Infants and Toddlers Who Are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing With a Developmental Delay or Are At Risk for Developmental Delays

The low incidence of d/Deaf or hard of hearing-developmental delay (d/Dhh-DD) may also result in service providers having few opportunities for collaboration with colleagues focusing on similar caseloads. This chapter discusses the population of children who are d/Dhh-DD as well as issues related to infants and toddlers who are d/Dhh and at risk for DDs. Identifying specific characteristics of disabilities in young children can be difficult, and this challenge may be greater in infants and toddlers who are d/Dhh. The chapter explores the five domains (communication, physical, social-emotional, cognitive, and adaptive) in which DDs may occur, as well as recommended practices for assessing infants and toddlers who are d/Dhh-DD or at risk for DDs. Families of infants and toddlers who are d/Dhh-DD should be involved in the process of forming the transdisciplinary team and should be given the option of including individuals who are d/Dhh if they are not already a part of the team.