Tips For Parents Of Children With Deafness And Hearing Impairments

Trying to raise children with deafness and hearing loss can sometimes feel very isolating. It can feel like society does not understand, and it can make it even harder. In this article, we go through some tips for raising a child with a hearing impairment.

If your child has hearing problems, it can also mean that he or she has difficulties with the language and in social contexts. There are ways to work on these things both at home and at school.

Raising children with deafness and hearing loss

Raising a child who cannot hear or has a hearing impairment means adapting to a new situation and overcoming certain social barriers.

The first challenge is to accept the diagnosis. A few hours after birth, most children’s hearing skills are tested with a test called otoacoustic emissions – OAE, but deafness can also occur later in childhood.

It is important to know and be aware of certain signals that can help you detect deafness and hearing loss early. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Children between 1 and 2 years who do not understand simple prompts, do not recognize their name, do not identify their body parts, only speak monosyllabically or do not follow stories or fairy tales, etc.
• Children between 2 and 3 years of age whose speech is incomprehensible; they do not repeat phrases and do not answer simple questions.
• Children between the ages of 3 and 4 who do not know how to talk about what has happened or not can have a simple conversation.
• Children between 4 and 5 years who do not speak to other children or do not have a mature language. Alternatively, they have a language that only their family understands.

Here are other situations to keep an eye on as well:

• If the child has no language, if the language disappears or if it may develop too slowly.
• That the child does not participate or seems to be in the class or has learning difficulties at school.
• If the child usually has severe colds, earaches or allergies.

Things to keep in mind when raising a child with deafness or hearing loss

With the help of technology

After diagnosing the child’s deafness or hearing loss, the next step is to decide which technical aids are best in his or her particular case.

The most common aid for deafness and hearing damage is a hearing aid. It is like a miniature amplifier that can be used for specific hearing impairments.

Another type of aid is a cochlear implant. This implant is used if the child has a severe or deep hearing loss.

Customize the communication

There are alternative systems that the child can learn to help him or her express and understand the spoken language. This can help a child with deafness or hearing loss to establish social relationships as normally as possible.

The child’s family must choose from the following:

• Learn sign language
• Take the help of a combination of language systems
• Get help from image support
• Learn to read lips
• Use a phonetic alphabet

Be in constant contact with the child’s school

Whether you are raising a child who does not hear at all or a child who has some form of hearing loss, you need to create a trusting partnership with his or her school and ensure that communication works smoothly.

This way, you will always be aware of what the school is doing to address your child’s specific needs. You must also take a positive and active attitude and follow the teacher’s advice.

Join an interest group

Interest groups are good for getting in touch with other families in the same situation. In fact, organizations can help you:

• Manage the situation without getting too stressed.
• Process and take you through any grief you may feel.
• Create a strong and emotional bond with the child.
• Think about what the future may hold for your child.
• Reduce worries or doubts about your child’s problems.

Get good and up-to-date information for raising children with deafness or hearing loss

Society is generally a little behind or misinformed about what it really means to be deaf or have a hearing impairment. There are still many stereotypes about the deaf at the moment, from talking to them very loudly or very slowly to spelling almost everything, which can really irritate especially younger children.

In short, children with hearing impairments, their families and our society as a whole should take action to really help them feel welcome and capable.