Mid-State Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services | DHH
Serving students ages Birth - 21 years within our Member Districts

Mid-State's Deaf/Hard of Hearing teacher provides consultation, direct service to students, staff training, and resources for parents and staff. We focus our teaching on language development, communication, and compensatory skills.

DHH Services & Eligibility
Children and youth who have varying types & degrees of hearing loss may be eligible to receive special education and related services. Program criteria requires a documented hearing loss and an educational need, communication need, or a social need. We also use the DHH criteria checklist.

A child may need DHH services if they display some of the following criteria:

• Shows a pattern of misinterpreting verbal directions
• Consistently requests that you speak louder
• Answers to direct questions with responses that are considerably off-topic
• Lacks age-appropriate speech/language
• Difficulty focusing in class
• Displays behaviors with unknown Ideology
• Student uses hearing aids
• Student is suspected of having a hearing loss

About Hearing Loss Early Identification & Intervention
Early intervention is when a child is identified with hearing loss (or any disability or developmental delay) and receives services early in the child's life, preferably by six months of age. Early intervention services provide support and information to families to enhance their child's development.

Research has shown that it is critical to begin early intervention for deaf/hard of hearing infants and their families before 6 months of age. When this occurs, deaf and hard of hearing children have the opportunity to achieve age-appropriate language and cognitive skills by the time they enter kindergarten.

Making Referrals
Usually, a child is identified through the Universal Newborn Screening Process completed at the hospital before the baby is released. If the child fails the initial screening and the follow-up hearing recheck, the hospital or clinic will refer the child for special education services.

Visit MDE's DHH information page Here for more information and resources.