CDC Features

CDC Features

Hearing Loss Resources for Families

Photo: A mother using sign language with her baby

Learn more about CDC's resources for families about hearing loss.

Many parents, after learning of their child's hearing loss, have mixed feelings and many questions. They may ask:

"What age should I teach my child language?"
"Is my child old enough for a hearing aid, a cochlear implant, or other assistive device?"
"How do I communicate with my child now?"
"Where do I go for answers?"

A Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss

Cover: Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss

Order a free CD or
Click here for online access.

CDC's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program offers A Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss, an interactive CD (also available online) that gives parents information about programs and services to help them and their child. These are sometimes called interventions and might include:

Meeting with a professional (or team) who is trained to work with children who have hearing loss, and their families.
Fitting a baby with a hearing device, such as a hearing aid.
Joining family support groups.
Other services available to children with hearing loss and their families.

The Family's Choice

Cover of guidebook

CDC also has developed a guide for parents of children with hearing loss in Spanish called "Guía para Familias de Niños con Pérdida Auditiva," (Guide for Families of Children with Hearing Loss).

Order this guide
Download this guide ( 32 pg, 1MB)

Note: This resource is not a translation of the materials already available in English. It was created in Spanish and designed specifically for the Spanish-speaking population.

Every child is unique. All children, including infants, have their own special personality and talents. Just as each child is unique, a child's hearing loss is also unique. One child's hearing loss may be very different from another child's hearing loss.

There are many interventions to consider. Which one (or ones) parents choose will determine how their family and child communicate, and will enable them to help their child grow and develop to be his or her best.

We believe that the decision-making process belongs to each individual family. This CD (also available online) does not favor any one intervention strategy. Instead we provide balanced information on all interventions so that families can make the decision that is right for them and their child.

Other Materials Available for Parents

Order or download these materials for free:

Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Medical Professional
Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Early Interventionist
Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Doctor
Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Audiologist
Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Speech Language Pathologist
Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Genetics Team
A Parents' Guide to Genetics and Hearing Loss:

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Every state has an Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program that works to identify infants and children with hearing loss and promotes timely follow-up testing and services for any family whose child has a hearing loss. If your baby has a hearing loss or if you have any concerns about your baby's hearing, call toll free 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit the EHDI Program site to learn more about this topic and available services in your area.