Family-Centered Early Intervention Deaf/Hard of Hearing (FCEI-DHH): Foundation Principles

Abstract

This article is the fifth in a series of eight articles that comprise a special issue on Family-Centered Early Intervention (FCEI) for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and their families, or FCEI-DHH. The 10 FCEI-DHH Principles are organized conceptually into three sections (a) Foundation Principles, (b) Support Principles, and (c) Structure Principles. Collectively, they describe the essential Principles that guide FCEI for children who are DHH and their families. This article describes the Foundation Principles (Principles 1 and Principle 2). The Foundation Principles emphasize the essential elements of ensuring that families with children who are DHH can access early intervention (EI) and other appropriate supports, as well as highlight the need for provision of EI that is family-centered. Implementation of these FCEI-DHH Principles is intended to improve the lives and the outcomes of children who are DHH and their families around the globe.

Early Childhood Development Is Not Enough: In Defense of Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities and Their Right to Family-Centered Early Childhood Intervention (In the Global South)

“…Although the program being shared supports families and their deaf and hard-of-hearing children, the guiding principles of Fc-ECI remain constant within the spectrum of childhood disability and family support. The foundational building blocks and principles of Fc-ECI programs are as follows: (i) Early and continuous, (ii) Individualized, (iii) Comprehensive and focused on holistic development, (iv) Intensive and coordinated, (v) Transdisciplinary/interdisciplinary and team-based, (vi) Evidence-informed and outcomes-driven, (viii) Unbiased and family-led partnerships, (ix) Home-based and focused on daily life and natural routines, and (x) Accountable and quality assured [38,43,51,53,61,62].…”