It is crucial that parents are empowered to continue in the parental role rather than becoming instructors or remediators. Parents and the extended family require support and information relating to the impact of deafness on their child and their family. The earlier parents are exposed to Deaf people the more likely they are to develop positive attitudes towards their child's deafness. The opportunity to play with speech is important in these early years. Formal intervention in all areas, including non-language areas, is not appropriate unless a child is not attaining normal milestones.
Service is delivered in a variety of ways.
Shortly after diagnosis parents visit The Claremont Project and meet Deaf adults and children. Parents then choose some or all of the services according to their needs and those of their child. Their choices will invariably change throughout their time in the program. A centre based program which runs once a week staffed by two Deaf instructors and a teacher of the deaf. This is an Auslan immersion, language experience program .