Children who are deaf or hard of hearing can access specialist early intervention services provided by some state governments or NDIS provider organisations specialising in early intervention services for children with hearing loss and their families.
The Australian Government funds the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which offers support to children with hearing loss younger than 9 years old and their families.
At your first appointment with Hearing Australia, the audiologist will discuss the NDIS with you and inform you about the NDIS early childhood partner in your local area. Your NDIS early childhood partner will support you in applying for the NDIS on your child’s behalf. Your child with permanent hearing loss can access the supports they need earlier through the NDIS Pathway Hearing Stream.
The information provided in the table below lists the organisations who provide specialist early intervention services for children with hearing loss and their families.
| DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT | |
| Contact details | Early Intervention Service: Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DECD) Special Education Resource Unit Department of Education Phone: 08 8235 2871 Website: Click here |
| Services provided | Family-centred approach Experienced Teachers of the Deaf and Speech Pathologist Home visiting service Speech and language assessments Individualised listening and language programs Bilingual/bimodal - Auslan and/or spoken language options Professional development and capacity building for preschools and child-care centres Transition support Playgroups Parent workshops Acoustic assessments in preschools Access to SERU resource library Support with connecting to Deaf mentors and Auslan language models Advocacy, support and collaboration with other agencies and services involved |
| Communication options | Spoken and/or signed languages |
| CAN:DO 4KIDS | |
| Contact details | 59-61 Grange Road Welland SA 5007 Phone: 08 8298 0900 Website: Click here. |
| NDIS Registered Service Provider | Yes |
| Services provided | Centre-based Individual therapy Early Intervention Coordinator can support child and family at home, childcare, Kindy and transition to school Playgroup |
| Communication options | Listening and spoken language Auslan Signing to support spoken language development |
| NEXTSENSE | |
| Contact details | NextSense Connected Services (Australia-wide) Phone: 1300 581 391 Website: Click here. |
| NDIS Registered Service Provider | Yes |
| Services provided | Services provided by video-conferencing Individualised program Assist parents to develop skills to support child Parent education Assessment and consultation |
| Communication options | Auditory-verbal Auditory-oral Auslan |
For more information…
Disclaimer: The information contained on this website is not intended as a substitute for independent professional advice.
