The study aimed to describe ages at identification and initiation of early intervention (EI) services for children enrolled in centre-based EI programmes in Gauteng, as well as to describe the nature of EI services that the children received. The researchers conducted retrospective record reviews of the EI programme files. In addition, caregivers of eight children identified with hearing impairments and enrolled in centre-based EI programmes in Gauteng completed a newly constructed questionnaire. The caregiver questionnaire produced data pertaining to the child's family demographics, background information and schooling history. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, using frequency distribution and measures of central tendency. None of the children received newborn hearing screening services, thus they were identified late following maternal suspicion of hearing impairment. Late identification of the hearing impairment resulted in suboptimal initiation of EI services. All the children received aural habilitation and/or speech-language therapy services. These findings indicate that there is a great need for the establishment of widespread early hearing detection and intervention programmes that will lead to earlier identification of infant and childhood hearing impairment and timely initiation of EI services.

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Over the past few decades, there has been an increasing shift toward emphasizing the importance of the child's family taking an active role in the habilitation process through family-centered early intervention (FCEI) programs. Accordingly, the Health Professions Council of South Africa recommends that early intervention services following confirmation of hearing loss must be family-centered within a community-based model of service delivery that is culturally congruent. The aim of this study was to explore and document current evidence reflecting trends in FCEI for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) by identifying and describing current practice models and/or processes of FCEI for these children. This study describes our first steps in formulating a framework for FCEI for children who are DHH in South Africa. An integrative literature review was conducted. Sage, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published in English between January 2009 and January 2019 reporting on FCEI programs for children who are DHH. Studies that focused on the following were excluded from the study: speech and language outcomes of children, youth, and adults who are DHH; education for children who are DHH; universal newborn hearing screening; professionals' roles in early hearing detection and intervention; diagnosis of hearing loss; and sign language. Kappa statistics were performed to determine agreement between reviewers. Twenty-two studies were included in the review. Cohen's kappa revealed a substantial agreement (κ = 0.8) between reviewers for data extraction and synthesis in terms of the articles that met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Findings were discussed under 5 themes: caregiver involvement; caregiver coaching/information sharing; caregiver satisfaction; challenges with FCEI; and telehealth. Generally, there is sufficient evidence for FCEI, with caregivers indicating the need for full involvement in their children's care. Methods of caregiver involvement involving caregiver coaching/information sharing need to be culturally and linguistically appropriate, with sensitivities around time and manner. This increases caregiver satisfaction with intervention programs and improves outcomes for children who are DHH. Challenges identified by the studies raise implications for early hearing detection and intervention programs, as well as Departments of Health and Social Welfare. These included logistical challenges, professional-related challenges, and caregiver-related challenges. Various aspects of FCEI have been reported in the review. Findings of these studies have significant implications for the formulation of quality FCEI programs to ensure contextually relevant and contextually responsive care of children who are DHH.