Enhanced Child Find Through Newborn Hearing Screening
Overview
The Enhanced Child Find Through Newborn Hearing Screening was a four-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. It sought to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a model demonstration project that promoted early identification and intervention for all eligible children under IDEA Part C in the state of Connecticut through mandatory newborn hearing screening. The goal of this project was to provide information, education, and support for families whose infants did not pass the initial hearing screen and were referred for further evaluation and/or early intervention (if eligible).
Accomplishments
- Produced two DVDs:
- A Parent’s Guide: Newborn Hearing Screening: An 18-minute educational program designed to expedite the identification of hearing loss in newborns by promoting a better understanding of early communication development and empowering parents with practical information about the hearing screening and follow up process. Available in three formats: English closed-captioned, Spanish closed- captioned and American Sign Language.
- A Parent’s Guide: Early Intervention for Infants and Young Children with Hearing Loss: A 16-minute program designed for parents of infants and young children with hearing loss that helps promote a better understanding of the early intervention process and introduces families to amplification, parent-to-parent support, and various communication options. Also available in three formats: English closed-captioned, Spanish closed-captioned and American Sign Language.
- Produced a Medical Tracking Tool in collaboration with Lisa Honigfeld and ProHealth Physicians for pediatric healthcare providers to ensure appropriate follow-up of infants for diagnostic testing and to assess hearing throughout childhood. The tool provides healthcare providers, who are expected to see infants twelve times in the first two years life, a quick reference for following infants who:
- Refer from the hospital after failing a hearing screen
- Are eligible for early intervention services based on diagnostic testing
- Are diagnosed with mild or unilateral loss and therefore, do not qualify for early intervention, but do require periodic monitoring.