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Your Child's Team

Your Child's Team

It Takes a Village

As you navigate your child’s journey, you may meet a range of caring professionals along the way. Each plays a unique role in supporting your child’s growth, from those who help with health needs, to others who guide learning, and those who offer emotional and practical support. You may not work with every type of specialist listed here, and that’s okay. Every child’s journey is different. Understanding who these team members are and how they contribute can empower you to make informed decisions and build the right support network for your family.

Medical Team

A medical team can play an important role in supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and their families. This team may help identify hearing levels, explore medical options, and monitor overall health. They can offer helpful information to guide decisions about hearing technology, treatments, or referrals to other services. By working alongside your family, medical professionals can contribute to a better understanding of your child’s hearing needs and provide support as part of the broader journey.

Pediatrician

  • Treats your child or refers to other specialists.
  • Refers to early intervention services.

 

Pediatric Audiologist

  • Tests and evaluates hearing.
  • Recommends, fits, and programs personal amplification devices (e.g., hearing aids, cochlear implants, hearing assistive technology).
  • Explains hearing levels, audiograms, and impact of hearing status.
  • Refers to early intervention services.

Otologist, Otolaryngologist or Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT)

  • Monitors, diagnoses, and treats outer and middle ear conditions
  • Explains medical and/or surgical options.
  • Gives medical clearance for hearing aids.
  • Schedules other tests.
  • Refers to other specialties.
  • Provides physician statement of medical determination for eligibility of services.

Genetic Counselor

  • Discusses options for genetic testing.
  • Reviews and explains genetic test results.

Ophthalmologist

  • Evaluates vision and explains test results.

Educational Team

Early intervention and school teams play a vital role in supporting children who are DHH and their families. These providers work together to create an environment where your child can learn, communicate, and thrive. They help develop individualized plans based on your child’s unique strengths and needs, and they collaborate closely with you as a family to set meaningful goals. A strong, supportive team not only helps your child be ready for and succeed in school, but also empowers you as parents to be active partners in your child’s learning and development.

Early Interventionist

  • Works with you and your child (birth to age 3) to provide support in child development.
  • Provides you and your child with individualized and family-centered services.
  • Assesses your child’s development.
  • Supports your family’s goals for your child.

Early Interventionist with Deaf/Hard of Hearing Specialty

  • Provides information and resources related to the journey of raising a DHH child.
  • Explains impact of hearing status on development.
  • Works with you and your child (birth to age 3) to provide support in language and communication development.
  • Provides modeling and coaching on how to incorporate language into daily routines.
  • Assesses your child’s language development.
  • Supports your family’s goals for your child.

American Sign Language (ASL) Specialist

  • Recommends services and resources to support ASL language development.
  • Supports your family to learn ASL and gives information on strategies to support language development.
  • Evaluates your child’s ASL skills.

Auditory Verbal Therapist

  • Develops your child’s listening and speaking skills with targeted language strategies.
  • Supports access to sound with hearing technology.
  • Guides and coaches you in implementing strategies for listening and spoken language use.
  • Empowers you to create listening environments to support spoken language use.
  • Monitors progress and assesses your child’s language skills.

Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)

  • Evaluates your child’s speech and language skills.
  • Provides speech and language therapy.
  • Gives information and recommends resources on language development and strategies.

Teacher of the Deaf or Teacher Consultant for DHH

  • Provides specialized instruction to address your child’s identified needs in an educational setting.
  • Monitors and assesses progress and provides input to the child’s educational team.

Educational Audiologist

  • Facilitates listening, learning and communication access via specialized assessments.
  • Monitors personal hearing devices and recommends, fits and manages hearing assistive technology.
  • Explains impact of unique hearing status on education.
  • Provides information and input to educational teams.

Your child may have additional providers on their educational team. Some examples may include an occupational therapist (OT), physical therapist (PT), school social worker (SSW), school psychologist, educational interpreter, teacher consultant for blind/low vision, etc.

DHH Community Team

Connecting with DHH adults, DHH peers, and other families of DHH children can be a powerful source of support and inspiration. These connections offer real-life insight, shared experiences, and a sense of community that helps you and your child feel less alone. DHH adults can serve as role models, showing you what’s possible, while DHH peers help your child build confidence and form meaningful friendships. Other families on the DHH journey can offer you encouragement, understanding, and practical advice. Together, these relationships can make a lasting impact on your child’s development and on your family’s sense of hope and direction. 

DHH Adults

  • Share information about the Deaf community and culture.
  • Share lived experience of being deaf or hard of hearing.
  • Model language and interaction.
  • Provide encouragement for the journey.

Deaf or Hard of Hearing Peers

  • Connect as only other children who are DHH can.
  • Build confidence in self-identity.

Other Families of DHH Children

  • Share lived experiences of their family’s journey.
  • Listen, empathize, and encourage.
  • Share helpful connections to people and resources.