Where Language Begins: Shaping Early Environments for Deaf Children

$39.00

This webinar will be hosted via Zoom for national and international attendees on Sunday, December 7, 2025 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm ET.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial disclosures: Dr. Ofori-Sanzo is the founder of Language First.

Nonfinancial disclosures: Dr. Ofori-Sanzo is a member of ASHA, ABCLLD, and serves on the American Board of DHH Specialists.

Course Description:

This presentation explores the early language experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children and examines how these experiences shape long-term developmental outcomes. It will highlight the critical role of early caregiver-child communication, drawing on concepts such as serve-and-return interactions, reciprocal and contingent family exchanges, and fluent, bidirectional conversations, and discuss how these experiences often differ for DHH infants and toddlers. Practical strategies will be shared to help caregivers and professionals create early language environments that foster optimal linguistic, social, and emotional growth for DHH children.

Agenda

4:00-4:20: Typical Language Acquisition

4:20-4:40 Caregiver-Child Interactions

4:40-5:10: Early Language Environments for DHH Children

5:10-5:30: Communication Neglect vs. Language Deprivation

5:30-5:40: Long-term Implications of Reduced Language Access

5:40-5:50: Strategies to Improve Language Access at Home

5:50-6:00: Q&A

Learner Outcomes:

Participants will be able to:

  1. Define serve and return in early language acquisition

  2. Define reciprocal-contingent family interactions

  3. State at least three strategies that can be used to create linguistic environments where DHH children can thrive

Registration information:

This is a digital purchase only; no physical ticket is provided. A form will populate for you to complete your registration and then your purchase will be added to your cart in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. You will receive an email with instructions on how to participate as well as a Google Calendar invite with the Zoom link one week prior to the event. Registration ends one day prior to the webinar. All registrants will receive a copy of the presenter’s PowerPoint and the presentation recording. Please email info@language1st.org with any questions.

This webinar will be hosted via Zoom for national and international attendees on Sunday, December 7, 2025 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm ET.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial disclosures: Dr. Ofori-Sanzo is the founder of Language First.

Nonfinancial disclosures: Dr. Ofori-Sanzo is a member of ASHA, ABCLLD, and serves on the American Board of DHH Specialists.

Course Description:

This presentation explores the early language experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children and examines how these experiences shape long-term developmental outcomes. It will highlight the critical role of early caregiver-child communication, drawing on concepts such as serve-and-return interactions, reciprocal and contingent family exchanges, and fluent, bidirectional conversations, and discuss how these experiences often differ for DHH infants and toddlers. Practical strategies will be shared to help caregivers and professionals create early language environments that foster optimal linguistic, social, and emotional growth for DHH children.

Agenda

4:00-4:20: Typical Language Acquisition

4:20-4:40 Caregiver-Child Interactions

4:40-5:10: Early Language Environments for DHH Children

5:10-5:30: Communication Neglect vs. Language Deprivation

5:30-5:40: Long-term Implications of Reduced Language Access

5:40-5:50: Strategies to Improve Language Access at Home

5:50-6:00: Q&A

Learner Outcomes:

Participants will be able to:

  1. Define serve and return in early language acquisition

  2. Define reciprocal-contingent family interactions

  3. State at least three strategies that can be used to create linguistic environments where DHH children can thrive

Registration information:

This is a digital purchase only; no physical ticket is provided. A form will populate for you to complete your registration and then your purchase will be added to your cart in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. You will receive an email with instructions on how to participate as well as a Google Calendar invite with the Zoom link one week prior to the event. Registration ends one day prior to the webinar. All registrants will receive a copy of the presenter’s PowerPoint and the presentation recording. Please email info@language1st.org with any questions.

Continuing Education:

This event is offered for 0.20 ASHA CEUs. Only participants who attend the live event will receive a certificate of attendance. Participants who attend the entire webinar and fill out the self assessment form will be considered eligible to earn ASHA CEUs.

Accommodations:

This event will be in English with ASL interpreters and captions. Please email info@language1st.org with requests for additional accommodations at least 14 days prior to the event.

Course Availability:

This course will be available in the Language First Learning Library after the live event is over.

Cancellation/Refund Policy:

Full refunds for webinars and other events are available up to 14 days prior to the event. No refunds are available after that time. If Language First cancels or moves a webinar or event, all participants will be given the options of a.) receiving a full refund; b.) applying the amount paid to another event; c.) transferring their registration to the new date. If a registrant has a complaint or is unsatisfied with a webinar or event, please email info@language1st.org with “complaint” in the subject line.