Hi,
Wow there is a lot of great experience on this board! I have found that it can feel pretty lonely, as it is hard to find others parents of kids who are both gifted/HI.
We are at a similar point as I have a 5 year old son as well. . He has bilateral severe-moderate hearing loss, and uses BTE hearing aides and a FM system. He got his hearing aids at three, although they suspect that his losses are congenital and prior to this relied on lip-reading. Speech is an ongoing issue (clarity not comprehension), as well as a whole host of other medical issues, however he is doing great. We felt that if d/t his hearing and his hands (another story) he was going to have to work harder than the majority of the class, on material that was not challenging, he would quickly turn off of school. His medical history is complicated, and we found that with all the therapists etc. they tended to set the bar very low. We have had to advocate to raise that bar with everyone, and once they do he rises to the challenge. He was just accepted into a quite competitive gifted charter school for grade one. We are so fortunate to have this as an option.
He has an IEP, and we have contracted an educational audiologist to assess the classroom and assist the teachers in understanding how best to meet his needs. The teachers have been super accommodating so far, I suspect because they are used to dealing with all of the quirks that come with gifted kids.
I think our biggest hurdle at this point is social. He is great with his siblings, but just hasn't connected with kids at school - especially at recess.
I am sure you are feeling uber-overwhelmed, as I was/still am at times. However,I have learned first hand how amazingly resilient children are, and I trust that.
