Welcome to the Infant Hearing Program!
Every year in Ontario, 3000 children are born with, or acquire, a significant permanent hearing loss.
In May 2002, the Government of Ontario, Ministry of Children and Youth Services, launched the Infant Hearing Program. This program was developed as a means to identify children born deaf or hard-of-hearing or at risk for developing a hearing loss in early childhood.These identified children would receive the services and supports required for communication development. Parental choice determines the type of communication intervention provided.
Early Words coordinates the services for south central Ontario, which includes the Regions of Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton and Niagara. The Regional Coordinating office is located in Hamilton. The regional office is part of a provincial system of 9 Infant Hearing Programs. Information on the other regional sites is available through the Ministry of Children and Youth Services website.
Importance of Early Screening
Hearing screening is the first step to finding babies who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. There are many services in place to help these infants. Early identification is important to help these children grow up learning language and communicating just like children who hear normally. The Infant Hearing Program aims to identify hearing impaired children by the age of 6 months.
