In the United States, major legislation for children who have disabilities date back to 1975, when Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, otherwise known as Public Law 94-142. This law guaranteed free and appropriate education for all children with disabilities. Since 1975, this law has been expanded and evolved into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This has also been revised and covers children from birth to the age of 21. Provision of services might include some or all of the following:
Family training, counseling, and home visits
Special Instruction
Speech Pathology and Audiology
Occupational Therapy
Psychological Services
In this discussion, please discuss the following information:
Imagine that you are a speech and hearing professional and must assist the family of a pre-lingual, profoundly deaf (with no co-morbidities) young child in determining the course of action they should take in supporting their child. You are responsible for providing information from an unbiased perspective and give the family all options available for their child. What would you say to them? What resources would you provide? Make sure to include options for the following:
Use of amplification
Preferred mode of communication
Early Intervention plan (0-3)
Educational plan for school (3-21)