The Bill Daniels Center for Children's Hearing is a collaborative program involving the audiology, speech pathology and learning services and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) departments at Children's Hospital Colorado. The Bill Daniels Center is led by Kenny Chan, MD, Kristin Uhler, PhD and Patricia Yoon, MD.
With generous support from the Daniels Fund, Children's Colorado established the Bill Daniels Center for Children's Hearing to provide comprehensive, family-centered care for children who are deaf and hard of hearing over a decade ago. In addition to support for programs and services, financial assistance is available for outpatient services and genetic testing.
Hearing conditions we treat
At the Bill Daniels Center, we provide comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many of our patients have hearing needs related to:
- Congenital hearing impairments
- Trauma-related hearing impairments
Our hearing center services
Audiology services
We provide comprehensive pediatric hearing evaluation services, including behavioral and advanced technology hearing tests. Our team also helps with fitting, training and ongoing management of hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive listening devices.
Pediatric otolaryngology (ENT) services
We provide medical evaluations for children who are deaf or hard of hearing in our multidisciplinary clinic. Services include diagnosis and treatment of childhood deafness (including cochlear implantation and bone-anchored hearing device implantation), otitis media and other ear, nose and throat conditions.
Genetic counseling
Clinical genetic counselors specialize in understanding how hearing loss and other disabilities may be inherited from parents or grandparents. Our genetic counselor will review your family's history of hearing loss and other disabilities to help identify the cause and potential treatment for your child's hearing loss. If a genetic test is done, the genetic counselor will also discuss the meaning of the test results with the family.
Our genetic counselors also frequently consult with primary care providers to keep your child's full care team updated.
Family consultant services
A family health navigator serves as the liaison between families and the healthcare system. These team members provide resources and information about technology, communication choices, community connections and real-life experiences that can help families thrive.
Deaf education
Our deaf educator assists in educational planning, consultation and collaboration with families, teachers and school districts. The deaf educator may work with other specialists, such as a speech pathologist and aural habilitation audiologist, to help children and families master the goals in their Individualized Family Service Plan and Treatment Plan. The deaf educator can also help families understand their communication and school options depending on where they live.
Speech-language services
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing need help developing speech-language and communication skills. Our speech-language and aural habilitation specialists evaluate each child's communication needs and abilities. We also help families understand the various communication choices available to your child, including sign language and auditory or oral approaches. We offer family-centered habilitation in individual or group settings to facilitate development of listening, speech, language, cognitive and social skills.
Family support and consultation
We offer various support resources for families, including a library of resources and access to family consultants who have personal experience with deafness.
Financial assistance for our children’s hearing center
At the Bill Daniels Center for Children's Hearing, we know that finances can be a concern for families. That's why we offer some financial assistance to qualified families to help provide for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Hearing aid assistance fund
We may be able to offer funding assistance to qualified families who require diagnostic outpatient services related to hearing loss. For more information or to obtain a referral form, please contact the Bill Daniels Center at 720-777-6531.
Genetic testing assistance fund
The Bill Daniels Center for Children's Hearing currently offers funds to cover a portion of the cost for doctor-recommended genetic testing. The genetic testing assistance fund offers support for families who cannot fully pay for the portion of the bill not covered by insurance. Each family subsidy is determined on a case-by-case basis.
For more information or to obtain a referral form, please call us at 720-777-6531.
Why choose the Bill Daniels Center for your child's hearing condition?
The multidisciplinary team at the Bill Daniels Center offers a collaborative approach to evaluating and treating children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Our team members are pediatric specialists in the fields of audiology, clinical genetics, deaf education, otolaryngology (ENT) and speech-language pathology. This collaborative approach to caring for children with hearing loss is a groundbreaking care model across the nation.