Parents as adult learners in family-centered early education

Several concepts from the adult learning literature are described that relate to working with parents of young children who are deaf. It is proposed that an adult learner perspective makes an important contribution to the family-centered philosophy and knowledge base that guide the development of practice in early intervention. Three areas are discussed: the context for adult learning, that is, the life situation of adults, including their social roles and responsibilities and experience; learning related to transitions in the adult life cycle; and transformative learning, which examines the ways people make changes in how they understand their experience. Implications for practice in early childhood education are presented.