EHDI Brochure

HOW CAN I CONTACTTHE NETWORK?To request information about yourEHDI team, visit the DCFL website athttp://cfl.state.mn.us/SPECED/deaf/mnhearing_networkor contact your district's SpecialEducation Director, or the Director ofthe Minnesota Resource Center at ()- V/TTY or call your RegionalLow Incidence Facilitator listed below.Regional FacilitatorsRegion & Brenda AckersonRegion Pat BrandstaetterRegion Dennis CeminskiRegion & Earl MergensRegion & Bob BraunRegion Linda WatsonRegion Jean HairRegion Judy Wolff() -, x backers@wao.k.mn.us() -pbrand@nesc.k.mn.us() -ceminski@lcsc.org() -earlm@ncscmn.org() -bbraun@swsc.org() -lwatson@mnscsc.org() -iehair@rochester.k.mn.us() -, xmneu@gte.netYOUR REGIONAL TEAM:EHDI is a collaborative effortbetween the Minnesota Departmentsof Children, Families & Learning;Health and Human Services.MinnesotaEarly HearingDetection &InterventionNetwork• Region & • Region • Region • Region & • Region & • Region • Region • Region Providing support and expertiseto young children who aredeaf or hard of hearingand their families.

WHAT IS THE “1-3-6”GOAL?Universal newborn hearing screeningis becoming a standard of carefor newborns in Minnesota. Whenfully implemented, the number ofinfants identified with hearing losswho are in need of early interventionservices will increase significantly.Research has shown that it is criticalto begin early intervention fordeaf/hard of hearing (D/HH)infants and their families before months of age. When this occurs,deaf and hard of hearing childrenhave the opportunity to achieveage appropriate language andcognitive skills by the time theyenter kindergarten.It is the goal of newborn hearingscreening to assure that all deafand hard of hearing newborns are:1 Screened for hearing loss by month of age3 Evaluated by an audiologist by months of age6 Enrolled in an Early InterventionProgram by months of ageWhat is thePurpose of theEHDI Network?• To build capacity in local areas tooffer a full array of early interventionservices to meet theunique needs of D/HH infants andtoddlers and their families.• To expand professional expertise,regionally, by offering advancedtraining to provide appropriateearly intervention services forD/HH infants and toddlers andtheir families. There is noone single approach thatis appropriate for allchildren. Interventionmust be based on theneeds of the child andfamily.• To prepare each teamto develop a plan fortechnical assistanceand training to theirlocal school districtswithin their region.Who makes up theEHDI Network?The Minnesota EHDINetwork consists of teams.Each team is composed of thefollowing educational staff:• An early childhood specialeducator• An audiologist, and• A teacher of the Deaf/Hard ofHearingThe network is designed to coverall regions in the state. Teammembers have participated in theEHDI network training and eachteam has a wide range ofexperience and expertise.