For hearing parents, receiving a hearing loss diagnosis for their child can be a shocking event. For some parents, the diagnosis is the fulfillment of a hunch; confirmation of the suspected, but still scary verdict. Recent research finds that the period directly after hearing loss diagnosis is the most stressful and burdensome for parents,…

A practitioner reflects on 30 years of work with parents of hearing-impaired children. She describes her own personal experiences, education, and professional development working directly with parents and babies, as a university professor, and as a school principal. She stresses the importance of parental participation for effective oral…

These guidelines are intended to assist parents in evaluating educational programs for children who are hearing impaired, where a program's stated intention is promoting the child's optimal use of spoken language as a mode of everyday communication and learning. The guidelines are applicable to programs where spoken language is the sole mode or…

This collection of 10 papers is intended as a resource book integrating information on pediatric cochlear implants for educators, parents, implant teams, and rehabilitation specialists. The papers focus on the importance of providing an oral educational environment to maximize cochlear implant success. An introduction notes controversies in the…

A mother of a deaf child recounts her earlier commitment to an oralist position, her gradual realization that she was asking her child to do the impossible, and the child's rapid acquisition of language when allowed and encouraged to use signs. The importance of hearing parents learning sign language is stressed. (DB)

Project CHIME (Children with Hearing Impairments in Mainstreamed Environments) develops and implements strategies that promote effective preschool mainstreaming of selected hearing-impaired children, ages 2-5 in Nassau County, New York. Written for parents of preschool children with hearing impairments, this handbook contains background…

This document includes a final report, manual, and booklets from a project conducted to develop an instructional video program and related print materials, combined with literacy training, peer sharing, and reading practice opportunities targeted to families of young children in which at least one member is deaf. In the video program, vignettes…