Oral Deaf Education Program

Did you know that:

  • 4 children in every 1,000 are born deaf or hard of hearing. Many more acquire hearing loss in childhood.
  • 1 in 50 infants in a neonatal intensive-care unit has a significant hearing loss.
  • Infants who are born deaf will babble for a few months and then stop.
  • Parents usually suspect a hearing loss before a doctor diagnosis the problem.
  • Because of newborn hearing screening equipment in a growing number of hospitals, even newborns can be tested and fitted with hearing aids.
  • Diagnosis is often delayed by several months and this can result in delayed language development.

The Oral Deaf Education Program is for children age's birth to 5 years who are deaf or hard of hearing. Developed in collaboration with Jean Moog, an internationally recognized leader in oral deaf education, the preschool and early intervention program implements the Moog curriculum for teaching deaf children to talk. Learning to talk is an option and a reality with significant advances in technology, allowing maximum access to sound provided through cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Features of the Program

  • The goal is for children to become proficient enough in spoken language to use it as their primary means of communicating.
  • Intensive therapy sessions are provided to achieve individualized language goals and objectives for each child.
  • Children are organized into small groups for very focused spoken language instruction for part of the day. The rest of their day is spent in a classroom that resembles any early childhood or preschool setting.
  • Parents play an extremely important role in their child's program.
  • Parent training and support groups are offered to help parent's understand deafness and their child's education.
  • Upon completion of the program, our goal is to successfully mainstream children into classes with hearing peers.

As a Certified Moog Center, We Believe...

  • Deaf children CAN learn to talk.
  • The more children hear, the easier it is to learn to talk.
  • The more children talk, the better they get at talking.
  • The earlier children start talking, the faster they learn.
  • The more parents learn, the more they can help.