Office on Disability

National Initiative on Effective Interventions for Infants and Young Children with Hearing Loss

The problem of insufficient healthcare services for infants and young children identified with hearing loss and their families has reached crisis proportion in America. HHS has taken the leadership in including newborn hearing screening for almost 90% of babies born in America today. But what occurs after a child is found to be deaf or hard of hearing is where the tragedy begins. After diagnosis, most parents and their children face a crazy quilt of uncoordinated, ineffective, and often misleading services and programs throughout the Nation. With critical periods for the development of language, literacy, social and cognitive skills occurring in early life, it is essential that our Nation provide comprehensive, coordinated, effective and quality services to this significant population.

In response to this problem, Dr. Giannini announced in October 2004 a new priority for the Office on Disability called, the National Initiative on Effective Interventions for Infants and Young Children with Hearing Loss. An Office on Disability Working Group on Hearing Loss in Children was established and includes leaders in the fields of health care, research, education, family, and advocacy for children with hearing loss. The mission of the Working Group is to identify gaps in service delivery and to recommend solutions for closing the gaps for this population of children in states and regions throughout the Nation. The Office on Disability seeks solutions that will provide for the children and their families comprehensive, coordinated, and cost effective programs and services. To accomplish this task, the Working Group has been divided into three Subcommittees-Comprehensive Health Care Services, Comprehensive Educational Services, and Research Needs.

Monthly teleconferences have been held since October during which progress reports were given by each of the Subcommittees. In May 2005, Dr. Giannini will convene a meeting in Washington, DC, of the members of the Working Group to discuss its recommendations and consider action steps that may be taken to close the gaps in needed services. The report of the Working Group and the Office on Disability will be widely disseminated for further action.

For further information, contact Michael Marge, Ed.D. at 202-260-0913 or michael.marge@hhs.gov.

Last revised: March 14, 2005

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