Deaf or Hard of Hearing

The purpose of this webpage is to provide Part C eligibility information for school districts.

Part C Eligibility

In partnership with MDH, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) provides guidance for school districts on eligibility of children with hearing loss for Part C:

• Hearing Loss as an Established Condition: Eligibility under Developmental Delay in Part C

Further information about the many ways a child who has a hearing loss may be determined eligible for Part C:

• Determining Eligibility for Minnesota’s IDEA Part C Infant and Toddler Intervention Services for Young Children with Hearing Differences (PDF)
• MDE Part C and Part B Resources

Why is early intervention important?

Permanent childhood hearing loss (or hearing levels outside the typical range) is identified for about 150 infants born in Minnesota each year, with about 100 additional young children identified after the newborn period each year.

Infants in Minnesota receive a newborn hearing screening because language begins to develop at birth, and babies are often using their first words by about one year of age. The sooner hearing loss is identified, the sooner children who are deaf and hard of hearing can receive help and begin developing critical language skills.

Early intervention supports language development and learning. The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) position statement (2019) includes quality indicators for timely enrollment: infants should be enrolled in early intervention no later than 6 months of age, and for children who experienced late-identification or delayed-onset progression in hearing thresholds, enrollment should be within 45 days of the diagnosis.

Minnesota's Early Intervention program, known as MN Part C Infant and Toddler Intervention Services, supports the development of children from birth up to three years of age with permanent (sensorineural, neural, conductive, mixed) and persistent (conductive) hearing loss in one or both ears. With early care and connection to intervention, families find support while their children are developing language and communication skills. Refer to early intervention through Minnesota Help Me Grow.

For specific information and resources for early intervention providers serving children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families, visit the MN EHDI Early Intervention.

Families navigate educational and medical choices

Families will make numerous choices regarding how they communicate with their child and the types of educational services in which they would like their child to participate. Minnesota Low Incidence Projects has articles for parents about Exploring Communication Opportunities for Children with Hearing Differences.

Regular follow-up with audiology is important to monitor a child’s hearing levels and detect any hearing changes early. Amplification, including hearing devices, wireless accessories, cochlear implants or other assistive devices, may be options. Hearing devices are available for loan through the State of Minnesota Pediatric Hearing Device Loaner Program.

For more information, visit the MN EHDI program to access resources designed for parents and providers.