Tips & Resources
Understand
Research and educate yourself about hearing loss. Talk about UHL and hearing losses among family and communities. Help children understand more about their hearing loss and UHL.
Advocacy
Start advocating for hearing loss by talking and educating others. Bring awareness of considering hearing impaired children and their difficulties. Also spreading the importance of emotional and mental support by family community.
Communication
Keep in mind when making conversation with the hearing impaired child. Make sure you speak in the direction favoring their good hearing ear and the ensure the child can see your face. Also, keep background noise low when making conversations.
Regular
Check-Up
It is advised to check your child’s hearing regularly to ensure that the normal ear is hearing at adequate levels. our Audiologist will tell you how often this should occur.
Encourage
Do not restrict your child considering his/her hearing disability. Encourage reasonable risk takings and be with them. With the advancement in the technology there are different devices available suiting different activities.
Support Groups
Take advantage of different support groups around your local area. Having meaningful conversations with other parents’s of UHL kids can give you insights and bring relief to one another. Also kids get a good exposure to see and be with other kids like them.
Siblings
Talk about the hearing loss with the child’s sibling/s to help them understand what it means
Encourage siblings to use strategies to improve communication. This may include gaining attention before speaking or speaking face-to-face to maximise visual cues
Get the siblings involved with the management and appointments as much as possible
Encourage siblings to read stories together and play together
Grandparents
Follow up with your grandchild’s appointments and share the journey
Meeting parents and grandparents of other hearing impaired children can be a good support network and opportunity to share experiences, such as the parent support groups at Aussie Deaf Kid and WA Foundation for Deaf Children
Understand how to communicate with your grandchild
Be aware of and use strategies to enhance communication
Play with your grandchild and read them stories
Coaches
Gain the child’s attention before speaking
Visual aids can be an effective way of communication. This may include using whiteboards in team meetings, written game plans, and electronic score boards, demonstrating the activity prior to giving instructions
In group situations, encourage the child to position themselves optimally where they feel most comfortable
Educate umpires about what can be done to assist the child. For example, using signals at the same time as blowing the whistle
Check for understanding of the instructions and activity before carrying on with further instructions
Online Resources
Seminars
Listen in on a parent seminar hosted at our Clinic
Presentations
Listening & Language Development in Children with UHL
By Pia Leeming
Paediatric USNHL
By Professor Harvey Coates
Single Sided Deafness - What Parents Need to Know
By Dr Lara Shur
Book Recommendations
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