A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Audience Approved by JDRP/PEP for families with infants and young children, birth to age 5, who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Description SKI-HI Outreach is a comprehensive program that provides screening, audiological, diagnostic and assessment services and complete home intervention programming for children who are hearing impaired (birth to age 5) and their families. It provides a family-centered, team management approach.

The program is designed to provide services to a state-wide or large population area; however, SKI-HI effectively meets the needs of regional, district, rural, small and private agencies.

A complete home intervention resource manual is provided. It includes the main program areas of hearing aids, communication, auditory development, and both total communication and aural/oral language, as well as resources on Cued Speech and American Sign Language. Training in the SKI-HI model covers delivery for these programs, as well as the roles and functions of a Parent Advisor. Psychological, emotional, and child-development support are provided for parents in the home. Weekly and comprehensive quarterly assessment of child and family is performed. Parent advisors living in the area visit homes weekly to deliver the curriculum, which is targeted for families. A format for home visits is provided.

Elements of the program include identification, screening, program management, and a support system of ongoing audiological services, a hearing aid evaluation and loaner system, video units and tapes for total communication, hearing-aid molds, psychological services, and parent group services. Careful planning for transition to the next educational environment is included.

Evidence of Effectiveness A national data system collects yearly information on demographic status and child/parent progress for all participating adoption programs. Documented outcomes and benefits: (1) the rate of children's gain in language development is greater during SKI-HI intervention than would be due to maturation alone (12 to 16 months language growth in 9 months of intervention); (2) children demonstrated increases in auditory, communication-language, and vocabulary levels; (3) parents acquire skills needed to facilitate the development of their children; and (4) children receiving SKI-HI programming are identified as having a hearing loss at an early age (a median age of 17 months).

Requirements One full-time or part-time professional to make weekly home visits is the minimum requirement. This person must have basic SKI-HI training. Travel is necessary. For maximum effect, a hearing-aid bank, hearing screening, and audiological, psychological, and child development services should be provided. Earmolds, library books, video-playback units, and total communication tapes should be provided. In larger programs, supervision and administration are necessary. The program should participate in the SKI-HI data collection and evaluation system.

Costs Complete services for 11 months (including all direct and supportive services) cost approximately $1,549 per child. Start-up costs are minimal.

Services Awareness materials are available at no cost. Visitors are welcome by appointment at the program site and additional demonstration sites in their home state and out of state. Program staff are available to attend out-of-state awareness meetings (costs to be negotiated). Training is available at adopter sites (costs to be negotiated). Implementation and follow-up services are available to adopters (costs to be negotiated).

Contact

Don Barringer, Director, SKI-HI Institute, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-1900. (801) 752-4601, FAX (801) 755-0317.

Developmental Funding: U.S. Department of Education, Bureau of Education for the Handicapped.
JDRP No. 78-192 (7/13/78)
Recertified (2/19/91)

-###-

[Programming for Early Education of CHildren with Disabilities (PEECH)]

[Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD)]