You are NOT alone.
Who you’ll
meet
along the way
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Phone: 1-800-218-0001
Email: Floridaearlysteps@flhealth.gov
Mailing Address: 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A06
Tallahassee, FL 32239
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Main Campus Contact
📍 207 N. San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
📞 Main Phone: (904) 827-2210
🌐 Website: www.fsdbk12.org
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Statewide public school serving Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Visually Impaired students from birth through 12th grade, offering academic programs, residential options, and family support.
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When your child becomes school age you’ll need to do things to prepare the school for another amazing superHEARo. Follow our step-by-step guide to help get you started. Then, check out this list of all the Florida public school districts and find your school!
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Nemours Children’s Health – Audiology (Multiple Florida Locations)
Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville
📍 807 Children’s Way, Jacksonville, FL 32207
📞 (904) 697-3707
🌐 www.nemours.org
Provides pediatric hearing evaluations, cochlear implant support, newborn hearing follow-up, and ongoing audiology care for children from infancy through adolescence.
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
📍 6535 Nemours Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32827
📞 (407) 567-4000
Comprehensive pediatric audiology services including diagnostic testing, hearing aid management, and care for children with hearing loss and auditory disorders.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – Pediatric Audiology
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Outpatient Care, Tampa
📍 12220 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612
📞 (727) 767-8989
🌐 www.hopkinsmedicine.org
Specialized pediatric audiology including diagnostic testing, cochlear implant support, and hearing services for infants, children, and teens.
Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children – Hearing Center
The Hearing Center at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
📍 50 W Sturtevant St, Orlando, FL 32806
📞 (321) 841-6144
🌐 www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com
Provides pediatric hearing evaluations, hearing aids, and long-term audiology care for children with hearing loss.
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Nemours Children’s Health
📞 (407) 567-4000
Provides pediatric ENT care including hearing loss diagnosis, ear tube surgery, and cochlear implant coordination. Multiple Florida locations.
UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital
📞 (352) 273-7593
Specialized pediatric ENT services including medical and surgical care for hearing loss and congenital ear conditions.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
📞 (727) 767-4170
🌐 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org
Comprehensive pediatric ENT care including diagnosis and treatment of hearing and airway conditions.
Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
📞 (321) 841-6444
🌐 https://www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com
Provides pediatric ENT services including hearing loss evaluation and treatment.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
📞 (305) 669-8590
🌐 https://www.nicklauschildrens.org
Offers specialized pediatric ENT care including cochlear implant and hearing loss services.
Statewide Pediatric ENT Directory
American Academy of Otolaryngology – Find an ENT
🌐 https://www.enthealth.org/find-ent
Searchable directory to locate board-certified ENT specialists, including pediatric providers, throughout Florida.
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Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) support communication development for children with a wide range of needs, including Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. SLPs may specialize in spoken language, listening and auditory development, ASL and bilingual language, AAC (augmentative communication), feeding therapy, and early intervention. Families can explore the directories below to find licensed providers throughout Florida and virtual therapy options.
Statewide SLP Directories
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) – Find an SLP
🌐 https://www.asha.org/profind
Specialties:
• Pediatric speech therapy
• Hearing loss and auditory development
• AAC and communication disorders
• Feeding and swallowing therapy
Florida and nationwide providers
Florida Health – Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist Directory
🌐 https://floridaspeechtherapy.gov
Specialties:
• Licensed Florida SLPs
• Early intervention and school-age services
• Pediatric and specialty therapy providers
Availability: Statewide Florida directory
SpeechTherapy.org – Find a Speech Therapist
🌐 https://speechtherapy.org/find-a-speech-therapist
Specialties:
• Pediatric speech therapy
• Communication delays
• Teletherapy options
Florida and virtual providers
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Specialty SLP Directories
Language First – Pro-ASL Professional Directory
Specialties:
• ASL-fluent SLPs
• Bilingual ASL/English therapy
• Early language development
Availability: Nationwide and virtual options
Deaf Friendly Audiology & Speech Directory
🌐 https://www.deaffriendlyaudiology.com
Specialties:
• Deaf-competent providers
• ASL-fluent and spoken language specialists
Availability: Nationwide directory
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy – Communication Support
ABA therapy may support communication, social interaction, and behavior development for some children.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board – Find a BCBA
🌐 https://www.bacb.com/services/o.php?page=101135
Florida Medicaid Provider Directory
Specialties:
• Communication development
• Autism support services
• Early intervention
• Behavior and social skills support
Organizations: Coming soon!
Terms
To Know
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An Individualized Education Plan (I. E. P.) has many things we, parents, would like to inform you about! Check out what we’ve included here.
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Under IDEA (as well as a previous law called the Rehabilitation Act), every child who qualifies for special education services is guaranteed a “free and appropriate public education,” or FAPE. Like IDEA, FAPE is intended to ensure all students—regardless of ability level or individual need—are being prepared for “future education, employment, and independent living.” As characterized by the special education advocacy site Wrightslaw, FAPE does not guarantee access to a “Cadillac program” but rather to a “serviceable Chevrolet that runs.” Still, experts maintain that FAPE requires schools to “individualize instruction” for students who are not making adequate progress. (This 2017 radio program on dyslexia offers a compelling look at what happened when a group of parents fought to get their kids’ needs met at school
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This acronym stands for Least Restrictive Environment and is a companion to both IDEA and the IEP. LRE means that a student who requires special education services and supports must be placed in a classroom—preferably at a neighborhood school—with non-disabled peers, to the greatest extent possible. In other words, whenever possible, students with IEPs should not be segregated from mainstream classrooms. Determining which school setting will qualify as a student’s least restrictive environment is a highly individualized process, based on the level and type of services the student needs.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life. Read more here.
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This acronym stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Before IDEA became federal law in 1975 millions of children with disabilities or individual needs were kept out of public schools. The law mandates, among other things, that all students with an “identified disability receive special education and related services to address their individual needs.” IDEA is “complicated...but well worth understanding and implementing," according to the Center for Parent Information and Resources.
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An individualized family service plan (I. F. S. P.) has many things we, parents, would like to inform you about. Check out what we’ve included here!