Before Birth If you are planning a baby and wonder if there is a possibility your child may have hearing loss, you may want to check out:
- Causes of Hearing Loss (non-Genetic) - If you are concerned your unborn child may have a hearing loss, you may wish to learn about the possible causes.
- Genetics and Hearing Loss - If hearing loss runs in your family or you think that it does, you may wish to explore the various known genetic causes of hearing loss.
After Birth The baby is here. Now what?
- Be sure to get the baby's hearing tested. Check out Infant Hearing Screening.
Diagnosis of Hearing Loss Your child was found to have a hearing loss. This means you need to learn about parenting a child with hearing loss - education, communication options, and so forth.
- Parenting deaf and hard of hearing - Articles and books on parenting, including parenting of Hispanic deaf children.
- Communication options - One of the hardest choices made by new parents of deaf and hard of hearing children is with regard to communication options - sign language? cued speech? total communication? oral/auditory-verbal?
As Your Deaf/HOH Child Grows Your child is ready for school. This means investigating educational options.
- Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Find schools/programs for deaf children, learn about issues with deaf education, or investigate homeschooling.
Educational Issues As a deaf or hard of hearing child, your child may have to have an Individual Education Program (IEP).
- IDEA - Links to web resources on IEPs specifically for deaf/hard of hearing students.
- Attention Deficit Disorder/Deaf - Your child may be diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder.
- Multiple Disabilities - Perhaps your child will be diagnosed as having vision loss or cerebral palsy, or even autism, mental retardation, or learning disability.
Emotional Issues As a teenager, your child may develop emotional or mental health issues. Specialized services are available:
Friendships and Family Your deaf/hard of hearing child may want to or need to make friends with other deaf or hard of hearing children and teens.
- Families - Publications for deaf/hard of hearing children, summer camps, and more.
- Meeting People - Find chat rooms, discussion lists, and more.
Post-secondary Education
- When your deaf or hard of hearing child is ready for college, check out college options: Colleges
After College Time to find a job. If your child is interested in working in a deaf-related job, check out:
- Employment - Job web sites, advice for employers, and more.
Retirement The years have gone by and it is time to think about where to live in retirement.
- Deaf Senior Citizens - Retirement communities and organizations for mature deaf adults.
The End As death approaches, you want accessible services. A few hospice services have programs for deaf people. For example, the Jacob Perlow Hospice-Deaf Services Project Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City provides hospice services to deaf patients or families with deaf members. This is a basic guideline. Are there any subjects in the subject library that should have been included in this article? Submit your recommendations.
