Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
When a person is deaf or hard of hearing, it means he or she does not process sound the same way a person with typical hearing does. This difference can range from not being able to hear a few sounds to not hearing any sounds at all. For a variety of reasons, some babies are deaf or hard of hearing from the beginning, while some children experience hearing changes later on.
How are children who are deaf or hard of hearing diagnosed?
Your child will undergo various tests with a pediatric audiologist. Afterwards, the care team will review available results with your family and begin discussing opportunities for early/ongoing language access and development, and address concerns that are important at that time.
What causes a child to be deaf or hard of hearing?
There are many reasons a person can be deaf or hard of hearing including:
Idiopathic (unknown)
Infection (infection during pregnancy, meningitis)
Genetic (gene change or syndrome known to involve hearing)
Factors associated with premature birth (such as need for ECMO therapy, need for exchange transfusion)
Medications that can affect hearing (certain antibiotics or chemotherapies)
What is the plan of care for children who are deaf or hard of hearing?
Our Family-Focused Center (FFC) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children provides comprehensive evaluation and language and development opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as family support.
As part of a large tertiary care hospital – Children’s Health – the FFC care team has access to specialists, as needed, for each individual child. Dr. Rachel St. John, director of the FFC program, and her team have also spent many years building relationships with community organizations, schools, resource centers, mental health providers, and parent-driven organizations to help children and patients connect meaningfully to these resources.
The FFC works to help children develop their best possible individual potential in a variety of ways, based on the unique needs and strengths of each child and his or her family. Click here for a PDF of available resources.
Understanding Your Child’s Hearing Status
At the FFC, the care team’s goal is to expose your child to as many opportunities as possible for language access and developmental success. FFC providers will:
Offer to connect you with other families who also have children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Introduce early intervention opportunities for children under the age of 3
Help you understand classroom accommodations that can help school-age children learn at their full potential
Explain potentially helpful technologies, like hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assisted listening systems
Connect you with appropriate specialists, if your child isn’t seeing them already
Doctors and Providers for children who are deaf or hard of hearing
