Parent-Infant Program
The diagnosis of your child's hearing loss may have you and your loved ones overwhelmed and in an unknown territory. We understand that this may be a time of uncertainty with confusing terms, unexpected appointments, and a variety of emotions. We are here to guide and support you every step of the way in a collaborative and positive partnership. You are not alone.
John Tracy Center's Parent-Infant Program provides specialized services to address infant hearing loss within a family-centered model, offering hope, guidance, and encouragement. JTC's Parent-Infant program is an important component of our Education Services. Parent-Infant is the first step in the complex process of preparing a deaf child for transition to a mainstream preschool or kindergarten. We teach parents of babies and toddlers newly diagnosed with hearing loss how to help their child develop listening and spoken language skills through everyday experiences. Many children make dramatic progress, often achieving language skills equal to hearing children by age 3.
Creating a Language-rich Environment Through Everyday Activities
In Parent-Infant, our certified staff teach parents how to create a language-rich environment for their deaf child through everyday activities, a critical element in building a deaf child's ability to develop listening and language skills. Young children with hearing devices and no previous exposure to spoken language require intensive, specialized education to foster listening and comprehensible speech. Parent-Infant offers services that maximize the benefits of early detection, hearing aids and cochlear implants. In the program, families receive comprehensive audiological, developmental and educational services. Services are available in Spanish, including a Spanish-language parent support group and parent class.
Components
Listening and spoken language auditory verbal therapy (LSL-AVT)
Families receive weekly, one-hour, individualized sessions with a certified LSL-AVT therapist in a homelike setting at our Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Gabriel campuses. Parents learn how to help their child develop the language they speak at home, along with comprehensive services that include audiological and developmental assessments. Methods include active listening through books and daily routines and voice control through singalongs and vocal play.
Friday Family School
Families attend Friday Family School at our Los Angeles campus for 2.5 hours weekly during the school year. After checks of children's listening devices, families participate in a parent-child activity that they can also do at home to promote listening, language and development. Parents attend an education class taught by JTC teachers, audiologists, counselors or other experts to learn more about hearing loss and child development. During the parent class, our teachers and speech language pathologists interact with children and observe their development and learning needs so they can recommend home learning activities.
Counseling and child development
JTC is one of the rare programs for young children with hearing loss that includes a licensed counseling and child development team. Our professional staff provide counseling, support and resources to families who may be grappling with their child's diagnosis or other family issues. We connect families with our alumni and host panel discussions with graduates of JTC's dynamic programs where panelists share their stories and answer questions about their challenges and successes. Like all our services, counseling is family-centered and oriented toward the whole child. We also provide developmental screenings, recommendations and referrals for intervention, plus individualized developmental plans.
