Infant Hearing Program

infant hearing

The provides screening, early identification, and treatment of hearing loss in infants, toddlers, and preschool children as part of province-wide programming from the  IHP programs can be found in the following locations in Ontario: . These services are provided at no cost.

The H. A. Leeper Clinic is the Southwest service provider agencies () for the Ontario IHP, and home to a team of audiologists who provide infant hearing assessments and hearing aid services from ages birth through six. All referrals for the Southwest Infant Hearing Program go to TVCC  who then send referrals to our H.A.Leeper Speech and Hearing Clinic.    

The H. A. Leeper Clinic is one of the service provider agencies for the Ontario IHP, and home to a team of audiologists who provide infant hearing assessments and hearing aid services from ages birth through six. All of our audiologists are registered members of the . Some of our audiologists provide community outreach and/or professional training in the areas of infant hearing assessment, toddler hearing assessment, and hearing aid fitting for infants and toddlers. We work in conjunction with the Child Amplification Laboratory (CAL) to develop and test new protocols, and to provide province-wide training on hearing aid protocols. We collaborate with professionals and programs to integrate evidence with practice, to develop and validate protocols for pediatric audiologists, and to advocate for systems of care for infants and children who have hearing loss 

The NCA has a Family-Centred Early Intervention Lab is primarily focused on developing and evaluating effective family-based interventions for children and adolescents who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. Other research interests include knowledge translation and implementation science, behaviour change, professionalism, and the development of effective listening skills. Please use the following link for more information: /nca/fcei/

Hearing Assessment for Your Child

Children UNDER SIX MONTHS OF AGE and undergoing Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing must be asleep for the test. In preparation for testing of a child under six months of age to the clinic, please:

  • Keep the child awake for a few hours before the test so that s/he arrives tired
  • Bring a companion to help keep the child awake in the car
  • Arrive with the child hungry, so that the child can be fed just before the test starts to help him or her fall asleep more easily

The clinic has soft lighting, a quiet room, and a comfortable crib for the baby to sleep in during the hearing assessment. Please remember that if the baby does not sleep during the test, another appointment may have to be made in order to complete the testing. Once the hearing assessment results are complete, the IHP audiologist will explain to you:

  • How hearing works
  • What sounds the baby can hear and might not hear
  • How any hearing loss may affect the development of language
  • Further support services that are available through the program
Please view the following youtube “HearOn” video called “Your ABR appointment” for more information on how to prep for this appointment: 

For CHILDREN OLDER THAN SIX MONTHS  who are scheduled for either Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) or Conditioned Play Audiometry (CPA) parents should ensure that the child is well rested and is familiar with having their ears touched in anticipation of the testing.

If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development, please reach out to the tykeTALK program through TVCC to make a referral: .  

Additional supports can be found at  and the