Curriculum & Resources
Free guides, homeschool curriculum for communication skills, and trusted organizations for families and schools supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Free to download
Guides written for Arizona families
Every guide here was researched and written in house. They name the specific programs, eligibility rules, phone numbers, legal citations and application routes, rather than sending you off to search for them.
Holiday Toy Buying Guide
For families of children from birth to five who are learning to listen and talk. How to choose toys by stage of language, and how to play with them so they build words.
- Toys and materials matched to each stage, with phrases to try while you play.
- Action words, describing words, books and first words to target.
- Shopping tips, hearing device checks and safety for children under 3.
- ASL options for signing families, plus strategies that work with any toy.
Turning Three with Hearing Loss
For families already in AzEIP. The whole handoff from early intervention to preschool special education, start to finish, written for hearing loss specifically.
- The transition planning meeting, the transition conference, and what to ask at each one.
- The audiology window before the evaluation, and why a current audiogram changes the meeting.
- Eligibility, the hearing impairment category, and how Arizona defines educational impact.
- Placement options, service delivery, Empowerment Scholarship Account routes, and a checklist by month.
Hearing Loss: Funding, Services and Access in Arizona
A guide for any age, from newborn identification through adulthood. Arizona and Maricopa County programs first, then national ones.
- AzEIP, the handoff at age three, and what to put in writing so hearing is evaluated.
- Children's Rehabilitative Services, AHCCCS and EPSDT, KidsCare, and where they conflict.
- Arizona programs including EAR Foundation, Desert Voices, Guide By Your Side and ABLE accounts.
- National equipment and grant programs, plus scholarships for high school and college.
Starting with Child Find
For families whose child has a hearing loss and is not in early intervention. How to ask an Arizona school district for an evaluation, and what the district has to do next.
- What Child Find is, which children it covers, and the timelines the district is held to.
- What to gather first, including why one current audiological evaluation is enough.
- How to write the referral, what to request in the evaluation, and what to keep a copy of.
- The MET meeting, the ASDB referral only a district can make, and contact details for school districts across Maricopa County.
Learning American Sign Language
Free and paid ways to learn ASL, starting in Arizona and moving outward. All communication modalities are welcome here, and this guide reflects that.
- Deaf community events, and why receptive skill only develops around real signers.
- The Deaf Mentor Program, who qualifies, and how to ask for it.
- Free and paid national options, from Lifeprint to Gallaudet's online courses.
- How to judge a course, and why learning from Deaf instructors matters.
Programs and eligibility rules change. If something in a guide looks out of date, say so and it will be corrected.
Curriculum
Homeschool curriculum for communication skills
Hear Talk Grow has developed homeschool curriculums that target communication skills, available for purchase by families teaching at home.
Built from the same listening and spoken language principles used in session, and written so a caregiver, not a clinician, can pick them up and teach from them.
Interested in what is available, or want to know whether it would suit your child? Send a message and we will walk you through it.
For families
Organizations and resources worth knowing
A short, trustworthy starting list. These are national organizations, not affiliates of Hear Talk Grow, that families and schools consistently find useful.
AG Bell
Advocacy, family resources, scholarships, and the certifying body for Listening and Spoken Language Specialists.
agbell.orgHands & Voices
Unbiased, parent-driven support for families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, whatever communication path they choose.
handsandvoices.orgHearing First
Free family courses, videos, and practical guidance on building listening and spoken language.
hearingfirst.orgSupporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss
Deep library of tools for itinerant teachers, schools, and families, including self-advocacy and access checklists.
successforkidswithhearingloss.comDescribed and Captioned Media Program
Free captioned and described educational media for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or low vision.
dcmp.orgNational Center for Hearing Assessment & Management
Newborn hearing screening information, state-by-state early intervention contacts, and family guides.
infanthearing.orgNot sure where to start?
Send a message with whatever you already know. You will get a real answer, not a form letter.