use listening and spoken language. Smolen received her PhD in deaf and hard of hearing education from Columbia as a National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities scholar. An experienced teacher of the deaf and certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Smolen has served young children with hearing loss and their families as a head classroom teacher and in an itinerant role. She holds teaching certification in the areas of deaf education, elementary education, and English.

Maria Hartman: Maria Hartman, PhD, is a Lecturer and Program Director in the Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her work focuses on preparing the next generation of teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing through teaching courses in language and literacy development, assessment and teaching methods. Hartman also supervises pre-service teachers in schools, clinics and agencies that serve deaf children throughout the New York City area and is a member of the research team at Teachers College investigating deaf children’s language and literacy growth.