Overview
Infant Hearing services are provided at Grandview Kids as a partner with Markham Stouffville Hospital which is the lead agency for the Tri-Regional Infant Hearing Program.
The Infant Hearing Program has two major goals:
- To identify infants who are born deaf or hard of hearing, or who are at risk of developing hearing loss in childhood.
- To provide parents of deaf or hard of hearing infants with the services their children need in order to develop communication and language skills, and to give them the best start in life
Services provided through the TRI-Regional Infant Hearing Program
- Nurses and Communicative Disorders Assistants (CDAs) screen infants for permanent childhood hearing loss in hospitals and in various locations in Durham Region. Audiologists trained in the infant hearing protocols assess and identify infants who are deaf or hard of hearing through funded audiology services. Children referred to Audiology assessments at the Grandview Kids are seen at our Oshawa site.
- Registered Social Workers provide support to families of babies that are identified as deaf or hard of hearing Speech-Language Pathologists provide a wide range of communication programming services for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- For more information please visit the website at http://www.childdevelopmentprograms.ca/.
Eligibility Criteria
- If your child is under four months of age and you have concerns about hearing, contact the Service Provider in your area who will arrange for a hearing screening in your community.
- If your child is between 4 months and 24 months and may have a risk factor for permanent childhood hearing loss, contact the Service Provider in your area who will assist you in completing the referral.
Referral Process – How to Access the Grandview Kids Infant Hearing Program
If your child is over two years of age, a permanent childhood hearing impairment must have been identified by an audiologist with the Provincial Infant Hearing Program. Contact the Service Provider in your area who will provide you with locations of Infant Hearing Audiologists within the Tri-Region. Should your child be identified with a permanent childhood hearing impairment, ask your audiologist to send the audiology assessment confirming a permanent childhood hearing impairment to the Tri-Regional Infant Hearing Program (fax: 1-855-698-4725).
For all general inquiries, information on additional resources, or to speak with a team member about making a referral or eligibility criteria, please visit our Referral Page. Our Service Navigation team will happily answer your questions and connect your child with the appropriate services to meet their needs.
