Early Intervention
OUR MISSION
Our Early Intervention team’s ambitious goal is to end language deprivation for deaf and hard of hearing students. Along with our REAL partners, we work every day to ensure deaf and hard of hearing infants and toddlers have full access to American Sign Language and English.
Early Intervention | Birth-to-3
Early intervention services play a crucial role in a child’s development during their first three years of life. These years are essential for building a strong foundation in language, communication, and social skills. Our team is dedicated to providing comprehensive support for families with deaf and hard of hearing children birth to age three, ensuring they receive the early resources they need to thrive.
The REAL PROJECT
Explore the REAL Project, a collaboration between Gallaudet University, the Clerc Center, and Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind aimed to support early language acquisition.
Hearing Children have access to
hours of language from birth-to-18.
Deaf children have access to only
hours of language from birth-to-18
gap in academic achievement between children’s early vs. late school enrollment
Who we Serve
Families
Join us for ASL classes, Deaf Mentorship, Bilingual Storybooks, and more!
Professionals
We connect EI providers with best-in-class deaf education videos, research, and trainings.
Medical Community
We connect continuing education and training courses on language acquisition and ensuring equal opportunities for deaf babies.
PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE for REAL & Early Intervention
“When we learned ASL, my son instantly became a different kid. He was so happy, confident, and social once he was able to communicate. Turns out he can talk, he just doesn’t need to use his voice.”
Sandy L.
Seattle, WA
“My son was identified as profoundly deaf at birth and we started ASL immediately. By the time he received his cochlear implants at 7 months, he was already signing a dozen words, and understanding much more. Now 15 months, my son is happy, confident, and gloriously expressive.”
James F.
Austin, TX
“It’s a common misconception that using a signed language will delay a child’s acquisition of a spoken language. It’s the opposite. Language builds language. ASL built the foundation for my daughter’s spoken language.”
Theresa K.
Ann Arbor, MI
EARLY INTERVENTION
WHERE WE SERVE
In partnership with Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, the Clerc Center has regional centers across the country focused on connecting families, early intervention professionals, and medical providers with resources, trainings, and programming in their area.
CONTACT YOUR REGIONAL CENTER
- WEST
- EAST
- SOUTH
- MIDWEST
EARLY INTERVENTION
MEET THE TEAM
DR. Sarah Honigfeld
Director, National Programs and Outreach, Early Intervention
Sarah Honigfeld (she/her) is the National Director of Early Intervention at the Laurent Clerc Deaf Education Center. She joined Gallaudet University in 2019 as an adjunct instructor while leading early intervention services and education policy efforts. With over a decade of experience, including as a Parent Infant Program director, she became faculty and program director for Gallaudet’s Early Intervention Studies in 2022. Sarah specializes in advancing language outcomes for young deaf and hard of hearing children and is a national expert in early intervention systems, family language planning, and policy change. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Colorado Denver, a master’s degree from Gallaudet University, and a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University, along with two graduate certificates in Early Intervention systems.
Stacy Abrams
Project Manager, Early Intervention
Stacy Abrams (she/her) is a Early Intervention Project Manager at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University. Growing up in Arkansas with a deaf sister, she earned her bachelor’s from Gallaudet and master’s from UC Santa Barbara, focusing on supporting hearing families with deaf children. Stacy has over 15 years of experience teaching and coordinating Deaf Mentor Programs in New Mexico and Arizona. Her passion for connecting families with the signing community led her to create the social awareness campaign #whyisign. Stacy is the mother of two bilingual teens, one attending RIT and the other at Model Secondary School for the Deaf.
Lynette Mattiacci
Project Manager, Early Intervention
Lynette Mattiacci (she/her) is an Early Intervention Project Manager at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University. She holds a master’s in Special Education from Arcadia University and a bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from Gallaudet, along with an Early Intervention Studies graduate certificate. With two decades of experience in Deaf Education, she has worked as an early intervention provider and program coordinator, providing birth to three services to families with deaf and hard of hearing children, primarily in the urban setting. Lynette has served on local and state advisory groups and her greatest passion is empowering families to be their deaf and hard of hearing child’s most powerful advocates. As a product of early intervention herself, Lynette credits it with playing a vital role in laying the foundation for her language development and success. Lynette is a proud mother of three bilingual CODAs whose first language was ASL.
Inside Deaf Education Connections
This learning plan is a self-paced training intended to break down the 15 Principles for Reading to Deaf Children. Each principle provides tools and strategies to support deaf and hard of hearing children with reading.
The webcast addresses how deaf and hard of hearing babies acquire language and why one should sign with babies as early as possible.
The three categories shown on Online Community were created as a way to organize our resources. These categories are not meant to be limited to any particular audience; we strongly encourage portal members to take advantage of all three categories.
