CHIP Staff
CHIP Director	CO-Hear Regional Coordinator
CHIP Facilitator	Parent Consultant
Consumer Advisor	Sign Language Instructors
D/HH Adult Role Models	Advisors and Consultants

CHIP Facilitators (Early Education Providers)

All providers are contracted to work with a specific family. To insure that these providers have current technical information, training is offered, even when they do not have an active caseload. At any point in time, only 50 percent of the providers are seeing families. Some providers choose not to work with a family and some live in rural areas where children with hearing loss are identified only occasionally. Most providers have other employment, usually working with young children who have a hearing loss.

Providers are responsible for purchasing their own liability/malpractice insurance.

In 1996, the program responded to encouragement from adults who are deaf and considered hiring deaf and hard-of-hearing adults as early intervention providers. In retrospect, it seems like an obvious omission to not have hired appropriately qualified and credentialed providers who have a hearing loss sooner. A task force met regularly to discuss adaptations that might need to be made to the program. These adaptations are explained in detail at the end of this section.

Qualifications:

• Ability to work in partnership with families

• Knowledge of child development (newborn to six years of age)

• Knowledge of family-centered education

• Familiarity with all methods/modes of communication for children who are deaf or hard of hearing including: ASL, MCE, auditory-verbal, auditory-oral, total communication, Cued Speech

• Commitment to offer families options as they choose the method/mode of communication they want to use with their child

• Sensitivity to cultural issues

Credentials:

• MA + Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A, CCC-SLP)

• MA + 5 years experience working with children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing

• MA + CFY (Clinical Fellowship Year) in process

• MA or BA + Certification from Colorado Department of Education (CDE)

• MA or BA + supervision by the CO-Hear Regional Coordinator

• When necessary to meet the primary language needs of a family, the CHIP facilitator can work under direct supervision of the CO-Hear Regional Coordinator and forego the credentials listed above

Responsibilities:

• Establishing rapport with the child and the family and building an effective relationship with the family

• Linking the family with resources in the community (Child Find, Community Centered Board, Part C services)

• Participating in the development of the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) and/or assures that an IFSP is completed

• Completing a multi-disciplinary assessment (F.A.M.I.L.Y. Assessment is an option) at six month intervals

• Implementing the intervention program by:

Meeting with the family for 60 to 90 minute sessions (frequency is determined by the IFSP) Writing a home visit plan prior to each home visit Writing a summary of each home visit Completing a quarterly report Assisting family as they explore appropriate communication mode by:

Providing unbiased information Helping the family to monitor child's communication Helping the family members recognize their feelings about the communication methods Committing to the family's choice of method

• Coordinating services with other providers

• Assisting family with the transition process to other programs

• Assuring appointments are made with the audiologist

• Maintaining contact with the CO-Hear Coordinator

• Attending hearing evaluations, IFSP sessions, and medical appointments at the request of the family