This section discusses the various approaches and theories on education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
This document makes no recommendation for or against any of these methods.
0-3, 3-5, 6-20 Age Group Placements
Children age 0-3 with a hearing loss who qualify for services under IDEA are serviced by First Steps, a division of the Missouri Department of Health. The family is assigned a First Steps coordinator who works with the family to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan. This plan specifies the services that are to be provided for the child and family. Various schools and private practice professionals have been approved by First Steps as providers of service to deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Some of the possible forms of service to 0-3 year olds include parent-infant programs and sessions with private practice speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, or other therapists.
Once a child turns 3, responsibility for providing special education services shifts to the local public school. The school must provide an appropriate free public education for the child. Children age 3-5 may be placed in an early childhood special education classroom along with children with disabilities other than hearing loss. The IEP (individualized educational program) team, which includes the parents, decides an appropriate placement. Other placements such as a preschool class just for deaf or hard-of-hearing children, or individual therapy from a teacher of the deaf or a speech-language pathologist, are also options to consider. The current financing system for special education requires that the state department of education cover all costs of special education for children age 3-5 in Missouri, so nothing comes out of the local school budget for providing these services.
After turning age 6, the current finance system for special education does not require the state to cover all costs of special education for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. Again, as with younger children, a variety of placements are available for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.