Getting Started with Early Intervention
Other Parents and Support Organizations
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If there is a parent group in your area, your infant/family specialist should be able to tell you how to get in touch. Sometimes, infant/family specialists lead parent discussion groups.

Social gatherings and playgroups are also important support for families and babies. If your baby is learning spoken language, you may find a parent support group called an A.G. Bell Chapter in your state. Contact www.agbell.org for a chapter near you. If you are learning sign language with other parents, sign class is a wonderful place to talk to mothers and fathers whose children are older, in preschool or in school, and who can give you advice and support. You can also meet other parents just starting out, who have made the same decision as your family, and are taking on the same challenges.

If you have a profoundly deaf baby, and you live in a place with an active Deaf Community, a Deaf club, or a state residential school for the Deaf, you may be able to find Deaf adults and children to become friends of you and your baby. Most states also have organizations called the Hearing Loss Association of America (shhh.org). Members of the Hearing Loss Association of America are often happy to help new parents.

It is important to discover that deaf and hard of hearing children grow up to be productive, well-adjusted adults who work, drive, go to college, marry, have children, and in fact, not much different than the adults that hearing children become.

There are many support organizations in the United States. They may be regional, state, or national in scope. (comprehensive listing)

American Society of Deaf Children Snap Shots:

Decision Making This section includes tips from parents on how to sort through the information provided in books, articles, Web sites, from professionals, family and friends, and from other sources to arrive at decisions that are right for you and your family.

The Infant and Toddler Program This fact sheet describes services under the Infant and Toddler Program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is the federal law that governs the education of children with disabilities. Your baby may qualify for services under this law.

Language and Communication - Information from parents about the importance of building a strong communication foundation with a deaf infant.

Increasing Literacy Skills with Your Deaf Infant See these useful parent tips for building a solid language foundation, which will be the basis for later reading and writing skills.

Increasing Literacy Skills with Your Deaf Toddler This page includes helpful hints for expanding language and thinking skills on the road to literacy.

Communication Modes In this section, ASDC defines and describes some common approaches to communication with young deaf children.

"I Just Found Out My Child is Deaf" Frequently Asked Questions : See this page for answers to questions that commonly face families with newly identified deaf infants.

Recommended Readings for Children Here you will find a listing of sources for your child to enjoy as s/he grows.

Recommended Readings for Parents Here you will find a listing of sources for you to enjoy and learn from as your child grows.

Vendors of Books, Videos and Related Products Parents share some of their favorite resources.

Terminology - Some guidance from parents for sorting through many new terms.