Enroll in early intervention program that has experience serving children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
What is Early Intervention?
“Early Intervention” is a term used for services for young kids between the ages of birth – three who are eligible for services. In Colorado – the “CO-Hear” is the person that helps you process information about early intervention programs….have you been connected to this program yet? Research has shown that children who participate in early intervention prior to six months can have age-appropriate skills by preschool. There are both private and public early intervention programs and services that your family can access. These are listed in the Colorado Resource Guide in the Services section. http://www.cohandsandvoices.org/resources/
coGuide/22_stateResServ.htm
The Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP) is one of the primary programs for children who are deaf or hard of hearing in the state of Colorado.
CHIP is an Early Education Program through your local community center board, or early intervention provider in your county. CO-Hears work directly with providers in each county who offer services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families throughout Colorado. CO-Hears, employed by the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB), are childhood hearing experts who collaborate with experienced providers from these center boards to serve families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, from newborn to preschool, in the secure surroundings of their own homes.
At the heart of CHIP is the parent facilitator. Working with the family, the parent facilitator, an early interventionist, designs an individual program that fits both the family’s needs and the child’s learning style. The parent facilitator helps family members develop techniques to encourage their child’s language development. The program visits take place in the familiar surroundings of the home ensuring the best service possible is provided for both the child and the family with the routines and toys the family uses.
Most children who are deaf or hard of hearing, newborn to age three, are eligible for the program. In addition, families receive the program during their children’s transition to preschool. Children with unilateral (one-sided) hearing differences may not be eligible, but these children with “UHL” are offered developmental surveys and family support to ensure they connect right away should a child show delays and for all children to be ready for preschool and kindergarten. Public funding is available for “CHIP
and is determined by family size, income, and resources. Insurance co-payments are accepted.
Services offered to families throughout Colorado:
Family-centered programming to assist parents set the pace and goals for their child’s intervention.
- Home language/listening/communication program to assist parents in finding the proper therapy and support at each developmental stage.
- CHIP FAMILY Assessment is designed to help parents monitor their child’s progress. The FAMILY Assessment is a diagnostic tool used to set goals for the child, select appropriate techniques to achieve those goals, and to monitor the child’s progress. The same data provides evidence to support research.
- Liaison with specialists to appropriately support the family, their early interventionist, and their service coordinator.
- Link with Deaf/Hard of Hearing Connections which provides an opportunity for a local deaf or hard of hearing adult to visit with the family.
- Read stories of the insights of D/HH individuals here: http://www.handsandvoices.org/resources/dhh_adults.html
- Skilled parent facilitators who have years of training and familiarity with the newest techniques and technology.
For more information, please contact Ashley Renslow, Early Education Consultant, to connect with a CO-Hear. arenslow@csdb.org
If you want to read the research that proves that intervention early makes a difference, click here:
Regular visits with your Pediatric Audiologist
The Pediatric Audiologist(s) listed on your hospital’s Roadmap for Families lists the only audiologists determined to have the necessary experience and equipment in your area. Click here to get to a list of roadmaps for every hospital. If you have had a home birth, you can click on the hospital closest to where you live, and page two will identify the resources that will still apply to you.
Evaluations to discuss with your medical home:
The following is a list of recommended specialists your physician may speak to you about. It is important for you to have a clear understanding of why and when to see these specialists, and to process the options of whether or not you choose to see any of these specialists. Your medical home should help you with this process, and speaking to other families about the pros and cons of genetic testing, for example, is additionally useful.
Ophthalmologist (Eye Specialist)
Following the diagnosis of confirmed congenital hearing loss, evaluation by a pediatric ophthalmologist is indicated. Yearly re-evaluation by the ophthalmologist is also recommended. (taken from the EHDI Guidelines, Colorado)
Genetic Specialist
Referral for genetics evaluation is recommended for all families, in the absence of a clear non-genetic cause for the hearing loss. (taken from the EHDI Guidelines, Colorado)
For a parent perspective on Genetics, click here
Other Medical Specialists (heart, development, kidneys, etc.)
As advised by your physician
The “Road Less Traveled”
This roadmap was created by parents and professionals FOR parents, to help you through the initial ‘system’ of care and resources as you begin your journey. The destination is of course ‘off the map’, but we hope that some of the information and resources in this interactive roadmap has been of benefit to you. We would love to hear from you. What was helpful? What kind of information do you wish there was more of? We will be adding more resources to this roadmap as time goes on…..we would love to have your input. Email us at info@co-hv.org and contribute to the conversation.
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