New Hotline Supports Families of Children with Hearing Loss

Having a child with hearing loss is stressful. You want the best for your child, and watching them struggle to interact with the world around them can be heartbreaking. When it comes to child hearing loss, the key to a successful future is early diagnosis and treatment so that your child can learn and grow along with their hearing peers. A new hotline has recently been launched that aims to support families of children with hearing loss.

Early Detection

Since early detection and treatment is key in ensuring children are able to learn new skills and develop along with their hearing peers, the U.S. federal government runs the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program. This screening program runs in maternity wards across the country, and almost every baby born in the U.S. is screened for hearing loss before they go home from the hospital.

The screening program is able to detect babies with hearing loss, and inform parents of what struggles their infant will face. However, after finding out that your child has hearing loss, you’ll have a lot of questions, and some big decisions to make.

Listen-Learn-Link Hotline

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has recently launched a hotline that will help parents of children with hearing loss. The hotline gives parents access to someone who has gone through the same struggles, and can provide advice and support. “It’s terrific that we have universal newborn hearing screening,” says Gayla Guignard from the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, “but not every family has the support they need to make sure they know about all of the resources and the decisions they have to make” following a hearing loss diagnosis.

The Listen-Learn-Link Hotline is just one of the services offered by the AG Bell Association. In late 2017 they launched the Cradle to Career Initiative that provides ongoing support to families with children dealing with hearing loss. The AG Bell Association is able to offer continued support, information, and access to resources and services for both families and adults navigating life with hearing loss.

How Does the Hotline Work?

If you’re a parent or caregiver of a child who’s recently been diagnosed with hearing loss, you can call the hotline to connect with AG Bell’s early intervention parent consultant, Julie Swaim. Swaim is no stranger to the journey you’re going through. She felt the same confusion and fear when her 10-month-old son was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. Her personal experiences and extensive training means she can give invaluable support to parents facing a similar situation.

You can access the hotline through phone, email, or even video conference. Swaim will ask more about your story, your experiences thus far, and what resources you have been able to access. She’ll be able to direct you towards the services you need moving forward, provide more information that you’ll need before making the next decisions, and suggest other resources that will help you on your journey. The Hotline will also provide you with location specific resources, like connecting you to state chapters who will have more knowledge of local services available in your area.

Treating Hearing Loss

One of the decisions you’ll have to make at the beginning of this journey is how to treat your child’s hearing loss. Many parents opt for treating hearing loss with advanced hearing aids that give their child all the tools for success. Being able to hear clearly is critical for child development, allowing your child to grow, learn, and communicate along with their hearing peers. Children with hearing aids are equally successful in the classroom and at home in learning new skills and discovering how the world works.

At Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services, we have a number of options when it comes to your child’s hearing health. Hearing devices made for babies and children are very different than those made for adults. Most are behind the ear devices that are easy to wear, and provide easy access whenever you need to check or adjust them. As your child grows, you won’t need to invest in new hearing aids, but can simply change the ear piece or the hearing devices. Visit us today to give your child the future they deserve.