OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS
Enhance your time at The Sound Exchange with an optional pre-conference workshop
– broadening your learning before diving into your chosen stream.
All workshops run from 1.30pm-5pm on Monday 11 May 2026
The Right Balance: Enhancing your vHIT and VEMP Technique
Celia Gomes Chapman & Trong Nguyen, Interacoustics
Whether you’re new or regularly performing vestibular assessments, this workshop is designed for those looking to enhance their technique for vHIT and VEMPs. In the workshop, you’ll learn about factors in patient preparation, protocol and setting refinements and combine it all in a hands-on practical session.
The workshop assumes knowledge on anatomy and physiology, as well as the basic principles of vHIT and VEMPs assessment.
Cost
Attending The Sound Exchange: Member $170 / Non-Member $235
Attending Workshop Only: Member $247 / Non-Member $289
CPD Points
3 Points (Category 1.4)
Delivering a Deaf Diagnosis with Care, Clarity and Confidence
Fiona Duncan, Head Of Department, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network
Renee Fayad, Head of Marketing, Deaf Children Australia
Tamara Trinder Scacco, Head of Community Engagement, Deaf Children Australia
Alice Brennan, Clinical Psychologist
We are proud to welcome Tamara Trinder-Scacco and Alice Brennan to Sound Exchange 2026—two powerful voices bringing both professional expertise and deeply personal lived experience within the Deaf community.
Tamara and Alice each bring a unique perspective shaped by their connection to deafness—through their own journeys, their families, and their work alongside Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Their insight bridges the gap between clinical practice and real-life impact, offering audiologists a rare opportunity to understand not just what to say, but how it feels to receive life-changing news.
This workshop will explore one of the most critical moments in an audiologist’s role: delivering a deaf diagnosis to families. The way this conversation is handled can shape a family’s emotional trajectory, influence decision-making, and have lasting effects on mental health and identity—for both the child and their support network.
Tamara and Alice will share practical, experience-led guidance, including their top tips for audiologists, such as:
• Leading with empathy and humanity, not just clinical facts
• Using clear, strengths-based and non-deficit language
• Allowing space for emotional processing and questions
• Avoiding assumptions about communication choices or outcomes
• Providing balanced, culturally informed information about Deaf identity and community
A key feature of this session will be interactive role-play activities, where participants will step into real-world scenarios. These exercises are designed to:
• Build confidence in delivering difficult news
• Practice language that is supportive, inclusive and empowering
• Reflect on tone, body language and pacing
• Understand how small shifts in delivery can significantly change how a message is received
At the heart of this workshop is a critical message:
The delivery of a diagnosis is not just a clinical task—it is a defining emotional moment.
Cost
Attending The Sound Exchange: Member $170 / Non-Member $235
Attending Workshop Only: Member $247 / Non-Member $289
CPD Points
3 Points (Category 1.4)
Towards Managing Sub-Clinical Hearing Difficulties: From Identification to Intervention
Limited places remaining!
Dr Bec Bennett - Principal Audiologist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Dr Sriram Boothalingam, Senior Research Scientist, National Acoustic Laboratories & Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University
Dr Jess Monaghan , Senior Research Scientist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Matt Croteau, Research Audiologist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Sub-clinical hearing difficulties (SCHDs) describe a heterogeneous group of adults who experience real-world communication challenges despite having clinically normal hearing thresholds. This pre-conference workshop will introduce clinicians to the physiological background, practical tools, and emerging evidence base for intervention strategies to work effectively with this underserved population.
This interactive session will combine presentations, case examples, hands-on hearing aid fitting exercises, and group discussion. Participants can expect to leave with a clear understanding of SCHDs, how to identify and potentially assess them, and how to apply the new NAL-NL3 Minimal Hearing Loss Module (MHL Module) in clinical practice.
Cost
Attending The Sound Exchange: Member $170 / Non-Member $235
Attending Workshop Only: Member $247 / Non-Member $289
CPD Points
3 Points (Category 1.4)