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Development and Implementation of a Curriculum for Pediatric Trainees on Caring for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Pilot Study

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Abstract

Introduction

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) are at risk for poor developmental outcomes related to incomplete language access. Evidence based interventions are available to improve early access to language. With a better understanding of caring for DHH children, pediatricians will be more prepared to work with families in improving outcomes for this population. To date, there are no formal curricula on educating pediatric trainees on childhood hearing differences.

Methods

The authors designed a novel pilot curriculum to educate pediatric trainees on caring for DHH children, including screening, diagnosis, signed languages, and hearing technologies. The curriculum was delivered to pediatric interns in a 1-hour seminar. Pre-lecture, immediate post-lecture, and 6-month post-lecture surveys were developed and conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. Descriptive statistics were used to determine differences in understanding concepts before and after the curricular intervention.

Results

A total of 55 residents participated in the curriculum over a 14-month study period from 2018 to 2019. There were significant differences in responses between the pre- and post- surveys related to residents’ understanding of childhood deafness and their confidence in their ability to care for DHH children.

Conclusion

Pediatric trainees gained an understanding of the challenges faced by DHH children and of the interventions that aim to provide them with access to language during the critical period of development. As a result, trainees will be in a better position to care for patients and their families after a new diagnosis of a hearing difference and guide them through early language-based interventions.

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Fig. 1

Data Availability

Study data available upon request of authors.

Code Availability

R 3.6.1 for Windows (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria).

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the project development support of Catherine Michelson, MD, MMSc, professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and Program Director for the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Funding

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brookline Place, 02445, Brookline, MA, USA

    Arielle Spellun

  2. Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, 02115, Boston, MA, USA

    Bonnie Crume

  3. Department of Psychology, Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE, Hall Memorial Building E150, 20002, Washington, DC, USA

    Poorna Kushalnagar

Authors
  1. Arielle Spellun
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  2. Bonnie Crume
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  3. Poorna Kushalnagar
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Contributions

AS conceptualized and designed the study, gathered and analyzed data, drafted the manuscript, and approved the manuscript as submitted. BC gathered and analyzed data, assembled and drafted the figures, drafted the manuscript, and approved the manuscript as submitted. PK conceptualized and designed the study, revised the manuscript, and approved the manuscript as submitted.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arielle Spellun.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

An application summarizing the curriculum and evaluation strategy was submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and determined to be exempt under the policies and procedures of the Human Research Protection Program.

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Included in IRB.

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Not applicable.

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Spellun, A., Crume, B. & Kushalnagar, P. Development and Implementation of a Curriculum for Pediatric Trainees on Caring for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Pilot Study. Matern Child Health J 26, 2179–2184 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03514-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03514-2

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