Potomac River Clinic

As of July 1, 2021, Chattering Children changed its name to Potomac River Clinic. Our work, mission and non-profit status remain the same. The name change was made to better align us with our partner organization, The River School, and to position the organization to expand our services to adults. Established in 1999, Potomac River Clinic's mission is to equip children with hearing loss and their families with a foundation for lifelong learning through listening and spoken language, and to integrate them into a hearing world. Potomac River Clinic (PRC) currently serves children with hearing loss (some of whom also have visual, motor and/or learning disabilities) who in live Washingt... read more As of July 1, 2021, Chattering Children changed its name to Potomac River Clinic. Our work, mission and non-profit status remain the same. The name change was made to better align us with our partner organization, The River School, and to position the organization to expand our services to adults. Established in 1999, Potomac River Clinic's mission is to equip children with hearing loss and their families with a foundation for lifelong learning through listening and spoken language, and to integrate them into a hearing world. Potomac River Clinic (PRC) currently serves children with hearing loss (some of whom also have visual, motor and/or learning disabilities) who in live Washington, DC, northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs. PRC provides ongoing educational and clinical services to children with hearing loss throughout their growth and development, as well as coaching and education to their families. Left untreated, hearing loss in early childhood causes a cascade of other delays in language, cognition and social development. Early intervention is imperative if children with deafness are to overcome the challenge posed by the lack of access to sound early in life. Universal newborn hearing screening was heralded as a huge advancement in treating hearing loss because age at intervention is clearly linked with improved outcomes. But, each year the CDC reports that approximately one-third of all children identified through universal newborn hearing screening are lost to follow-up. Those children who do not receive early intervention are destined for a lifetime of poor outcomes. We would like to reach more infants and children who are in need of our services due to limited access to diagnostic testing centers and long waits at centers properly equipped to test infants. PRC provides specialized diagnostic testing for newborns and young children with complex cases who have been identified to have hearing loss, but lack access to timely intervention. Potomac River Clinic also has an outreach program to reach child in areas of the region that are underserved. We collaborate with schools and organizations to provide free screenings to identify undetected hearing loss, provide a free summer intervention program to children with hearing loss and provide ongoing support to their families free of charge. Each year we strive to reach more children who can participate in the summer program and provide them with the intervention to help them to succeed in their neighborhood schools and be engaged members of their communities.