19th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 8-10, 2020 • Kansas City, MO
3/10/2020 | 3:45 PM - 4:15 PM | Empowering Early Literacy Through Monthly Events | New York A
Empowering Early Literacy Through Monthly Events
The Outreach Department at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB) provides monthly Early Literacy events in 3 regions of the state. These events include a variety of activities that benefit children with varying hearing levels, their siblings, and their families. In this presentation, participants can expect to learn about the 3 main goals for each event: 1) exposure to early language and literacy skills, 2) involvement in family education and activities, and 3) interactions with Deaf and Hard of Hearing adult role models.
Mayer and Trezek note in their 2015 book, “deaf children must follow the same process from language to literacy as their hearing peers if they are eventually to become proficient readers and writers.” (p. 165) At these events, parents are exposed to language, both signed and spoken and learn book sharing strategies and signs they can incorporate into their daily routines. Frequently, music and movement are included in the events which benefit children with or without access to sound.
Secondly, research indicates high levels of family involvement produce higher language outcomes (VL2, 2011) for children who have hearing loss. Families are always encouraged to meet, mingle and share their journey as they come together. Informal parent interaction is always part of the activities; however, parents indicate they appreciate formal presentations provided by other parents or professionals in the field of deafness as well.
Lastly, a recent webinar with speakers from the National Association of the Deaf emphasizes the importance of access to D/HH adults for support, mentorship and guidance. All Early Literacy events include Deaf adults who model a variety of communication modalities.
In this presentation, be prepared for engaging videos and pictures with the goal of giving participants a “blueprint” for offering similar events in other states.
- Participants will understand the importance of Early Literacy through monthly events and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind’s approach to events
- Participants will be able to outline the structure of an event and the benefits of each activity provided by the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind.
- Participants will gain insight into new ideas to restructure, refresh, or start up events for families.
Presentation:
21060_12756AshleyRenslow.pdf
Handouts:
21060_12756AshleyRenslow.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Jennifer McLellan
(), Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, jmclellan@csdb.org;
Jennifer McLellan is second-generation Deaf born into a Deaf family.
After growing up in California, she attended Gallaudet University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology. She then decided to pursue a Master's degree in Deaf Education from Western Maryland College.
Jennifer loves working with children and families, and has been working at Deaf schools for 18 years as an early childhood educator.
She currently works at Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind as a Language & Literacy Instructor consultant. Jennifer plans and leads the Early Literacy Events for 2 of the regions in the state.
Outside of work, she is passionate about traveling, running, cycling, hiking and cooking.
Jennifer is proud to identify as a Deaf educator and she aspires to inspire Deaf/HH children all over the United States.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Ashley Renslow
(), Colorado EHDI, Arenslow@csdb.org;
Ashley Renslow is the Early Education Coordinator with Outreach Programs at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. In her role, she coordinates the Colorado Hearing Resource Coordinator (CO-Hear) and Colorado Home Intervention Programs (CHIP),the Colorado Shared Reading Project (CSRP) and the Little Language Learners Toddler Program. She also programmatically oversees the Early Literacy Events. A speech language pathologist by background, she has worked in Deaf residential Schools for 10+ years in varying roles, and has served local families as a CHIP facilitator (0-3 early interventionist). Outside of work, when she's not chasing her kindergartner and toddler, Ashley enjoys being outside, traveling, and lounging with a good book.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.