Naturally occurring interactions between a normally hearing mother and her 2-year-old hearing-impaired child were analyzed. Two distinct maternal interaction styles were identified: "labeling" which was very didactic, and "dialoguing" which was very interactive, less controlling, and more similar to interactions between mothers and normally…

This paper outlines the objectives for a facilitator of a parent infant program working with Spanish-speaking families of hearing-impaired infants or toddlers. It is recommended that the early intervention program begin counseling in the parents' fluent language and introduce English gradually to both parents and infant, and provide support from…

This discussion of speech development in infants and toddlers with hearing impairments considers selection and ordering of speech targets; the place of audition in speech teaching; and teaching methods for specific speech elements. Guidelines include helping caregivers internalize strategies to help the child use residual hearing and utilizing an…