EHDDI Resource Library

Materials

Statewide Resources

Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention (EHDDI) Program
ehddi2@doh.wa.gov
Or call 1-888-WAEHDDI (1-888-923-4334)
www.doh.wa.gov/earlyhearing

Early Hearing Detection and Interventions – Pediatric Audiology Links to Services (EHDI-PALS)
Searchable national directory to help families, healthcare professionals, and state public health organizations to find pediatric audiology expertise for children ages birth to five.
https://www.ehdi-pals.org

Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY)
A statewide resource committed to ensuring all deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington reach their full potential regardless of where they live or attend school.
Outreach Services Birth-5
855-342-1670
https://www.cdhy.wa.gov

Washington Sensory Disabilities Services
Partners with schools, families, and agencies to support children and youth who are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low vision, or deafblind.
360-947-3297
https://www.wsds.wa.gov

Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT)
Connects families of children who are hard of hearing ages birth to 3 with early support services in Washington State.
https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/child-development-supports/esit

Washington State EHDDI Learning Community (WSELC)
Supports professionals across disciplines and across the state to connect, share ideas and results, and learn from each other through both in-person and virtual interactions.
https://wselc.org

Washington State Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side™ (GBYS) Program
Provides free support and resources by trained Parent Guides.
425-268-7087 or email gbys@wahandsandvoices.org
https://wahandsandvoices.org

WithinReach Help Me Grow Washington Hotline
Toll-Free: 1-800-322-2588
Email: childdevelopment@withinreachwa.org
Fax: 206-299-9146
https://withinreachwa.org/help-me-grow-washington

National Resources

Hands & Voices: Family Leadership in Language & Learning (FL3) Resource Toolbox
Library of Hands & Voices resources to support families, parents, and caregivers of deaf or hard-of-hearing babies, toddlers, and young children identified through a newborn hearing screening. https://handsandvoices.org/fl3/resources/toolbox.html

Hear to Learn
Interactive resources in English and Spanish for parents and professionals who wish to learn more about listening and spoken language development.
http://www.heartolearn.org

National Center on Deaf-Blindness
Improving services, results, and quality of life for children and youth who are deafblind.
www.nationaldb.org

Sign It
Online curriculum for learning American Sign Language (ASL) for children under 36 months of age.
www.infanthearing.org/signit

Other Trainings

Glossary

Academic development
How a child develops skills and goals to engage in academic learning.

Active listening
A way of listening and responding to another person to improve mutual understanding.

American Sign Language (ASL)
ASL is a full, visual language with its own unique rules. Children learn ASL as their first language. Then they learn to read and write English or their family’s primary language. Families may also choose to teach their child spoken language, as well. The use of ASL is part of the Deaf community but is not limited to the Deaf community.

ASL-English Bilingual
ASL-English bilingualism supports the acquisition, learning, and use of ASL and English to meet the needs of diverse learners who are deaf and hard of hearing. It involves incorporating sign language and written/spoken language into the child's education and daily life, enabling them to navigate both the deaf and hearing worlds.

Audio loops systems
Assistive listening systems that use electromagnetic fields to transmit sound directly to hearing aids or cochlear implants equipped with a telecoil, improving sound clarity in specific environments.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)
During this test, the baby wears small earphones and has electrodes painlessly placed on his or her head. The electrodes adhere and come off like stickers and should not cause discomfort.

Availability bias
Tendency to rely on readily available information or examples that come to mind easily when making judgments or decisions.

Barriers
An obstacle that prevents access.

Biases
Systematic and unfair preferences or prejudices towards or against certain individuals or groups based on personal beliefs, attitudes, or stereotypes.

Captioning
Displaying written text of spoken words in real-time allows individuals who are DHH to read captions and follow conversations or media content.

Cochlear implants
Surgically implanted devices that bypass damaged parts of the ear to stimulate the auditory nerve directly, providing sound perception for individuals who have severe to profound decreased hearing levels.

Cognitive development
The growth of a child’s ability to think and reason.

Communicative-linguistic
Interpersonal communication processes with a focus on a living natural language that incorporates different communicating components, including physical, psychological, physiological, social, and contextual.

Confirmation bias
Seeking or interpreting information to confirm preexisting beliefs or expectations.

Continuous education
Education after professional education; also known as lifelong learning.

Cued Speech
Cued speech helps children hear and see speech sounds. It uses special hand shapes as “cues” around the face when speaking. This can help children distinguish between words that can sound or look the same.

Cultural bias
Prejudices or preferences based on cultural differences. This bias can manifest in various forms, such as exclusion, providing limited access to resources, or assumptions about their capabilities.

Cultural sensitivity
Being aware and accepting of cultural differences.

DHH
Stands for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deaf
Profoundly hard of hearing; may have little or no hearing.

Emotional bias
Emotions that can influence parents’ decision-making process and perception of support needs. When faced with their child’s hearing levels, parents may experience a range of emotions such as shock, denial, guilt, or fear.

Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT)
The Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program supports families with information and skills to ensure they are supported as the most critical influence on their child’s early learning and development.

Emotional development
Learning what feelings and emotions are and understanding how they occur. Recognizing one’s own feelings and those of others.

Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (EOAE)
Tiny, flexible plug put into the baby's ear. Sounds are sent through the plug. A microphone in the plug records the typical ear's otoacoustic responses (emissions) in reaction to the sounds. There are no emissions in a baby who shows as hard of hearing or deaf. This test is painless and often takes just a few minutes. It is done while the baby sleeps.

Flashing and vibrating alarms
Alarm systems that use visual cues, such as flashing lights or vibrations, to alert individuals who are DHH to various signals, including fire alarms, doorbells, or phone calls.

FM or DM systems
Assistive listening devices that use radio waves to transmit sound directly from a speaker's microphone to a receiver worn by the listener, reducing background noise and improving speech understanding.

Hard of Hearing
A person who is hard of hearing may have mild to severe hearing levels.

Hearing aids
Small electronic devices worn in or behind the ear that amplify sound and improve hearing for individuals who are hard of hearing.

Implicit bias
Unconscious biases that influence our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors without our awareness. These biases are often deeply ingrained and can affect interactions and decision-making.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
A law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
A written document that outlines the ESIT services a child will receive when they are eligible for early childhood special education services.

Listening and Spoken Language (LSL)
Listening and spoken language teach children to understand and speak the language their family and peers speak. Children use their hearing abilities and hearing technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, as they learn spoken language.

Linguistic bias
Prejudices based on language differences. This bias can lead to limited communication access, exclusion, or a lack of understanding and appreciation for different communication modalities.

Infrared listening devices
Wireless devices that use infrared signals to transmit sound to individuals who are hard of hearing, often used in large venues like theaters or conference halls.

Multiple Disabilities
Two or more disabilities that may occur at once.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)
A soft earphone is inserted into your baby’s ear canal during this test. It plays sounds and measures an "echo" response that occurs in ears with typical hearing. If there is no echo, your baby might be hard of hearing.

Personal Belief System
A set of propositions held to be true based on our own experiences, education, and assumptions.

Play Audiometry
A test using an electrical machine sends sounds at different volumes and pitches into your child's ears. The child often wears some type of earphones. This test is changed slightly in the toddler age group and made into a game. The toddler is asked to do something with a toy (such as touch or move a toy) every time the sound is heard. This test relies on the child's cooperation, which may not always be possible.

Portable sound amplifiers
Compact amplification devices that increase the volume of sound for individuals who are mild to moderately hard of hearing in various situations, such as conversations or watching TV.

Self-reflection
Meditation or serious thought about one's character, actions, and motives.

Sensory development
The maturing of the five senses: hearing, smell, taste, touch, and vision.

Signing Exact English (S.E.E.)
S.E.E. is a sign language system that follows exact English vocabulary and grammar. Children are encouraged to communicate with their eyes, ears, hands, and voices.

Stereotyping bias
Forming generalizations or assumptions about individuals or groups based on limited information or common characteristics. This bias can lead to inaccurate perceptions, unfair treatment, and limited opportunities for those who do not conform to stereotypes.

Telephone amplifiers
Devices that amplify sound from telephones making it easier for individuals who are hard of hearing to hear and understand phone conversations.

Total Communication
Total communication combines a sign language system, such as Signing Exact English (S.E.E.) and spoken language.

Typical
Similar or the same as others of its type.

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA)
A test where the child is trained to look toward a sound source. When the child responds correctly, the child is rewarded through visual reinforcement. This may be a toy that moves or a flashing light. The test is most often used for children between 6 months to 2 years old.

References

DesGeorges, J. (2016). Avoiding assumptions: Communication decisions made by hearing parents of deaf children. AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(4):442-446. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.4.sect1-1604. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/avoiding-assumptions-communication-decisions-made-hearing-parents-deaf-children/2016-04

Harlan Lane, Ethnicity, Ethics, and the Deaf-World, The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Volume 10, Issue 3, Summer 2005, Pages 291–310, https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/eni030

Harris, C., Hemer, S. R., & Chur-Hansen, A. (2021). Informed choice and unbiased support: Parents’ experiences of decision-making in paediatric deafness. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 1, 100022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2021.100022

Gallaudet Research Institute (December 2005). Regional and National Summary Report of Data from the 2004 – 2005 Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet Research Institute, Gallaudet University.

Naarden Braun, K. V., Christensen, D., Doernberg, N., Schieve, L., Rice, C., Wiggins, L., Schendel, D., & Yeargin-Allsopp, M. (2015). Trends in the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Loss, Intellectual Disability, and Vision Impairment, Metropolitan Atlanta, 1991–2010. PLOS ONE, 10(4), e0124120.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124120 Copy

Salmon MK, Brant J, Hohman MH, et al. Audiogram Interpretation. [Updated 2023 Mar 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578179/#

Scott, Jessica A., and Hannah M. Dostal. “Language Development and Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children.” Education Sciences, vol. 9, no. 2, 2019, p. 135., https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9020135.

Shojaei E, Jafari Z, Gholami M. Effect of Early Intervention on Language Development in Hearing-Impaired Children. Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2016 Jan;28(84):13-21. PMID: 26877999; PMCID: PMC4735612.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). Your baby’s hearing screening and next steps. NIH Publication No. 21-4968. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/your-babys-hearing-screening-and-next-steps.pdf

United States Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-11-357.pdf

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