Parents of a child diagnosed with deafness or a hearing loss are confronted with the reality that their child is not the unflawed being they dreamed of. As they try to get their child to hear the sounds they make, inwardly, they realize what they can't yet fully accept. When they take their child to an audiologist, the test results, in black and white tracings, force them to confront reality. As they discuss the results with the audiologist, their journey of grief, sadness, acceptance and love begin on that day.
Step 1
Ask your child's doctor for a referral to a family therapist so you, your spouse and children can begin to address the reality of your child's hearing loss. When your child was born, you and your spouse had a "dream" of who your child would be and what his abilities would be. Now that you've received a diagnosis of a hearing difficulty, you have to mourn the loss of that "dream" child and accept the child you do have, according to Kids Health.
Step 2
Accept the reality of your child's diagnosis. Denying that she has a hearing difficulty means you can't grieve. If you don't grieve, you won't accept that she does have a hearing loss, which means you won't be able to help your child or nurture her in the way she needs, writes the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
Step 3
Call the speech therapist who is supposed to start working with your child, suggests Kids Health. Meet with the therapist before she meets with your child in order to find out, not only what she can do to help your child, but how she can help you come to terms with your child's hearing loss. The sooner you set an appointment and get the initial paperwork completed, the sooner the therapist can start working with your child. She should conduct tests of her own that let her know what kind of therapy your child needs and what level she needs to start with.
Step 4
Talk to your child's doctor and speech therapist to find out if American Sign Language, also called ASL, is necessary. If they agree that ASL is a good step for your child to take, find out where you and your spouse can start classes. As you learn it, you'll be teaching your child to speak using ASL, writes the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't blame yourself for your child's hearing loss. Things you did or did not do were not the cause of his hearing problems. Decide what you, as parents of a child with a hearing problem want to do. If you want him to wear hearing aids, undergo a cochlear implant or go through life without hearing, the decision is yours.
Things You'll Need
- Family therapist
- Speech therapist
- American Sign Language teacher
