NECHEAR provides specialized services to families with infants and toddlers. Our program is based on the philosophy that children with varying levels of hearing impairment can be ready for mainstreamed education from preschool and beyond.
NECHEAR’s audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and listening and spoken language specialists work together with families to provide a comfortable, engaging place where babies and toddlers can learn to listen and talk.
How is this done at NECHEAR?
Early Diagnosis and Hearing Device Fitting – Our audiologists are all specially trained in working with babies and children. In addition to the technical aspects of diagnosing children with hearing loss, NECHEAR audiologists pride themselves on offering experience, patience, and, most importantly, time.
Aural Habilitation Intervention – Our Aural Habilitation services provide a framework around which your child with hearing impairment, whatever the degree, can learn spoken language. NECHEAR’s Aural Habilitation therapy is diagnostic, educational, and therapeutic. Most importantly, our program is highly individualized to address each family’s needs.
The following services are some examples of what is included in Aural Habilitation Intervention at NECHEAR:
- Parent/caregiver education and coaching
- Direct aural habilitation therapy to provide effective strategies to develop your child’s spoken language
- Aural Habilitation therapists attend clinic-based audiology appointments with the family
- Assistance with hearing device management
- Collaboration with other professionals, including Ear, Nose, and Throat physicians, pediatricians, developmental physicians, geneticists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school personnel, educators, etc.
- Transition planning – NECHEAR’s audiologists and aural habilitation therapists can provide guidance, listening and language testing, and attend school meetings.
- Introduction to other families that are raising children with hearing impairment. NECHEAR provides fun family gatherings, educational meet-ups, and group aural habilitation sessions so that families can meet and learn from each other.
There are several ways to be enrolled in NECHEAR’s Early Intervention program:
- NECHEAR is a deaf/hard of hearing support program through the state of Connecticut’s Birth to Three program. We work with a comprehensive Birth to Three program to become a member of your Individualized Family Service Plan. NECHEAR has provided Early Intervention with Birth to Three for over 15 years.
- NECHEAR accepts most insurance plans in Connecticut. We can assist you with understanding your insurance plans as it relates to audiology, early intervention services and hearing device coverage.
- NECHEAR can accept credit cards and checks for families that choose to private pay.