When Your Child Has Hearing Loss, the Right Speech Support Matters
If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, you will likely work with a speech-language pathologist (SLP), sometimes called a speech therapist. SLPs are trained to test and treat speech and language challenges, and they often play a central role in helping families choose a therapy approach that fits a child’s hearing needs, learning style, and communication goals.
As a Special Education Director, I’ve sat with many families who are trying to make sense of new information, new services, and a lot of new terminology. The good news is that you do not need to be an expert to advocate effectively. One of the most powerful tools you have is a strong set of questions to ask your child’s SLP.
What Does a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) Do?
An SLP is a professional trained to evaluate (test) and provide therapy for speech and language needs. For students with hearing loss, an SLP may support:
Speech production (how sounds are formed and understood)
Language development (spoken language, signed language, or both)
Auditory training (learning to use residual hearing, hearing aids, cochlear implants, and listening strategies)
Communication access (helping the team match communication methods to the child’s needs)
Therapy approaches can differ depending on how much hearing loss a child has and how they communicate best. Some SLPs focus on spoken language only. Others support spoken language and sign language together.
Your Child’s Team May Include Several Specialists
In schools and early intervention settings, SLPs rarely work alone. They may collaborate with a team of professionals to provide coordinated services, such as:
Audiologists (hearing testing and hearing technology support)
Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physicians (medical care related to hearing and ear health)
Early intervention specialists (support for infants and toddlers and family coaching)
Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (instructional strategies and access support)
When the team communicates well, families get clearer answers, services align better, and progress is easier to track.
Why Experience With Young Children and Hearing Loss Is Important
Among SLPs, the best fit for a young child with hearing loss is typically someone with training and experience working with infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Hearing loss can affect how children access language input, so therapy often needs to be highly individualized and closely coordinated with hearing technology and educational supports.
If you are not sure about an SLP’s background, it is appropriate to ask. Families should feel confident that the provider understands both communication development and the unique needs related to hearing.
A Simple Appointment Worksheet (Helpful for Busy Families)
Keeping therapy details in one place can reduce stress and prevent missed follow-ups. Here is a simple format you can use:
Name of Speech-Language Pathologist: _______________________________
Phone/Contact Information: _______________________________________
Appointment Date: ________________________________________________
Next Appointment Date: __________________________________________
This can be especially helpful when multiple providers are involved or when services occur in both school and medical settings.
Key Questions to Ask Your Child’s Speech-Language Pathologist
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a helpful set of questions families may want to ask. I encourage families to bring these questions to meetings, IEP discussions, or therapy check-ins. Consider printing them or keeping them in your phone.
Questions About Speech and Language Therapy Services
Training and experience: What kind of training and experience do you have working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing? What age group have you worked with?
Communication options used in therapy: What communication option(s) do you use in therapy (for example: Signing Exact English (SEE), American Sign Language (ASL), Cued Speech, Auditory-Verbal, etc.)? What is your experience and comfort level using these communication options?
Assessment and progress monitoring: How do you test my child’s speech and language development? How often will you check my child’s progress?
Balancing therapy targets: How do you decide the amount of time my child will spend on speech production, language (spoken or signed), and auditory (hearing) training?
Costs and support: What are my costs for the different types of therapies? Where do I go to get help with these costs?
Observation opportunities: Can I observe a speech therapy session with another child who has hearing loss?
Questions to Help Your Child at Home
Learning communication options: Can you tell me where I can learn more about the different types of communication options?
Home strategies: What tips can I use or activities can I do to support my child’s communication at home?
Community resources: Can you suggest any other resources in the community for our family?
How to Use These Questions in a School Setting
In school-based services, these questions can guide productive conversations during:
IEP meetings (speech-language goals, service minutes, accommodations, and progress reporting)
Eligibility or re-evaluation meetings (assessment tools and what results mean)
Regular progress updates (what’s improving, what’s not, and what to adjust)
If you do not understand a term or a recommendation, ask the SLP to explain it in everyday language. A strong provider will welcome questions and will be able to describe what therapy looks like, why it’s chosen, and how progress will be measured.
When You Have Concerns, Consider Scheduling More Time
If you have questions or concerns about the care your child receives, you may want to schedule a longer appointment. In my experience, families often feel more confident when there is dedicated time to review:
What the child is working on right now
What progress looks like and how it is documented
What the next steps are if progress is slower than expected
How school, home, and outside providers can stay aligned
How TinyEYE Can Support Schools and Families
Many districts are navigating therapist staffing shortages, and that can delay services or increase caseload pressures. Online therapy can be one practical way schools maintain service continuity while still meeting student needs. TinyEYE provides online therapy services to schools, helping teams deliver speech-language support in a consistent, accessible format.
Whether services are in-person, online, or a combination, the most important elements remain the same: clear goals, evidence-based therapy, regular progress monitoring, and strong collaboration with families and the educational team.
For more information, please follow this link.
