Every year in Ontario, approximately four in 1,000 babies are born deaf or hard of hearing. Through the Ontario Infant Hearing Program these babies can be found very early and given the help they need to develop language.

If a young child is identified as being deaf or hard of hearing, and has access to the special services that are available in Ontario, he or she can develop language and learn to communicate just as well as a hearing child.

Ontario's Infant Hearing Program, launched in May, 2002, has two major goals :

1. To identify infants who are born deaf or hard of hearing, or who are at risk of developing hearing loss in early childhood.
2. To provide parents of deaf or hard of hearing infants with the services their children need in order to to develop communication and language skills, and to give them the best start in life.

• Preschool Speech and Language Program

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