Conceptual Framework graphic

Construct 3

Empowerment

Construct 3A:  Competence & Confidence

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.

Family Learning Outcomes - In this construct parents/caregivers will:

  1. have less concern(s) because of connecting with a family support provider.
  2. feel confident in how to use the information provided to them by the family support organization.
  3. be more prepared to explain their child’s needs to family and friends.
  4. be able to discuss their child’s needs with professionals.
  5. know how to contact a family support provider.
ENGAGEMENT Importance of Engagement Family Routines DECISION-MAKING Informed Choice Making Decisions Monitoring Decisons PARENTING Safety Positive Interactions Responsive Parenting ADAPTATION Acceptance Lived Experiences Getting Involved PROBLEM SOLVING Overcoming Problems Finding Solutions Empowerment COMPETENCE CONFIDENCE

Construct 3A:

Competence & Confidence

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.

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:

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See how using a child’s interests makes experiences fun and support language development.

https://www.babyhearing.org/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

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Learn about the strategy of keeping it short and simple when working on early stages of language development.

https://www.babyhearing.org/ 
Also in Spanish

Activity:

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Watch the following videos of two Moms sharing how they engaged in their child’s language learning.

https://vimeo.com/497770528
https://vimeo.com/497759793

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:

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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/
Also in Spanish

Use the Language and Literacy Tips to assist you in developing a Family Activity Plan.

https://handsandvoices.org/fl3/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

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Learn about how to create positive family interactions through daily routines. https://www.babyhearing.org/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

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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.

Component 2 - Decision-Making

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:

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Learn more about the parent/caregiver role in decision making for a child who is D/HH. https://www.handsandvoices.org/

Activity:

Read “A Parent’s Right to Choose” an article written by a parent sharing her experience.
https://www.hv-library.com/family-perspective/a-parents-right-to-choose/

Activity:

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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:

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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.

https://www.cdc.gov/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

See the six steps to decision making from babyhearing.org.

https://www.babyhearing.org/
Also in Spanish

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.

Activity:

Read more about understanding that progress takes time for children who are D/HH and the importance of celebrating accomplishments as they come.
Delight-in-the-little-things
Also in Spanish

Seeing the Gifts First

Activity:

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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/

https://www.handsandvoices.org/

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.

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/

Activity:

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Choose books or videos that emphasize safety to watch or read to/with the child who is D/ HH.

https://www.handsandvoices.org/

Activity:

Learn about Kidpower International’s “7 Strategies for Keeping Your Child Safe”. https:// www.kidpower.org/

Also in Spanish

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.

Activity:

Read this resource to learn positive parenting tips at different ages. https://www.cdc.gov/

Also in Spanish

Activity:

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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.
https://www.babyhearing.org/
Also in Spanish

https://www.babyhearing.org/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

Gain tips on how to use praise effectively to promote positive actions and behaviors.
https://www.babyhearing.org/

Also in Spanish

Responsive Parenting

Responding to a child’s needs with effective communication methods helps create positive interactions between families and children.

Activity:

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:

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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/

Also in Spanish

Activity:

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Learn tips on how to positively interact with a child who is D/HH even if the communication is not always clear or understandable.

https://www.babyhearing.org/ 
Also in Spanish

Construct 3b

Confidence

Component 4 - Adaptation

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.

https://arc.mhanational.org/

Activity:

Learn from other families who share about when they knew they accepted their child’s diagnosis.

https://www.hv-library.com/

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

Activity:

Watch this inspiring story of one parent sharing her experience in choosing deafness. https://vimeo.com/620077166

Activity:

Explore what questions a family may want to ask an adult who is D/HH. 
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Adults: Still Relevant After All These Years

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/

Activity:

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.

http://ectacenter.org/

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.

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/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

Read this article to learn how positive problem solving can create happier, healthier, and stronger family relationships.

https://www.linkedin.com/

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/
Also in Spanish

Activity:

Learn the steps to effectively problem solve by reading this article. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/

Activity:

Read about collaborative problem solving which builds skills within children to help them navigate challenging situations.

https://thinkkids.org/cps-overview/

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.
Also in Spanish

Parenting, when others disagree with your decisions.
Also in Spanish

Activity:

Read reflections from parents in the Hands & Voices “The Empowered Parent” book.

https://handsandvoices.org

Activity:

Watch this uplifting video where a mother shares her inspiring story of love and leader- ship.

https://vimeo.com/620077166

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This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number 5UJ1MC30748-07-00 for Family Leadership In Language And Learning for $1,800,00.00 This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.