When newborns receive the hearing test and the parents are informed that their child has "failed", ECI is scheduled to come to the parents with an audiologist, who then recommends a hearing aid or cochlear implant for the baby. However, hearing aids and cochlear implants are not the only option. Parents should also receive educational literature about learning American Sign Language, the Deaf Community, and Deaf education in their district as well as the Texas School for the Deaf. While their child may have failed the hearing test, parents need to be educated in the alternatives to teaching their child to speak and use hearing devices to fit the mold of their peers. American Sign Language, for a vast majority of those that are deaf, is an easier outlet for communication, and is a more fluid language for understanding. Sign language allows individuals to successfully exceed in their educational and professional endeavors. That said, parents with a child born deaf or hard-of-hearing should be afforded the ability to be counseled on all their choices in order for them to make an educated decision for their child's developmental growth.

Options for newborns who do not pass the newborn hearing screen should include but should not be limited to: education about the Deaf Community and facilities like the Deaf Action Center who embrace sign language and Deaf education, provide the choice to learn sign language as their primary language, and present the alternative to meet not just with an audiologist but also, with an individual representing the Deaf community. This ensures that parents attain a realistic expectation of available possibilities.