Report of the Educational Research Committee of CEASD: Parent-Infant Education: A Focus for the Eighties

Report of the Educational Research Committee of CEASD: Parent-Infant Education: A Focus for the Eighties The early identification of hearing loss and the widespread provision of support of educational services for hearing-impaired infants and their parents has been a very recent phenomenon , gaining momentum only within the past decade. Although the value of early instruction for deaf children has long been recognized , parent-infant education itself was formerly the province of very few schools, hospital /university centers, or correspondence options . The new trend, spawned in part by wider availability and accuracy of identification procedures , has the potential for dynamic impact, both educational and financial. In recognition of this trend, and in partial preparation for the projected impact, the Educational Research Committee of CEASD has chosen the parent-infant area as a focus for documentation and follow-up in the early 1980s. As an initial step, in the Spring of 1982, the Research Committee's Subcommittee on Status of Parent-Infant Education conducted a survey of all schools for the deaf—day and residential, public and private—in the United States. Over 80% of the schools (109 to date) have responded to the survey, providing a wealth of data. The final results are being tabulated and will be presented in full in the April 1983 Reference Issue of the American Annals of the Deaf. Two of the most significant findings demonstrate both the extent of parent-infant programming nationwide and the early age at which it begins. Of the responding schools, 85% reported that they offer programming for hearingimpaired children aged 0-4 years, and for their parents. Approximately two-thirds of the parent -infant programs are "school-based" (oncampus ). In these, 59% of the 0-4-year-old children being served are actually 24 months or younger. In the remaining "home-based" programs , 88% of the children are 0-24 months old. Most children enrolled are part-time, but some programs offer full-time options, even for the 2 year olds. This recent investment of time, effort, and money in the education of deaf infants and their families is a dramatic development. It was recognized as such by the CEASD (Conference on Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf) in the following resolution, adopted in April 1982. Resolution Supporting the Role of the School for the Deaf in Parent-Infant Education WHEREAS The early identification of hearing impairment in infants, and the availability of subsequent educational and support services for those identified as deaf, are generally recognized to be important to the development of these children; and WHEREAS Non-medical educational and developmental services for the parent and infant are often not available in the medical setting (where identification occurs); and WHEREAS Many schools for the deaf have considerable program resources and expertise which can be used for parent-infant education ; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED That the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf support the development and maintenance of parent-infant programs in schools for the deaf as an integral part of their educational services to deaf children and their families; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That parent-infant educational activities of the school for the deaf be encouraged and supported as a valuable community resource for deaf infants and their families, regardless of whether the child subsequently enrolls as a full-time student in that school. The significance of this area has also been recognized by the program directors for the 1983 North American Convention on the Education of the Hearing Impaired (June 26-30, Winnipeg, Canada) who have selected "Early Identification /Parent Education" as one of their key organizing strands. The Educational Research Committee of CEASD would like to join with the convention directors in encouraging all interested parties to participate in this important forum. Helen B. Craig, Ph.D. Chairman Subcommittee on Status of Parent-Infant Education Educational Research Committee CEASD 740 A.A.O. I October 1982 ...