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Accepting
that your child has a hearing loss
Once
you have discovered that your child has a hearing loss, a demanding
time begins for you and your family.
At
the beginning you will probably feel shocked and somewhat helpless.
It may be difficult to accept what the doctors are saying. Perhaps
you have a hard time realising why something like this could happen
to your child. This is a perfectly natural reaction.
It
can take time to accept the fact that your child has a hearing
loss. Meanwhile you may feel sad and anxious about the future
asking yourself questions such as: "Will my child be able to speak?"
"Will my child make friends with other children? "Will my child
grow up normally, get an education and a job? These are absolutely
understandable concerns.
After
some time though you will be ready to move on and accept your
child's hearing loss. And as soon as you are able to do so, you
can start focusing on how to cope with it yourself, in the everyday
life of your child and with the rest of your family.
No
two parents face the situation of having a child with hearing
loss the same way. How you accept and handle it is a very personal
and individual thing.
From
talking with parents we have learned that being honest, open-minded
and inquisitive is the most constructive way of handling things.
So don't hesitate to reach out for help and ask audiologists,
teachers and other parents in the same situation for information
and guidance. These people know about your situation and have
relevant, first hand experience that you can draw upon.
You
can also use this website for answers to many frequently
asked questions.
Remember
that you are not alone in being a parent of a child with a hearing
loss. In fact, it is more common than you would probably think.
A study shows that two percent of all children in the USA, for
instance, are born with a hearing loss and nearly 15% of all youngsters
between ages 6 and 19 have temporary or permanent hearing loss
for reasons ranging from illness to noise exposure*. All of those
children have parents, friends and relatives, who are coping with
a situation similar to yours.
This
article courtesy of Oticon
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