Seeking equilibrium: The experiences of parents of infants and toddlers who are deaf/hard-of-hearing

Purpose Parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) often report difficulty engaging their children in successful reading experiences. Shared book reading (SBR) is associated with many aspects of language growth for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effectiveness of a 4-week training program in improving caregiver knowledge of emergent literacy features and SBR practices for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Method Three caregivers with infants or toddlers who were DHH attended a 4-week SBR training. Each week focused on a specific language or literacy construct taught within the context of a picture storybook. Pre- and posttest questionnaires were used to assess caregivers' knowledge of SBR and early literacy. An additional follow-up questionnaire was completed to rate self-perceived changes in confidence levels and overall satisfaction with the training. Results All caregivers made gains in knowledge of shared-book reading practices. Caregivers reported increased confidence in their ability to implement SBR practices at home with their child who was DHH. Caregivers also shared important insight regarding ways in which this pilot program can be improved for the future. Conclusions This study contributes to the field by determining that knowledge gains and increased confidence can result from a brief caregiver training, as well as providing suggestive feedback for future trainings of this nature. Our supplemental materials include the PowerPoint files that were used for this training. Early identification of young children who are DHH and the provision of appropriate amplification or hearing technology, such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, has given children greater access to oral language. Early provision of services may provide families the support they need to become actively involved in promoting their child's linguistic development ( Moeller, 2000 ). Family involvement, in the form of parent–child reading, has led to gains within receptive and expressive vocabulary, narrative skills, and later reading comprehension for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH; Ezell et al., 2000 ; Hargrave & Sénéchal, 2000 ; Zevenbergen & Whitehurst, 2003 ). The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the extent to which a 4-week SBR training influences caregiver knowledge of important early literacy concepts and results in increased confidence levels in caregivers of infants and toddlers who are DHH. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12948830

Download Full-text

Relational Factors in Pragmatic Skill Development: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants and Toddlers

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2020-0242d ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 146 (Supplement 3) ◽

pp. S246-S261

Author(s):

Deborah Mood ◽

Amy Szarkowski ◽

Patrick J. Brice ◽

Susan Wiley

Keyword(s):

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Skill Development ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Relational Factors

Download Full-text

Nurturing Language and Learning: Development of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants and Toddlers

Deafness & Education International ◽

10.1080/14643154.2016.1260265 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 219-220

Author(s):

Suzanne Williams

Keyword(s):

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Learning Development

Download Full-text

Validation of a Hearing-Related Quality-of-Life Questionnaire for Parents and Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Infants and Toddlers

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820976175 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 019459982097617

Author(s):

Ana Marija Sola ◽

Neelaysh Vukkadala ◽

Sonya Giridhar ◽

Jihyun Stephans ◽

Isabel Elaine Allen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Quality Of Life Questionnaire ◽

Related Quality ◽

Hearing Children

Objective To design and validate a hearing-related quality-of-life questionnaire targeted toward parents and deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers: the Hearing-Related Infant/Toddler and Parent Quality of Life (HIP-QL) questionnaire. Study Design Cross-sectional questionnaire and prospective instrument validation. Setting Academic pediatric otolaryngology clinic. Methods A 67-question questionnaire developed from constructs of a grounded theory analysis was administered to parents of 31 deaf or hard-of-hearing children and 14 typically hearing children. Questionnaire construct validity, reliability, and discriminant validity were tested. Results Based on exploratory factor analysis, a 32-item construct composed of developmentally appropriate questions was reduced to a 17-item construct with 4 domains addressing quality of life for both child (auditory/communication behavior, temperament) and parent (management, parent-directed factors). Internal consistency measures were appropriate (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.65), and test-retest reliability was high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.73). Total HIP-QL scores correlated significantly with related total PedsQL scores ( r = 0.57, P < .001). As predicted, parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing reported significantly lower mean HIP-QL scores but not mean PedsQL scores. HIP-QL was more sensitive than PedsQL for predicting case versus control membership (86.7% vs 76.9%). Multivariable regression confirmed a negative relationship between severity of hearing loss and HIP-QL score after controlling for age, sex, income, and maternal education. Conclusions This context-specific questionnaire is the first validated quality-of-life instrument for parents and deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers. Previously, parental stress and functional disability questionnaires were used as proxies; therefore, this questionnaire has the potential to serve as an important tool for patient- and caregiver-centered outcomes research.

Download Full-text

Examination of Coaching Behaviors Used by Providers When Delivering Early Intervention via Telehealth to Families of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig9.25 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (9) ◽

pp. 25-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Arlene Stredler-Brown

Keyword(s):

Early Intervention ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Frequency Of Occurrence ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Idea 2004 ◽

Disabilities Education Act ◽

Treatment Conditions ◽

Education Act ◽

To Receive ◽

Family Centered

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) states that infants and toddlers with disabilities, and their family members, are to receive family-centered early intervention (FCEI). This study investigated providers' use of FCEI strategies when intervention was delivered to young children who were deaf or hard of hearing via telehealth. Telehealth is the use of telecommunication technologies to provide health services to people who are located at some distance from a provider. Telehealth also offers access to specialists and eliminates barriers of geography and weather. This study examined the frequency of occurrence of desired FCEI provider behaviors during telehealth sessions and contrasted them with the same behaviors used during in-person therapy. The use of FCEI provider behaviors was measured by observing and coding digitally recorded intervention sessions. Results demonstrated that selected FCEI provider behaviors occur in the telehealth condition more frequently than in the in-person condition reported in the literature. Three of the provider behaviors studied (i.e., observation, parent practice with feedback, and child behavior with provider feedback) were used more frequently in the telehealth condition. Direct instruction was used in similar amounts in both treatment conditions. This study affirms that the use of FCEI strategies may be enhanced through telehealth.

Download Full-text