Grafton Specialty Services Program (GSSP) connects families of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and/or visually impaired children with a team of Early Intervention professionals to identify and implement effective methods to help infants and toddlers meet key developmental milestones. GSSP serves as a bridge between families grappling with unexpected concerns about their child’s developmental needs and the providers who can help to meet those needs.

For every 1,000 births, nearly two babies are diagnosed with hearing loss, according to the CDC. In Virginia alone, up to 300 babies are born annually with hearing loss, and around 180 children under the age of 4 receive Early Intervention services due to blindness or visual impairment. Finding appropriate interventions for these children can be extremely complicated. Many organizations providing Early Intervention services don’t have professionals who specialize in working with deaf or blind children on staff. Therefore, finding timely access and support for families when they are most in need can be a struggle.

Grafton Specialty Services Program aims to ease this burden on families by developing a network of hearing and vision specialists that can be accessed, quickly and efficiently, by any Early Intervention program in Virginia. Through a combination of tele-medicine platforms and in-person visits, each family is able to access support—catered to the unique needs of their child—from a provider of their choosing, regardless of where they live in the state. Families will have one point of contact for inquiries, concerns, and follow-up through GSSP, allowing them to spend more time focusing on the needs of their child.

Want to learn more?

• Information for Local Early Intervention Systems is available here.
• Are you an Individual Provider of Early Intervention services Virginia? Learn more about the benefits of joining our network.

Still have more questions? Contact us directly at (540) 450-1052, ext. 4052, or send a message to sstowers@grafton.org.