step by step through the system

What Happens After Your

Child is Diagnosed With a

Hearing Loss?

If you're a parent of a newly diagnosed baby or child with a hearing loss, I offer you a big welcome to this site.

After 8 years of swimming through the system and three deaf and hard of hearing children, I decided it was time to put together something that would help other parents. I was tired of discovering various agencies and services by word of mouth and I often wondered why we didn't have a one-stop place for parents in Illinois to get immediate information.

In October, 2002, Illinois will be setting up an Infant Screening Program through the Department of Public Health. This program will screen infants while they are still in the hospital. Parents who have their babies in birth centers or at home will have the option of taking their baby to the nearest hospital and requesting a screening.

If the screening results show a hearing loss, the parents are referred within 48 hours to the local Child and Family Connections agency. This agency provides early intervention services to families with children ages 0-3. Services include assessment, audiology, speech therapy, auditory-verbal therapy, developmental therapy, and soon to be added: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentors. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentors will be providing instruction in sign language/ASL, information on Deaf Culture and hearing loss and the opportunity for families to have contact with those in the deaf and hard of hearing community.

A service coordinator from the local Child and Family Connections office will contact you to set up the initial appointment. An assessment will be done to identify which services are recommended for your child. You, as a parent, have the final say on requesting which services or methods you would like to be given to your child. A plan, called the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) will be created and this will outline specifically what services are to be provided by Child and Family Connections and by whom.

For those choosing to use signs with their child, each office has a "Sign Language Bag" that families can borrow. Included in this bag are videos and books to get you started in learning how to sign.

Once a child becomes three, services cease at Child and Family Connections and are switched over to the local school district via a transitional meeting. Some school districts have services provided by local cooperatives such as Dupage West Cook, Low-Incidence Cooperative (LICA), etc. Other school districts, such as Naperville 204, are choosing to handle their own services to deaf and hard of hearing students.

Another plan is drawn up, called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This plan outlines what services your child will receive through the school district, such as speech therapy, sign language interpreter, specialized classes, etc. The plan also outlines the educational goals for your child for the year. Once a year, the school and the parent convenes to review goals on the IEP and make any adjustments or new goals. A parent has the right to request changes on the IEP anytime.

Here is a website that can help you with responses if you have encountered some resistance in plans for your child: Responses for IEP meetings.

For more information and detailed explanations about IEPs, check out this site: Individualized Education Plans--Various Links. .

IEPs are covered under a law that specifically applies to education of children with disabilities. This law is called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It was previously known as Public Law 94-142. Gallaudet University's Laurent Clerc Deaf Center has a site that explains this law in detail and also covers the IFSP and IEP plans: IDEA Information.




				What Happens After Your Child is Diagnosed With a Hearing Loss?


	If you're a parent of a newly diagnosed baby or child with a hearing loss, I offer you a big welcome to this site. After 8 years of swimming through the system and three deaf and hard of hearing children, I decided it was time to put together something that would help other parents. I was tired of discovering various agencies and services by word of mouth and I often wondered why we didn't have a one-stop place for parents in Illinois to get immediate information. In October, 2002, Illinois will be setting up an Infant Screening Program through the Department of Public Health. This program will screen infants while they are still in the hospital. Parents who have their babies in birth centers or at home will have the option of taking their baby to the nearest hospital and requesting a screening. If the screening results show a hearing loss, the parents are referred within 48 hours to the local Child and Family Connections agency. This agency provides early intervention services to families with children ages 0-3. Services include assessment, audiology, speech therapy, auditory-verbal therapy, developmental therapy, and soon to be added: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentors. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentors will be providing instruction in sign language/ASL, information on Deaf Culture and hearing loss and the opportunity for families to have contact with those in the deaf and hard of hearing community. A service coordinator from the local Child and Family Connections office will contact you to set up the initial appointment. An assessment will be done to identify which services are recommended for your child. You, as a parent, have the final say on requesting which services or methods you would like to be given to your child. A plan, called the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) will be created and this will outline specifically what services are to be provided by Child and Family Connections and by whom. For those choosing to use signs with their child, each office has a "Sign Language Bag" that families can borrow. Included in this bag are videos and books to get you started in learning how to sign. Once a child becomes three, services cease at Child and Family Connections and are switched over to the local school district via a transitional meeting. Some school districts have services provided by local cooperatives such as Dupage West Cook, Low-Incidence Cooperative (LICA), etc. Other school districts, such as Naperville 204, are choosing to handle their own services to deaf and hard of hearing students. Another plan is drawn up, called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This plan outlines what services your child will receive through the school district, such as speech therapy, sign language interpreter, specialized classes, etc. The plan also outlines the educational goals for your child for the year. Once a year, the school and the parent convenes to review goals on the IEP and make any adjustments or new goals. A parent has the right to request changes on the IEP anytime. Here is a website that can help you with responses if you have encountered some resistance in plans for your child: Responses for IEP meetings. For more information and detailed explanations about IEPs, check out this site: Individualized Education Plans--Various Links. . IEPs are covered under a law that specifically applies to education of children with disabilities. This law is called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It was previously known as Public Law 94-142. Gallaudet University's Laurent Clerc Deaf Center has a site that explains this law in detail and also covers the IFSP and IEP plans: IDEA Information.