RI Early Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Project

Supporting Infants and Toddlers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

The Early Intervention Community of Practice group is comprised of Early Intervention providers working with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. This group receives focused professional development and works closely with community partners to meet the needs of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and their families.

Parents/Caregivers of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing are encouraged to choose from one of the EI agencies who participate in the Community of Practice. These include:

RI Early Intervention has cultivated strong partnerships with the RI School for the Deaf, The Northern RI Collaborative Auditory-Oral Program, and Perspectives Corporation Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.

RI Early Intervention provides families with unbiased information on amplification and communication options. We know that early exposure to a first language that is fully accessible (such as ASL) encourages the development of language skills and provides opportunities to development critical thinking and complex reasoning skills that can be applied to literacy development in a second language (such as English)*.

*Source: Visual Language and Visual Learning Science of Learning Center. (2012, June). The Benefits of Bilingualism (Research Brief No. 7). Washington, DC: Sarah Fish and Jill P. Morford.

Resources

• 101 Ideas for Families with Infants who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: An Approach to Listening and Spoken Language

• Community Partners for Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing 118 kb PDF

• Helping Baby Adjust to Hearing Aids

• Early Intervention: Communication and Language Services for Families of Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing Children PDF

• Equality and Quality Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: A Statement of Child First Principles

• Decision Guide to Communication Choices - For Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Rhode Island EI Agencies Working with Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Their Families 123 kb PDF

• Rhode Island Family Sign Language Initiative 255 kb PDF

• RI Early Intervention Guide to Your Child's Hearing Assessment 496 kb PDF

• Understanding Your Hearing Test

• "Just in Time" Hearing-Related Resources for Families

• Rhode Island and Massachusetts Pediatric Audiologists 1.1 MB PDF

• Learning about Hearing Loss - A Roadmap for Families English | Spanish

• RI Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (RI-EHDI) Shared Plan of Care Policy 119 kb PDF

• RI Department of Health Shared Plan of Care Form English 305 kb PDF

• RI Department of Health Shared Plan of Care Form Spanish 305 kb PDF

• RI Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (RI-EHDI) Change of Information Form 85 kb WORD