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It
is important to note that any managing strategy should be
employed after a healthy grieving process. Once parents find a strategy
that works for them and they choose a communication style for their
child, their life as parents of a child with special needs can proceed.
However, they may have additional children that further their demands
and responsibilities. Parents can collaborate with a professional to
adjust and balance the family routines with the weight of their childs
special needs, (Moores, Jatho, & Dunn 2001).
All of the information and decision to be
made definitely can be
overwhelming to any parent and family. Support groups can be helpful
for a family seeking advice in every domain of raising hearing or
hard-of-hearing children. Parents can share experiences with one
another, recommend helpful doctors or useful programs, and learn
different managing strategies.
The amount of help parents can provide
each other is endless. Parents
have shown to be the best resource for other parents when looking for
advice and reaffirmation of competency (Moores, Jatho and Dunn, 2001).
According to Moores, Jatho and Dunn (2001), most parents were found to
be resilient.
They made the best decisions for their
children despite their feelings
of uncertainty at the time. Support services come into effect after you
decide the intervention path for the your child. In other words, the
parents need to decide whether to introduce the child into the Deaf
community or the oral society. This is a big decision; you may want to
wait awhile before deciding. Professional(s) familiar with your child
and with your family can help you in this process by providing
information and their expert option.
The professional(s) can also refer you to
other specialists in the area
in which you may need assistance. Before you make this choice, you are
encouraged seek all the information you want about the outcomes and
implications of the various communication methods. An interest in the
Deaf community, oral society, or any other related topic can be
accessed and researched through the internet, local library, or
professionals. You can introduce yourself to the area before any
professional referral or guidance.
Your decision should be based on the
needs of your whole family and of
your child. Without regard to any specific intervention, it would be
valuable if the parents created opportunities for their children with
hearing impairments just the same as their hearing children (Rosen,
2000). Families have found many different services to be successful;
this is only a review of one of the most common initial approaches and
one of the most current and effective.
The Individualized Family Service Plan
(IFSP) is mandated by law for
early intervention (ages: birth to three) for children who qualify. The
IFSP is a common starting point for families to become introduced and
accustomed to services and goals appropriate for their child with
special needs (Schow & Nerbonne, 2002). The plan is guided by a
team of interdisciplinary professionals (speech therapist, special
education teacher, any other necessary professional).
The
families, however, make the decisions pertaining to the goals and
objectives for their child. This approach is extremely effective
because the family spends more time with the child than the teacher;
the family is the best teacher for their child.
Furthermore, if the family has created
the goal(s) they may be more apt
to work to achieve those goals. This plan can be changed and revised
over time to accommodate for the childs growing strengths or set backs
(Schow & Nerbonne, 2002). Social networks have been found to be
empowering and educational for children and parents. According to
Hintermair (2000), 'Social support is to be regarded as a cornerstone
of psychosocial intervention and has to play as great a role as
possible in institutional programs' (p. 41).
In Germany, Hintermair (2001) studied the
socialization of parents
within social networks all having children with hearing impairments and
compared them to other parents whom did not have consistent social
networks. Hintermair (2000) found the parents who had more contact with
other parents developed stronger emotional bonds with their children
and dealt with stressful situations in a more open-minded way.
These parents displayed warm, accepting,
trusting relationships with
their children and also portrayed a stronger sense of competency in
raising their child with special needs. Parents also perceived their
child and their impairments in a more realistic way; they were better
able to understand their situation with a newly gained perspective. The
new perspective gained from social networks also proved to help with
stress.
This was measured by the Parent Stress
Index and found that the parents
who had developed higher-level personal skills (interpersonal skills)
tackled stressful situations in a more open-minded and sophisticated
way, further, they continued on to better utilize available programs
for problem solving. Support services can also be apart of the
intervention plan.
The Deaf Mentor Project is a specific
intervention in which the child
with a hearing impairment is emerged in the Deaf community and receives
help in developing aural/oral communication. Watkins, Pittman and
Walden (1998) investigated the effectiveness of the Deaf mentor
services compared to a three year program at the SKI-HI institute,
where one mode of communication is chosen (either oral or ASL).
The
Deaf mentors shared American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf culture, and
their personal knowledge and experiences with deafness with the child
and family. Most importantly, they served as a role model for the
child. The program also incorporates a hearing parent advisor to help
the parents promote listening skills. Results showed the children in
the Deaf Mentor Project made receptive and expressive language gains
six months ahead of the children in the SKI-HI program. Consistent
results showed the children had larger vocabularies and better English
grammar. Parents reported that their child was communicating more
effectively a greater percentage of the time.
These experiences lessened
frustrations between parent and child
because they shared a more consistent means of communication. In
general, the parents and children of the Deaf Mentor Project were
satisfied with the program and the results. In the beginning, parents
may have overwhelming emotions toward their child with special needs.
However, this paper introduces information to families that may help in
finding options and affirming a positive outlook. Families can to be
their own advocates in their process of raising their child with a
hearing impairment. Only a family, not a professional, can make the
most appropriate decisions regarding their child.
Additionally,
families are able to seek out the resources or programs
necessary to carry out the objectives or goals regarding their child.
The managing strategies and support services covered in this paper are
only a few among the many available. There are a few ideas families can
consider when faced with raising a child with a hearing impairment.
After a period of grieving, a positive adaptation to the impairment(s)
of your child is important for the family, and the child. Your
involvement, as a family--within all domains of your childs life--not
only improves the education and social development but it shows the
child that you love them and you care about his/her well being.
The
standards you set for your child will push him/her toward success.
These goals need to be attainable yet, just above the childs reach to
encourage them to strive towards their familys expectations. These
goals may be laid out in an IFSP; these are goals that you can
implement, monitor, and negotiate to any degree that you deem
necessary. The Deaf Mentor Project is a successful program that some
families may choose for their child. Although, it does focus on the
childs involvement in the Deaf community. Some families may decline
this option for their child and another intervention may be applied.
Once
again, the family can research services, themselves, to find what
best fits their child. Families are resilient; more than often, they do
make the best decisions for their children because they have the childs
best interests in mind and most importantly, families love their
children.
References
Hintermair,
M. (2000). Hearing impairment, social networks, and coping:
the need for families with hearing-impaired children to relate to other
parents and to hearing-impaired adults. American Annals of the Deaf,
145(1), 41-54.
Luterman,
D. M. & Maxon, A. B. (2002).When Your Child is Deaf
(2nd ed.).Baltimore MA: New York Press.
Moores,
D. F., Jatho, J., & Dunn, C. (2001). Families with deaf
members: American annals of the deaf, 1996 to 2000. American Annals of
the Deaf, 146(3), 245-231.
Rosen, R. G. (2000). Identification
and intervention: a case for
diversity and partnerships. American Annals of the Deaf, 145(3),
327-334.
Schow,
R. L. & Nerbonne, M. A. (2002). Introduction to
Audiologic Rehabilitation (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Turnbull,
A., Turnbull, R., Erwin, E., & Soodak, L. (2006).
Families, professionals, and exceptionality: positive outcomes through
partnerships and trust. 5th edition Upper Saddle, NJ: Merrill.
Watkins,
S., Pittman, P., & Walden, B. (1998). The deaf mentor
experimental project for young children who are deaf and their
families. American Annals of the Deaf, 143(1), 29-35.
Kathryn
is a senior studying Communication Sciences and Disorders. at
Western Washington University.
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Parents raising a hearing impaired
child.