The CHIP Model
Community Based	The Early Literacy Initiative (ELI)
Family Centered Assessment	Eligibility
Communication Approaches	Service Coordination
Transition Program	Program Support
In-Home Sign Language Instruction	Deaf Adult Role Models
Bilingual Providers	Unilateral Hearing Loss
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS)	Auditory Neuropathy
FAMILY Centered Philosophy

Services to Children with Unilateral Hearing Loss

Until recently, children with unilateral hearing loss did not have their hearing loss detected until they were in school. Now, with the advent of newborn hearing screening, we are detecting the presence of a unilateral hearing loss during the first year of life. A review of the literature indicates that children with unilateral hearing loss may be at risk for speech and language delays and/or academic challenges. We don't know, however, which children are at risk. We also do not know at precisely what age the unilateral hearing loss has an impact.

The Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP) offers consultation to families of children with a unilateral hearing loss until that child reaches 3 years of age. As part of the consultative service, we suggest parents participate in an evaluation of the child's development. In this way, we can detect if and when the hearing loss affects the child's development.

A research team at the University of Colorado -Boulder is collecting information about the development of children with unilateral hearing loss. While some children will never exhibit an effect from the hearing loss others may experience some challenges. It would be helpful for us, as a profession, to determine which children exhibit an effect and at what age the impact of the hearing loss is observed. We want to determine if the impact occurs before 3 years of age, during the preschool years (from 3-5 years of age) or after the child enters kindergarten.

Click here for tips for parents of children with a Unilateral Hearing Loss

Unilateral to Bilateral Hearing Loss

• Originally, 29 children were diagnosed with unilateral loss:

Language Outcomes

• (All data are based on children without additional disabilities)

• Minnesota Child Development Inventory (n = 18):

• MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (n = 12):

• Spontaneous language sample (n = 15):

Children with Delayed Language

27% of the children without additional disabilities exhibited delayed language across measures and time. They exhibited the following characteristics:

• no outer or middle ear malformations

• affected ear 50% right; 50% left

• severe to profound hearing loss in the affected ear