Component 1: Engagement: refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that helps with a parent’s ability and readiness to optimize their parental role and engage in their child’s habilitation process.
Component 2: Decision-Making: refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that provides access to knowledge and resources, and the opportunity to cultivate ideas for informed choice and decision-making.
Component 3: Parenting: refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that provides practical parenting skills (e.g. teaching their child to safely cross the street), offers parenting advice to improve parent-child interactions and encourages responsive parenting to support the child’s communication development in daily life.
Component 4: Adaptation: describes the component of parent-to-parent support that helps with adjustment, acceptance, motivation, hopefulness, resilience, learning and optimism.
Component 5: Problem-Solving: refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that empowers parents to trust their coping abilities and acquire problem-solving skills specific to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that helps with a parent’s ability and readiness to optimize their parental role and engage in their child’s habilitation process.
TOPIC |
FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES |
| Importance of Engagement |
It’s important for families to engage in a child’s language learning and growth early on to maximize the child’s development. |
Activity:  |
See how using a child’s interests makes experiences fun and support language development. |
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Learn about the strategy of keeping it short and simple when working on early stages of language development. |
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Watch the following videos of two Moms sharing how they engaged in their child’s language learning. |
| Family Routines | Incorporating a child’s habilitation or “learning” into family routines can improve a child’s progress while fostering parent/caregiver-child relationships. |
Activity: |
Utilize the Family Activity Plan for Language, Literacy, and Social Emotional Skills to create fun, playful ways to include language learning into the child’s day. https://handsandvoices.org/fl3/ Use the Language and Literacy Tips to assist you in developing a Family Activity Plan. |
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Learn about how to create positive family interactions through daily routines. https://www.babyhearing.org/ |
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Reading is an important part of a daily routine. Use these tips sheets to help a child become a happy and confident reader. https://www.colorincolorado.org/ Also in Arabic, Chinese, Diné (Navajo), French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Portu-guese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese. |
Making Refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that provides access to knowledge and resources, and the opportunity to cultivate ideas for informed choice and decision-making.
TOPIC |
FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES |
Informed Choice |
Understanding what informed choice means can guide a family’s knowledge to confidently make decisions. |
Activity: |
Learn more about the parent/caregiver role in decision making for a child who is D/HH. https://www.handsandvoices.org/ |
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Read “A Parent’s Right to Choose” an article written by a parent sharing her experience. |
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Watch the video from the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing “Exploring Language and Communications Opportunities” (ELCO) process. https://www.youtube.com/ In English and ASL |
Making Decisions |
Using informed choice through tools, trainings and/or a pros/cons list can help guide families to a decision that works for them. |
Activity: |
Utilize tools like the CDC Decision Making Guide when considering communication choices for the child who is D/HH. The steps outlined in this tool could also apply to decision making for other needs. |
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See the six steps to decision making from babyhearing.org. |
Monitoring Decisions |
Monitoring the child’s progress over time leads to understanding if the decisions that have been made are working for the child and if not, the family can change their decisions. |
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Read more about understanding that progress takes time for children who are D/HH and the importance of celebrating accomplishments as they come. |
Activity: |
Review these comprehensive lists of language assessments that can be used to monitor progress and identify gaps in the child’s language development. https://www.in.gov/ |
Refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that provides practical parenting skills (e.g. teaching their child to safely cross the street), offers parenting advice to improve parent-child interactions and encourages responsive parenting to support the child’s communication development in daily life.
