The first months and years of a baby's life are critical for developing language. Most children can hear right from birth.

They learn to talk by imitating the sounds around them and the voices of their parents and caregivers. But that's not true for every child. Every year in Ontario, nearly four in 1,000 babies are born deaf or hard of hearing.

Infant Hearing Program. The Ontario Infant Hearing Program provides screening, early identification, and treatment of hearing loss in infants, toddlers, and preschool.

More lose their hearing later as they grow. Many of these children may need to learn speech and language differently, so it's important to detect hearing loss as early as possible. Offers hearing screening to all newborn children either in the hospital or in the community. Follow up-supports and services are available for babies who are identified with permanent hearing loss. It is very important to find out if your baby has hearing loss. Undetected hearing loss can cause delays in your baby's speech development.

This can lead to behavioural and emotional problems and later on, to problems in school. The sooner hearing loss is identified, the better. There are many services available to help children with hearing loss. Finding out early means that your child can get the help they need right away.

This gives them the same chance to develop language skills as hearing children. The Middlesex London Health Unit administers the for the Southwest region. Is available throughout the province of Ontario and is funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

In York Region: • Mackenzie Health Hospital – Richmond Hill • Markham Stouffville Hospital • Southlake Regional Health Centre In Durham Region: • Lakeridge Health Corporation – Oshawa site • Rouge Valley Health System – Ajax and Pickering site In Peterborough, Northumberland or Haliburton Counties or the City of Kawartha Lakes: • Northumberland Hills Hospital • Peterborough Regional Health Centre Hearing screenings also occur in your local community. To inquire about an appointment contact 1-888-703-5437 and select option 4 for the Infant Hearing Program.

Screening Clinics. York Region: Screening clinics are available in: • Markham • Newmarket • Richmond Hill • Stouffville • Thornhill • Woodbridge Durham Region: Screening clinics are available in: • Ajax • Bowmanville • Oshawa • Pickering • Port Perry • Whitby Peterborough, Northumberland or Haliburton Counties or the City of Kawartha Lakes: Screening clinics are available in: • Cobourg • Lindsay • Peterborough Audiology The Tri-Regional Infant Hearing Program contracts with local audiologists to provide hearing assessments for children referred from the program. These audiologists are trained and registered with the Ontario Infant Hearing Program and are provided with the necessary equipment to properly assess and monitor children with hearing loss following the protocols of the program. If hearing loss is identified, arrangements are made to refer the infant for a medical assessment. Family Support Services Family Support Workers are available to families of children identified with permanent hearing loss to help with the process of accepting the hearing loss and dealing with its implications.

They can provide counselling to families, investigate funding options for families needing financial support for hearing aids or other devices and help them to connect with other local services that can help to monitor and encourage their child’s development. Communication Development Services Some children will require help to properly develop their communication skills. Depending on their degree of hearing loss, auditory skills and the communication style chosen by their parents, children may be eligible to access services through the Preschool Speech and Language program, Auditory-Verbal Therapy or an American Sign Language and Literacy Consultant. Amoroso Stroller 2232 Manual on this page. High Risk Monitoring Who is eligible for High Risk Monitoring? Infants who are identified with a risk factor for late onset or progressive hearing loss and who have received a “PASS” result on an earlier screening will be eligible for the High Risk Monitoring Protocol.

What is the High Risk Monitoring Protocol? This is an evidence based protocol using various steps between 4 and 30 months. The steps include: • 8-12 months corrected age – Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) by an IHP-trained audiologist • 18 months corrected age – a standardized auditory skills checklist (LittlEars Auditory Checklist) completed by telephone with a screener in the program • 30 months corrected age – access to a developmental screening • A modified version of this protocol is used for infants identified with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or meningitis What if my child gets a PASS RESULT? Infants who “PASS” any of the steps are recommended for the next step. At 30 months of age, the child is no longer monitored by the program.