Module 2: Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deafblind
Early intervention providers working with infants and toddlers who are deafblind and their families need to have a clear understanding of how deafblindness impacts learning and development. They also require knowledge of practical strategies that can be used to support a child and family during these critical early years. Module 2 explores the foundations of early intervention with children who are deafblind and how providers can best encourage their communication and concept development. Lessons include ways of expanding a child’s world to more people, places, and things as well as important strategies for supporting the transition to preschool.
Included in this module are four 30-minute lessons that provide practical, need-to-know information and strategies for working with infants and toddlers who are deafblind.
Use of this Module
As with all NCDB products, this module is available for free on our website. Although we invite anyone to use these materials for independent self-study, the module was specifically designed for professional development providers to use in their training programs and courses. Please note that NCDB does not provide CEUs, certificates, or confirmation of completion.
To learn how this module can be incorporated into your training platform, visit Use of Teaching Children Who Are Deafblind Modules: Info for Professional Development Providers.
Module 1 Content Experts
Nancy Hatfield
Nancy Hatfield, MS, PhD, is an early childhood consultant, working with early support and preschool teams to address the needs of young children with deafblindness. For more than two decades, she worked for Washington Sensory Disabilities Services, building a statewide system of services for infants and toddlers with sensory disabilities, and recently retired as director of the state deaf-blind project. She began her career earning a bachelor’s in Speech Pathology/Audiology and worked in three early intervention programs for families of deaf/hard of hearing and deafblind children. She completed an interdisciplinary doctoral program from the University of Rochester that focused on language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and early childhood development, and served as a research assistant at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Sundie Marx
Sundie Marx, MS, has had the privilege of serving multiple children with deafblindness, their families, and other stakeholders for more than 15 years as a Teacher of the Deaf-Blind with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. She received a bachelor’s in Psychology from Westminster College, a master’s in Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and an Early Childhood Credential and Deafblind Endorsement from the University of Utah. Sundie has a lifelong passion for transforming the lives of children with sensory problems, particularly those with deafblindness. When not with other families, she enjoys spending time with her own family of three girls! All of which keeps her busy running from soccer games to dance performances.
Published July 2023 by National Center on Deaf-Blindness.