TOPIC |
FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES |
Safety |
Getting tips and help for raising a child who is D/HH and keeping them safe can give families ideas to avoid issues and make it easier to handle difficult times. |
Activity: |
Watch the short video that is an introduction to the Hands & Voices O.U.R. (Observe, Un- derstand & Respond) Children’s Safety Project and the Parent Safety Tool Kit. https://vimeo.com/492281992 Review the OU.R. Project Parent Safety Toolkit www.handsandvoices.org/ |
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Choose books or videos that emphasize safety to watch or read to/with the child who is D/ HH. |
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Learn about Kidpower International’s “7 Strategies for Keeping Your Child Safe”. https:// www.kidpower.org/ |
Positive Interactions |
Learning about activities and getting tips from other families who have children who are D/HH can help promote positive parent/caregiver-child interactions. |
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Read this resource to learn positive parenting tips at different ages. https://www.cdc.gov/ |
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Learn more about providing choices to the child as a parenting tool to promote positive behavior while helping the child gain independence and confidence. |
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Gain tips on how to use praise effectively to promote positive actions and behaviors. |
Responsive Parenting |
Responding to a child’s needs with effective communication methods helps create positive interactions between families and children. |
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Capture your thoughts in the Hands & Voices Fostering Joy Journal which helps families tend to the child’s positive emotional development as well as the family’s own well-being. https://www.handsandvoices.org/ Also in Spanish |
Activity: |
Discover tips on taking turns in conversations to help the family create positive interactions and build language skills for the child. Participating in family communication: https://www.babyhearing.org/ |
Activity: |
Learn tips on how to positively interact with a child who is D/HH even if the communication is not always clear or understandable. |
Describes the component of parent-to-parent support that helps with adjustment, acceptance, motivation, hopefulness, resilience, learning and optimism.
TOPIC |
FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES |
Acceptance |
A family may need time to adapt and accept the news about a child’s hearing status. Learning and receiving support from others can lead to acceptance. |
Activity: |
Watch the video “My Wish” from Hands & Voices, where parents and caregivers from all over the country sent in pictures of their children who are D/HH. The smiles on their faces show the happiness and potential in these children’s lives. https://vimeo.com/637557516 |
Activity: |
Use this list to find mental health organizations to help families manage the emotions and feelings that they may experience after learning about their child’s hearing status and healthcare needs. |
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Learn from other families who share about when they knew they accepted their child’s diagnosis. |
Lived Experiences |
Learning from the different experiences and opinions of Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults and parents of children who are D/HH can help families feel positive and hopeful for the child’s future. |
Activity: |
View videos and read stories shared from students and adults who are D/HH. https://www.handsandvoices.org/ Some in English and some in ASL https://www.handsandvoices.org/ Some in English, Cued English, and ASL |
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Watch this inspiring story of one parent sharing her experience in choosing deafness. https://vimeo.com/620077166 |
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Explore what questions a family may want to ask an adult who is D/HH. |
Getting Involved |
Often families are inspired to share their experiences and knowledge with others after finding confidence and hope parenting a child who is D/HH. |
Activity: |
Connect with Hands & Voices to get involved. https://handsandvoices.org/ *Not a chapter where you are located, no worries, review this list of family organizations. https://www.handsandvoices.org/ |
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View this video from two parent leaders from different backgrounds as they share their involvement in organizations that serve children who are D/HH. https://vimeo.com/740810377 |
Activity: |
Learn more about family engagement from ECTAC, the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center. |
Refers to the component of parent-to-parent support that empowers parents to trust their coping abilities and acquire problem-solving skills specific to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
TOPIC |
FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES |
Overcoming Problems |
Looking back on past challenges can help a family have confidence in their ability to handle difficult times in the future. |
Activity: |
Hear from other parents about the importance of understanding what being D/HH really means and how that understanding leads to a healthy adjustment and coping. https://www.babyhearing.org/ |
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Read this article to learn how positive problem solving can create happier, healthier, and stronger family relationships. |
Finding Solutions |
Families can find solutions by understanding the steps to solve problems and by talking to others. |
Activity: |
Gather advice from other families on parenting a child who is D/HH. https://www.babyhearing.org/ |
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Learn the steps to effectively problem solve by reading this article. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ |
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Read about collaborative problem solving which builds skills within children to help them navigate challenging situations. |
Empowerment |
A feeling of strength and confidence comes from solving challenging situations and understanding what led to the solution. |
Activity: |
Read advice from other families about decision making for learning what works for a child who is D/HH at www.babyhearing.org. Parenting, what if we make the wrong decision. Parenting, when others disagree with your decisions. |
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Read reflections from parents in the Hands & Voices “The Empowered Parent” book. |
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Watch this uplifting video where a mother shares her inspiring story of love and leader- ship. |
