Course curriculum

  • 1

    Course content

    • PowerPoint

    • The Input Audit: The Art and Science of Sensory Access

    • Quiz

    • Evaluation

    • Continuing Education Credits

Course information

Course description: 

Widening the research lens to include diverse sensory profiles provides a clearer understanding of how ASL stabilizes and supports cognition for all learners. This session introduces the Input Audit, a framework for identifying how a mismatch between input and a learner’s sensory profile drives inconsistent performance. The presentation examines how ASL mechanisms—including iconicity, spatial indexing, motor prediction, and rhythmic movement—reduce cognitive load and protect working memory. Participants will analyze how these features help the brain attach meaning to language more efficiently, protecting a learner’s cognitive capacity. Through video case studies, attendees will gain concrete strategies to troubleshoot access barriers, utilize multimodal anchors, and restore a child’s functional agency and belonging.


Agenda:

10 minutes: The Threshold Problem: Binary Systems vs. Gradients of Access

10 minutes: Reframing "Behavior" as "Access"

10 minutes: Widen the Lens: The Mechanisms of Sign

10 minutes: The Input Audit: No Output = Wrong Input


Learner outcomes:

Participants will be able to:

  1. Reframe behavior & “delay” as access mismatches 

  2. Apply the ACCESS framework to analyze input pathways

  3. Use an Input Audit to troubleshoot comprehension

Instructor(s)

Jennifer Saenz

Jennifer Saenz, DO, MPH, is a primary care physician at Tufts Medical Center and the parent of a deafblind child who identifies as Deaf. She integrates clinical experience with sensory‑access, cognitive, and communication principles to build practical frameworks for supporting cognitive development and belonging. She is also a member of the national Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group (DSMIG) workgroup studying the co‑occurrence of Down syndrome and CVI.

Speaker disclosures:

Financial disclosures: Dr. Saenz is receiving royalties for this course.

Nonfinancial disclosures: Dr. Saenz has no relevant non financial disclosures.

Content disclosures: Dr. Saenz will be discussing her daughter’s development.

Continuing Education

This course is offered for 0.05 ASHA CEUs.

This course is licensed for individual use only. Group viewing, sharing access, or distributing course materials is strictly prohibited. Each participant must have their own registration to attend or view.