What issues are at the forefront of preschool education for students who are DHH?
Every effort must be made to avoid any gap between a child’s age and their language and other developmental levels. The expectation for children who have had early identification and appropriate early intervention services is for normal or near-normal language and cognitive development. This developmental trajectory must continue at the same rate as typical hearing children to avoid gaps that leave children behind. These gaps start an adverse cycle that impacts comprehension, attention, general knowledge, behavior and ultimately academic performance. When transitioning from early intervention programs that are parent/family focused to preschool settings that are child focused, there are several considerations for parents and the preschool professionals to discuss when developing the IEP. Some of these are: • Child Readiness – what type of an environment is the child ready to benefit from? • First, make sure that a thorough assessment has been completed so that current skills, strengths
