Abstract

Building Blocks for Family-Centered Early Intervention

• Dinah Beams, M.A., CED​

Since the advent of newborn hearing screening programs more than 20 years ago, early intervention providers have been defining how to best meet the needs of identified infants and toddlers and their families.  While most early intervention is with children who have demonstrated delays, newborn hearing screening systems have provided professionals with the opportunity to work with infants when no delay is present in order to positively impact outcomes and address the well-documented potential impact of early childhood hearing loss in the areas of language and communication development, social-emotional development, and  academic achievement.  The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH), the Global Coalition, and other professional organizations have published best practice guidelines for early intervention .  Providers are faced with the challenge of balancing what is known about this critical period for language learning while being sensitive to the many pressures faced by families as they navigate this new world.  In order to effectively create the best environment for learning, and support the individual needs of each child and family, providers need to be cognizant of several fundamental principles of early intervention. 

​This presentation will explore these early intervention building blocks and discuss how to use them effectively in your early intervention practice.
 
Learning objectives

​At the conclusion of this presentation participants will be able to:

• Identify and describe at least three of the components of effective early intervention that he/she needs to focus  on in his/her practice.
• Explain how these strategies interface with the coaching method of providing early intervention.
• Identify at least one new resource that can be used to support families.