Family to Family Support

Telehealth and Teleaudiology Information

The earlier your child meets with an audiologist, the better.  An audiologist can do tests to determine if your child’s hearing is in the typical range or not, provide options to help your child hear better, and monitor your child’s hearing.  Each U.S. state and territory has an Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) program with the goal of screening all infants by 1 month of age, diagnosing hearing loss by 3 months of age, and connecting families with early intervention services by 6 months of age.  Prompt access to audiologists who are specially trained and experienced in assessing infants and young children may be challenging, especially for families who live in rural/remote areas or with medically complex children.  Teleaudiology through an internet connection can help overcome barriers and help your family connect with follow-up services sooner.   The benefits of teleaudiology include:

  • Timely identification of hearing loss and connections with services and resources
  • Access to qualified specialists
  • Reduction in cost and stress to your family by decreasing childcare, travel time, time away from work, and exposure to illness

“Make sure you write questions or concerns as they come to mind during the week. Communication is a bit less fluid when you use an online platform. Email them the day before your next session.”

– Parent

“In times when face-to-face therapy sessions are not possible, we need to adapt and be open to new things all for the sake and progress of our children.”

- Parent

“Tele-audiology services allow families to access quality pediatric audiology services while eliminating the barriers to getting timely care such as travel time and costs, the need to take additional time away from work, and finding childcare for siblings during the appointment.”

– MeLissa Butler, NE-EHDI Community Health Educator

Your family may be hesitant to participate in teleaudiology or may need help getting the technology set up.  Or, you may be thrilled to have an alternative to an appointment that is far away from your own home or community.  Information about what to expect and how to prepare can make the experience more comfortable and productive. 

Here are some helpful resources about teleaudiology and telehealth:

  • “What to Expect from a Telehealth Visit” video for families including a section on scheduling an interpreter ahead of time if one is needed.  It is also available in Spanish.  It was created by Western States Regional Genetics Network and funded by Health Resources & Services Administration.
  • Telehealth Curriculum is a series of webinars and resources developed by Family Voices, a national family-led organization of families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities.  These tools, available in English and Spanish, were created to help provide better support to families using telehealth services. 
    The four webinars, each including “Barrier Busters,” are:
    • “Are You Connected?”
    • “Do You Have a Device?”
    • “Can you ‘See’ Your Provider?”
    • “Your Family’s First Telemedicine Appointment” 

This project is supported by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) through its grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,000,000 with 0% percentage financed with nongovernmental sources (Grant H7DMC37565). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by AMCHP, HRSA, HHS, or the US Government.