The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Early Intervention program partners with the Indiana School for the Deaf and St Joseph Hearing + Speech to create The CDHHE Network. The CDHHE Network is a First Steps agency serving families of deaf and hard of hearing children throughout the state of Indiana. All Network providers specialize in working with families of children who are identified as deaf or hard of hearing.
The Center provides managing audiology services on-site for families enrolled in First Steps. Other ongoing services (Deaf Mentor, Family Navigator, Listening and Spoken Language) through the CDHHE Network are delivered in the child’s natural environment- typically the family’s home.
Family Navigator services are available to support the family’s engagement in early intervention and other services through information and sharing resources.
Deaf Mentor and Listening and Spoken Language therapy are conducted using a coaching model focusing on everyday routines, empowering families to support their child’s development throughout all aspects of their day-to-day life.
In addition to in-person services, virtual services are also provided for all three CDHHE Network services.
Early Intervention Roles and Services
- Audiologists: Provide initial and ongoing evaluations of hearing upon referral by the child’s primary care provider, ENT, First Steps Coordinators, or other First Steps provider agencies at the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education’s (the Center) location in Indianapolis.
- Deaf Mentors: Provide families with the experience of being connected with a Deaf adult by introduction, exposure and shared strategies involving American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf Culture and the Deaf Community. Home visits consist of engaging and activity-based lessons for the families to learn natural and routine-based strategies for communicating visually with their infant/young child. Examples include establishing eye contact and attention, gesturing and learning ASL development and competency, and shared literacy tips. Deaf Mentors have diverse backgrounds including ASL, as well as both ASL and spoken language. Deaf Mentors are certified by the SKI-HI Institute.
- Family Navigators: Support families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing by offering unbiased, comprehensive information to help them navigate available resources. They provide tailored family training to deepen understanding of each child’s unique needs and foster developmental growth. As children transition from First Steps, the Family Navigator offers guidance aligned with state law and the federal IDEA to support entry into Part B special education, while also helping families identify programs and resources for continued educational planning beyond early intervention.
- Listening and spoken language providers: Use a family-centered approach that supports the development of listening and communication skills in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Providers are specially trained in building foundational listening skills to support speech and language development through family coaching and direct service. Unlike traditional speech therapy and deaf education techniques, Listening and Spoken Language strategies emphasize growth of the listening pathways in a child’s brain. If a family desires for their child to learn to listen and talk, a specialized provider is critical in supporting the family on that journey.
The CDHHE Network has audiologists who are available for follow up from Newborn Hearing Screening and may fit children with hearing aids. They are available to consult by phone with local audiologists as well as other providers.
Providers have backgrounds in Deaf Education (DT-DHH), Developmental Therapy (DT), Developmental Therapy - Communication specialty (DT-C), or Speech Therapy (ST), with specialized training in overall language and communication development, bonding and early brain development, multilingual communication planning, assistive technology, infant/early childhood development, literacy, transition planning, and parent training & support.
Providers have backgrounds either as Speech Therapists (ST) or Deaf Educators (DT-DHH), with training in auditory functioning and development, speech and language development, infant/early childhood development, literacy, adult learning styles, and parent training and support.
Important Note: As determined by the family outcomes in the IFSP, more than one provider may be chosen with an understanding that providers will work collaboratively as an interdisciplinary team. Families of children who are in need of additional services may have providers from CDHHE Network in addition to their local agency, and there can be more than one Developmental Therapist (DT), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist (DHH), or Speech and Language Pathologist ST on the team when at least one of these providers is from the CDHHE Network and there are separate outcomes to support both services.
Submit a referral to the CDHHE Network.
