Illinois School for the Deaf

Our Programs

Parent Infant Program

The Parent/Infant Program serves Illinois children diagnosed with hearing loss from birth to age 3 and their families. Eligibility for Early Intervention service is 30 dB loss in two speech frequencies (500-4000 Hz) or 35 dB loss in one speech frequency (500-4000 Hz).

If a child meets the criteria, a referral to Child & Family Connections is warranted with parent permission. If results are due to follow-up from a newborn hearing screening, results are sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health, and a referral is mandated.

Provided services include evaluation and assessment, home-based individual sessions, center-based individual sessions, center-based playgroups/parent workshops, parent-to-parent network opportunities, transition planning, and resources. Individual and group sessions focus on language development, communication skills, and auditory development as agreed upon in the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). These skills are developed following the preferred communication mode of the family.

Parent Infant Institute

ISD hosts a yearly Institute in June for Parents of Preschool Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The Institue is a week-long educational workshop for parents of deaf and hard of hearing children ages 0-5 from across the state. The Institute provides families with the opportunity to learn about hearing loss and how to help their children develop to their full potential.