Missing the Mark in Early Intervention for Babies Who Are Hard of Hearing or Deaf Learning Spoken Language

Abstract

In this article, the authors examine factors contributing to a growing early intervention (EI) crisis for babies who are hard of hearing or deaf (HH/D) whose families have chosen spoken language through listening as their desired outcome. At the core of this crisis is the difficulty of, and sometimes resistance to, incorporating nationally accepted best practices for the treatment of childhood hearing loss (Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, 2007) into the EI policies and systems that were created years before newborn hearing screening, advanced hearing technologies, and specialized therapy strategies existed. Today's infants born HH/D and their families represent a new and changing population requiring transformation in how we conceptualize, develop, and implement EI services. There is evidence that, in many cases, we are missing the mark in the ways in which this population is being served. It is our conviction that an EI model most appropriate for HH/D babies whose families have chosen spoken language ...