Welcome to HearingExchange! I think you'll find a lot of support and information here. For starters, go to "Hop to" box at the bottom of this page and click on "Newly Diagnosed Child Resources." The message thread there lists many great places to learn more about the new (to you) world of hearing loss.

I and many others here know what an overwhelming time this is for you. Feelings of anger, denial, frustration, guilt and more are all entirely normal. The good news is that in today's world, there are many options for children with hearing loss as well as terrific technology in hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Has she had an audiogram done yet? What is her hearing loss like? Has she been aided yet? Children as young as 4 weeks can be fitted for hearing aids. It is important to give your daughter access to sounds as quickly as possible to stem any further possible speech and language delays.

Ask as many questions as you like, we're all here to help. Also, be sure to register for HearingExchange News and our Chat Updates on the main page of HearingExchange. You'll be kept up to date on all the latest news and information.

Warmly,

Paula

You beat me to the punch re: Ashley's hearing aids. I am glad to see you found this wonderful site. I will do some research and see what I can find out.

There are some resources for keeping aids in that you may want to check out. Visit this link: www.listen-up.org/aids-out.htm

You may also want to get hearing aids for her doll(s) so that it won't seem so strange to her. Visit this link: www.listen-up.org/dolls.htm

My son Nick wore aids at 4 months, but when he got to be about 18 months he found he could take them out. He did this for about a year, until he realized that wearing them made things better.

You may want to look into early intervention in your state. Programs for children under 3 yrs old can be a big help. Nick was in speech at 18 months; He learned signs which reduced the frustration of communication and helped his speech develope.

Kids at Ashleys young age bounce back from a week or two of tests better than a 4 or 5 yr old. Give her a few days.

I am new to hearing exchange... First, so you know who I am: I am a 23yr old graduate student with a moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears. I have lived in 4 different countries and I speak the language (fluently) of each country. Having said all that, until I was 13 yrs old I lived in Brazil and every day my mother had to chase me around the house to put on the hearing aids. When we moved to United States, we discovered that I never wore the hearing aids in Brazil because they didn't help enough. How do I know that? Because at 13 I fell in love with hearing aids and now I proudly wear them everywhere I go.

But since I pretty much did not wear hearing aids for 13 years, how did I learn to communicate so well? I have had speech therapy from a very early age - my speech therapy taught me wonderful speech reading skills and (basically) taught me how to speak as well.

I have also decided not to try while in the car for more than an hour. They inevitably come out during a long car ride, and then I'm hunting through the car, and carseat looking for piece parts!