Early Intervention Network: Supporting Linguistic Competence for Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Early Intervention Factors

Click each factor below to learn about: the evidence supporting why each  factor is critical to developing linguistic competence for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing, recommended practices for early intervention programs which are based on this evidence, and program highlights (some including videos), from Early Intervention programs  throughout the United States showcasing how they are implementing these evidence based practices.

Factor 1

Direct and daily access to language and communication is essential to facilitating each child's language and communication development.

Factor 2

A collaborative, ongoing process should be used to explore modalities, technologies, and strategies to support the development of linguistic competence.

Factor 3

Early exposure to accessible language through sign is beneficial to language acquisition.

Factor 4

Early fitting of amplification and ongoing monitoring of its effectiveness are integral to selecting communication strategies to facilitate language development.

Factor 5

Planning for language and communication development should be individualized and systematically guided by ongoing assessment and monitoring.