Patient and Family Education

We want you to have all the information you and your child need to understand your child’s condition and to participate in treatment. This page provides links to resources that we hope will be helpful.

Resources at Seattle Children’s

• What to Expect at Audiology
• How to Prepare for Your Visit 
• Transportation and Lodging
• Hospital Services
  
• Paying for Care
• Social Work
• Patient and Family Resources From the Childhood Communication Center

Condition-Specific Resources: Understanding Your Child’s Hearing and Care

Hearing loss

• Audiology Resources for Patients Transitioning to Adult Care or Moving (PDF)
• Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD) (PDF) (Spanish)
• Caregiver Grief: When Your Child Is Diagnosed With a Hearing Loss (PDF) (Spanish)
• Conductive Hearing Loss (PDF) (Spanish)
• Education Plans for Children With Hearing Loss (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Loss Clinic (PDF)
• Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss (PDF) (Spanish)
• Supporting Your Child With Hearing Loss: Helping Them Identify Their Feelings (PDF) (Spanish)
• Unilateral Hearing Loss:  Guidelines for Children (PDF) Spanish
• For Kids: All About Hearing Loss  
• For Teens: Preventing Hearing Loss 
• Hearing Loss Resource Guide (Washington State Department of Health) (PDF) 
  • Hearing Loss Resource Guide available in Russian, Mandarin, Somali, Spanish & Vietnamese
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing Mental Health Program: Treatment, Referrals and Insurance Coverage (PDF) (Spanish)
• Preventing Hearing Loss Caused by Noise (Noise-Induced Hearing Loss) (PDF) (Spanish)
• Safety Tips for Children With Hearing Loss (PDF) (Spanish)

Test Resources: Understanding Your Child’s Diagnostic Hearing Tests

• After Your Baby’s Hearing Screening – Further Evaluation (PDF) (Spanish)
• BAER and EOAE Testing (PDF) (Spanish)
• BAER and EOAE Hearing Tests Under Anesthesia (PDF) (Arabic) (Spanish) 
• Congenital CMV Testing During Infant Hearing Evaluation (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Screening: How to Prepare Your Baby (PDF) (Spanish)
• How to Prepare for Vestibular Screening (PDF) (Spanish)
• Your Baby’s Hearing Screening (PDF) (Spanish)
• Your Child's Hearing Test Results (PDF) (Russian) (Simplified Chinese) (Somali) (Spanish) (Ukrainian) (Vietnamese)

Hearing Technology and Maintenance

• Aural Habilitation Therapy (PDF) (Spanish)
• Device Options for Hearing Loss (PDF) (Spanish) 
• Earmold Care and Cleaning (PDF) (Spanish)
• Getting Your Child Started on Wearing Their Hearing Aid at Home (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Aid Listening Check, Storage and Accessories (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Aid Safety Tips and Checking for Feedback (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Assistive Technology (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Device Retention Options (PDF) (Spanish)
• Hearing Device Warranty and Follow-Up Schedule (PDF) (Spanish)
• How to Glue Earmold Tubing (PDF) (Spanish)
• How to Re-Tube Earmolds at Home (PDF) (Russian) (Spanish)
• How to Trim Earmold Tubing (PDF) (Spanish)
• Osseointegrated Bone Conduction Sound Processor (PDF) (Spanish)
• Remote-Microphone Hearing Assistance Technology (RM-HAT) (PDF)
• Road Map to Your Child’s Hearing Device Fitting and Maintenance Schedule (PDF) (Russian) (Spanish)

Seattle Children's Videos

• How to Read an Audiogram
• Getting Started With a Bone Conduction Sound Processor
• How to Change Earmold Tubing
• My child was fit with hearing aids. Now what?
• How to Cut Earmold Tubing

Support

• Sibshops
• List of support groups at Seattle Children’s
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support Group for Youth Who Use Spoken English (PDF)
• Parent to Parent (The Arc of Washington State)
• Guide by Your Side

External Links

Communication

• ASL Connect (Gallaudet University)
• Gallaudet is the world’s premier university for Deaf education. Their ASL Connect platform offers free basic vocabulary videos and paid online courses.
• MyDeafChild.org
• Offers parents of deaf and hard of hearing babies (0-36 months) free access to online ASL classes.
• S.E.E. Classes and Resources (Northwest School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children)
• Childhood Communication Center Patient and Family Resources

Schools and education support

Early intervention

• Family Conversations (Shoreline): Offers total communication which integrates Signing Exact English, speaking and listening.
• Listen and Talk (Kirkland): A specialized program focused on Listening and Spoken Language (LSL).
• Rosen Preschool/HSDC (Seattle): Focused on an ASL/English bilingual education for young children.
• Spokane HOPE: The primary LSL provider in Eastern Washington, offering birth-to-preschool programs.

Public

• Edmonds School District (Madrona K-8): Uses ASL and Total Communication.
• Seattle Public Schools (TOPS K-8): Uses ASL in self-contained or inclusive classrooms.
• Tacoma Public Schools: Offers a regional program with a Total Communication philosophy.
  • Elementary: Birney
  • Middle: Baker
  • High: Mount Tahoma
• Tri-Cities: Provides regionalized educational services for the Kennewick, Pasco and Richland areas.
• Wenatchee School District: Offers comprehensive K-12 services.
• Washington School for the Deaf: An ASL-English bilingual school serving students in pre-K through 12th grade.

Private

• Listen and Talk (Kirkland): A specialized program focused on Listening and Spoken Language (LSL).
• Northwest School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Serves children from pre-K through 8th grade grade using Signing Exact English (S.E.E.) and spoken language.
• Spokane HOPE: The primary LSL provider in Eastern Washington offering birth-to-preschool programs.
• Rosen Preschool/HSDC (Seattle): Focused on an ASL/English bilingual education for young children.
• Salish Sea Deaf School (Burlington): A small, ASL-focused school serving kindergarten through 7th grade.

State

• Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth
  • A statewide resource that supports education for all students in Washington state who are DHH. This is the primary organization to find district-specific programs.
• Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS)
  • Offers support and services to families regarding hearing and vision loss in educational settings.

Washington state services 

• Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families)  
• Provides birth-to-3 services and family support in Washington.
• Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Washington State Department of Social and Health Services)
• Support Services for Children Who Are  Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Washington State Department of Health)
• Early Hearing-Loss Detection, Diagnosis and Intervention Program (Washington State Department of Health) 
  • The official state process for newborn screenings and following up on results. 

IEP and 504 plan guidance

• What is a 504 plan? (Understood.org)
• What is an IEP? (Understood.org)
• How to Request Special Education (PDF)
• How Does a Student Get Started With Special Education? (Office of the Education Ombuds)
• Student Rights, IEP, Section 504 and More (PAVE)

Advocacy, connection and support

• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing  
  • Focused on supporting children who use listening and spoken language for communication.
• American Society for Deaf Children
  • ASDC is a powerhouse for family support. They offer: 
    • SignOn: A program that connects families via video chat with a Deaf adult to practice conversation in readl-time
    • ASL Weekends: Immersive, family-friendly workshops
• Babyhearing.org   
  • A robust, parent-friendly site with reliable information from Boys Town Research Hospital on topics ranging from communication to parenting.
• National Association of the Deaf
• Hands and Voices
• Washington State Hands and Voices 

Professional health organizations

• American Academy of Audiology
• American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery 
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  
• Vaccines and Immunizations (CDC)   
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  
• National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management