The critical need for early deaf adult support in early intervention

Early Deaf adult support services are essential for families with Deaf children. The 2017 reauthorised Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act called for programs to strengthen Deaf adult supports. In 2020, federally funded Early Intervention programs across the United States were required to increase enrollment in Deaf adult-to-family support services by 10% and ensure access no later than the child’s ninth month of age. However, this timing appears arbitrary, as there are no published data on parents’ preferred timing. This paper presents findings from a cross-sectional survey examining when parents were offered services from Deaf adults and their preferred timing for receiving these services. The survey was completed by 129 hearing parents with Deaf children from the United States: 94 whose children were eligible for early intervention before 2020 and 34 whose children became eligible in 2020 or later. Deaf adult-to-family support services increased after 2020, and parents indicated they preferred these services earlier than offered, specifically within three months of identification. Findings suggest that offering Deaf adult-to-family support services by nine months of age is too late and does not reflect parent preference for earlier support. We recommend revisiting current policy and training professionals to increase support from Deaf adults earlier.