Early Identification & Referral
The earliest experiences of a child's life greatly influence their ability to learn, move and interact with others. For children with deaf-blindness, this is especially true since their physical, communication, cognitive, social, and emotional development are connected. Because the impact on learning is exponentially greater for combined vision and hearing loss than for vision or hearing loss alone, early intervention services from individuals who understand the unique impact of deaf-blindness is essential.
The Virginia Project for Children and Young Adults with Deaf-Blindness will work with families, early intervention providers and related service providers of infants and toddlers with deaf-blindness to ensure that the team has an understanding of the child's sensory loss and how it will impact their communication, socialization, and other domains.
Deaf-Blind Project Flyer for Early Intervention (3).pdfVirginia Early Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center: Talks on Tuesday Series- "Sense and Census-ability"
How to identify if your child is eligible to receive support from the Virginia Deaf-Blind Project
Module on Deaf-Blindness for Early Intervention Providers through The Virginia Early Intervention Learning Center
This course offers Early Intervention providers with content that focuses on (1) the identification of infants and toddlers with combined vision and hearing loss (deaf-blindness), (2) key instructional strategies, and (3) developmental domains. The selection of resources was guided by the Council of Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices.
This course takes 1 hour to complete.
For additional information and resources for working with infants and toddlers who are deaf-blind, please contact Ira Padhye (iapadhye@vcu.edu).