The Importance of Family Supports and Resources for Parents

Building a support crew can be really valuable when you find out your child is deaf or hard of hearing.

What was this study about?

This 2011 study examines the importance of quality supports after identification of children’s hearing loss. A group of 456 American parents of deaf or hard of hearing children were asked to complete a quality-of-life questionnaire rating the importance of 19 aspects of family support.

These aspects included items covering access to informational resources, family and parental social-emotional supports and educational advocacy.

What were the key findings?

• Connecting with families with similar circumstances and gaining support through this connection ranked highest of all aspects.
• Help from extended family members was valued by parents in this study.
• Parents of children with cochlear implants felt they for better professional supports than parents of children with hearing aids.

Where can I read more?