Parents who suspect that their children may be deaf or have some degree of hearing loss should have their child's hearing tested. There are different kinds of hearing tests and some can be easily performed in villages, while others may require a visit to the hospital. The Ministry of Education has supported Educational Assessment and Resource Centers in districts across the country to assess and refer children.

If the child is deaf or has significant hearing loss, parents should discuss with the EARCs centers what the best educational options are for their children. Parents are also advised to contact deaf associations and associations for the parents of deaf children, such as KAPD and HIVO.

The Kenyan National Association for the Deaf also advises parents to take the following steps:

• Make contact with the local Deaf association, the local Deaf community or with any deaf adults in your vicinity - they can give you first hand accounts of their experiences.
  
  
• Invite adult deaf people and other deaf children to socialize with your child - this can stimulate his/her sign language development.
  
  
• Find out about sign language classes and join a class. If there are no classes in your area, contact KNAD and tell them about your need.
  
  
• Use sign language with your child - remember that your positive attitude towards signing and your deaf child is more important than your degree of fluency in signing.
  
  
• Work together with the adult Deaf community to give your deaf child the best opportunities for learning sign language.
  
  
• Find out about all possible education methods and make an informed choice on what is best for your specific child.
  
  
• It is your child - do not let any person make the choice for you.
  
  
• Let your child go to school as soon as possible after he/she has turned 3 years old - he/she will then be surrounded by Sign Language stimulation and will also be able to learn a spoken/written language quite soon.
  
  
• Make contact with other parents of deaf children - you can empower each other.
  
  
• Become involved with your child's school - they need your support, knowledge, skills and cooperation.
  
  
• Join a parent association or start a parent association yourself - you are the most important person in your child's education.
  
  
• Contact KNAD or your local association of the Deaf for more information.