Nationwide, there are some 1,055,000 young people under the age of 18 who have hearing loss according to statistics from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov). Reported rates of psychiatric disorders for children who have hearing loss range from 15.4% to 54% (Hindley, 1997). Selected factors that have been correlated with these prevalence rates include the etiology of the child's hearing loss, the presence or absence of mental retardation, the severity of the child's hearing loss, the child's language fluency, and the degree of stability within the child's family situation. Clinicians who work with children with hearing loss will encounter a wide diversity within the group. There is notable variance in learning style and dramatic differences in personality and social development. Some of the children may learn American Sign Language and become a part of a cultural group that is quite distinct from that of their parents. Parents of all children who have hearing loss will also face a variety of unique dilemmas. Child and adolescent psychiatrists must be aware of numerous population-specific variables that may increase the risk of developing mental health disorders and influence treatment outcomes. These factors begin at birth.