The most important aspect of this program is that it establishes a place that provides objective information, and services on any subject related to the deaf child, for parents who already know or have just discovered that their infant or young child is deaf and consequently feel lost and do not know what to do.

Objective information is put at their disposal from educational references and research as well as from personal experiences about the best possible choices for their child. These choices are also reviewed in the context of what is available in Lebanon and what really meets their needs and priorities.

The LCD’s role is to provide emotional and cognitive support for parents to overcome their grief and to supply them with all basic information. Therefore besides the continuous guidance (talks, following tests needed, advise for whom to contact, searching possibilities for schooling, etc), the Early Intervention Program is offering parents two services for these purposes and these are 1) the Support Group where families gather in the presence of a qualified and experienced psychologist in the field of deafness, and 2) the Course for families of young children with Hearing Impairment where a number of intensive lectures is given to them concerning subjects related to deafness or the young child.

Parents come from distant areas and from closer areas. The ones from closer areas can bring their child once a week, or twice when needed for sessions with the therapist who works with the child, but also with the family. While parents coming from distant areas usually bring their child once a month for evaluation and follow up.

All parents benefit from the John Tracy Clinic sequential lessons, which are translated and adapted to the Arab Language and Culture by our LCD with the authorization from the clinic. These lessons help parents in a gradual manner to enhance their child’s whole development with stress on language development and listening skills. All families are enjoying these lessons because of their simplicity and their content which is written with a lot of consideration to the feelings of the family and the abilities of each individual child.

The LCD’s Resource Room provides intensive information, as well as links through the Internet; so that answers are always available to parents’ questions related to any subject concerning their child as a child and as a deaf child.

In the year 2004, the LCD initiated a specialized Integrated Nursery, Montessori oriented, for hearing and hearing impaired children where both benefit from a very rich environment in all means of development with a special focus on language. There is a special care to have special activities for the families of both hearing and hearing impaired children to support the growth of the child at home.The Early Intervention Program supports parents until their child is settled in a proper school that meets his/her needs. These differ from one child to another. But even then parents may still want to benefit from some of our services.Due to lack of awareness for Early Detection the LCD is working on a national campaign where brochure will be distributed with simultaneous interviews on the media (TV, radio, newspapers, etc). The brochures have been published, and we had a collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Health for the distribution in health care centers of the government. Further, the brochures will be distributed to clinics of Pediatric doctors, nurseries, and especially dispensaries. This distribution will require more coordination and cooperation. There is also a plan ready to support all the families who may contact the LCD for information, guidance and support.