Who should be referred to NEC?

As mandated by the Office of Special Education Programs, NEC collects deafblind census data for the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Data are submitted annually and reported to state agency directors and the National Center on Deafblindness. Children who have combined vision and hearing loss or who are at risk should be referred to NEC in order to determine eligibility for services and supports. In addition, children identified with the following conditions may be at risk for combined vision and hearing loss:

• CHARGE Syndrome
• Complications of Prematurity
• Congenital Rubella
• Down Syndrome
• Meningitis
• Trisomy 13 or 18
• Usher Syndrome
• Cleft lip/palate; Coloboma of the eye
• Documented Vision Loss and Chronic Ear Infection
• Mitochondrial Disorders
• Cytomegalovirus Virus
• Neurological Trauma

Requirements for NEC support

• Team request and parent permission
• Direct parent request
• Clinical or functional reports of vision and hearing loss

Children who may qualify for services

Eligibility is determined through review of the child’s vision and hearing records. The following possible combinations of vision and hearing loss describe children who may qualify for services:

• Documented vision and hearing loss
• Vision loss and suspected hearing loss (e.g., frequent ear infections)
• Hearing loss and suspected vision loss (e.g., low vision, lack of visual attention)
• Children who have documented or progressive vision and hearing loss or who are at risk. The degree of the child’s sensory loss may be mild to severe.
• Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD): Difficulty with auditory perception of spoken language and other meaningful sounds in the environment. CAPD is typically confirmed by an audiologist.
• Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD): Hearing loss characterized by normal or near normal cochlear hair cell function and absent or abnormal auditory nerve function. Children with this diagnosis often have difficulty hearing in noise, fluctuating hearing, and issues with speech perception.
• Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI): Individuals who have a documented visual impairment caused by the disturbance of the posterior visual pathways and/or the occipital lobes of the brain. The degree of vision impairment can range from minor to significant vision impairment.

Who is Eligible for Technical Assistance?

Individuals from birth to age 22 who have any combination of the disabilities described below resulting in the need for specialized services are eligible for services outlined withing the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Part C, Section 622, 307.11.

A. Individuals who may have multiple disabilities due to generalized nervous system dysfunction, with documented hearing loss and vision loss. The child’s etiology may be progressive in nature.

B. Individuals who have sensory loss of both vision and hearing (low vision, mild to moderate hearing loss).

C. Individuals who have a sensory loss of both vision and hearing, one of which is severe and the other less severe (20/200 acuity or greater; 71-90 dB or greater).

D. Individuals who have  sensory loss of both vision and hearing (low vision to total blindness; moderate to profound hearing loss).

E. Individuals who have sensory loss of both vision and hearing (legal blindness; severe or profound blindness).

* Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD): Individuals who have difficulty with auditory perception of spoken language and other meaningful sounds in their environment. Such a diagnosis may be confirmed by an audiologist.

* Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI) : Individuals who have documented visual impairment caused by the disturbance of the posterior visual pathways and/or the occipital lobes of the brain. The degree of visual impairment can range from minor visual impairment to total blindness.

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Deafblindness – A Range of Combined Vision and Hearing Loss

The table below details when someone is eligible for services from New England Consortium (NEC).