Construct 1A : Child Well-Being

Component 1 - Self-Determination

Self-motivation, positive self-perception, and meaningful relationships.

TOPIC	FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
Self-Perception	Positive self-perception is important for a child who is D/HH. A good understanding of who they are and what they are capable of leads to confidence, strong social skills, and meaningful relationships.
Activity:	Use the following Social Emotional Tip Sheet and Family Activity Plan to choose 1-2 tips to work on each week that will support the child’s self-perception. Tip Sheets and Family Activity Plan are also in Spanish
Activity:	Watch the following video of a D/HH teen sharing her journey of finding a positive self-perception. CONFIDENCE: Deaf in a Hearing World
Activity:	Use the following tip sheet to support building a natural and loving parent/caregiver-child connection through everyday activities that lead to experiences of positive self-perception. Link to the Fostering Joy Tipsheets Also in: Spanish French, Hmong, Italian, Somali, Urdu, Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, German, ASL
Meaningful Relationships	Good communication with a child who is D/HH is essential to developing meaningful relationships between the child and those that they interact with such as parents/caregivers, siblings, extended family, and those within the community.
Activity:	Use this resource to learn and apply simple changes in the family routine and the child’s environment that promotes communication between the child and family. Be mindful to not use phrases with a child who is D/HH such as, “never mind or I’ll tell you later…” Maximizing Your Child’s Visual Access Also in Spanish
Activity:	Use these Tip Sheets that provide suggestions for parents/caregivers, for fun, everyday activities to enhance their baby’s development in language, literacy, and social-emotional development! Parent Tip Sheets All tip sheets also in Spanish
Activity:	Read the online article "SOCIALIZATION and the Child who is Deaf or Hard Hearing" to learn more about how to support your child in creating meaningful relationships within the community (place of worship, daycare, family, etc.). Also consider games that encourage interaction and socialization. (Tag, duck-duck-goose, musical chairs, and other group games) Hands & Voices.org
Self-Motivation	Self-motivation allows us to take action towards a goal. It is important for children who are D/HH to know how to self-advocate, so they have the tools they need to be successful and self-sufficient.
Activity:	Review this two page infographic to learn about the different stages of self-advocacy and think of activities that would encourage a child’s growth at the different stages. Ages & Stages of Parent Involvement
Activity:	Read the following article from Understood.org on how to build the foundations for self-advocacy in young children. How to build the foundation for self-advocacy in young children Also in Spanish
Activity:	Review this self-advocacy inventory when considering what skills children who are D/HH need as they grow to build their independence and self-advocacy skills. Download the INFORMAL INVENTORY OF INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS FOR DEAF/HARD OF HEARING STUDENTS
Activity:	View “Self-advocacy Can Start in Small Doses”. Hear how a parent was able to introduce this into their child’s advocacy journey at home and school.” Video is in spoken Spanish with Spanish and English subtitles. https://vimeo.com/811357566

Component 2 – Participation

Involvement in hearing and Deaf communities, leisure and extracurricular activities, daycare/school, and ventures with family and friends.

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TOPIC	FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
Community	Knowing where to find support as questions come up can help reduce stress and provide an understanding to families that they are not alone.
Activity:	Join Hands & Voices social media sites. instagram.com/handsandvoices/ facebook.com/handsandvoices facebook group manosyvoces/ (Spanish) facebook group deafhardofhearingplus group facebook group MilitarySupport/
Activity:	Use these links to find family support organizations nearby that provide family support. Roster of H&V Chapters A listing FL3 State/Territory level family-based organizations & family leaders
Activity:	Invite other family members or friends to early intervention sessions, and/or events for families with children who are D/HH. BabyHearing.org \| Setting Up Family Support Also in Spanish
Inclusion	Building relationships between a child who is D/HH and their family, friends and individuals in the community encourages socialization and inclusion.
Activity:	Read tips on how to share information about a child’s hearing status to others that will promote interaction and communication directly with the child. BabyHearing.org \| Getting Extended Family Members Involved Also in Spanish
Activity:	Attend play groups/social activities specifically for children who are D/HH. Use these resources to contact family support organizations for connections within each state/territory. H&V Roster of State/Province Chapters A listing of state/territory level family-based organizations and family leaders partnering with their EHDI Program
Activity:	Review the following helpful tips for communicating with individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. MamaHuHears.com - Tips for communicating with people who are dhh
Activity:	Watch this video of an interview with Dr. Amy Szarkowski discussing the social emotional development of children who are D/HH. https://vimeo.com/680548403
Culture	An understanding of a family’s culture and the Deaf community provides a foundation for a child who is D/HH to understand the importance of traditions, roles and lived experiences.
Activity:	Review the following videos and blog story that demonstrate the lived experiences of adults who are deaf or hard of hearing. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Hidden Figures Casual Conversations Casual Conversations with Deaf and Hard of Hearing People in STEM Link to STEM videos page STEM Stories with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professionals www.MamaHuHears.com \| My Hearing Loss Journey
Activity:	Make a list of important family traits, routines, and cultural traditions to share with others. This website - Southwest Human Development - provides suggestions on what to consider. CELEBRATE TRADITION AND CULTURAL AWARENESS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN Available in many languages. See also Hands & Voices Spanish Resources webpage.
Activity:	Use these online resources to connect with deaf and hard of hearing community members. National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Also in Spanish www.infanthearing.org

Component 3 – Goals

Refers to language and communication outcomes, social and psychosocial aspirations and educational and employment objectives and achievements.

TOPIC	FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
Creating Goals	Developing goals for a child who is D/HH helps the family and the child’s providers create a plan, gain focus and have the ability to monitor progress.
Activity:	View the following developmental milestone charts from the CDC to help evaluate a child’s current level and what goals should be considered in a family’s plan. https://www.cdc.gov/ Also in Spanish, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Somali and Vietnamese
Activity:	Review the following guides for information on best practices in early intervention and education for children who are D/HH. A PARENT’S GUIDE TO DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING EARLY INTERVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS Also in Spanish and Farsi The Education Trust NASDSE - Optimizing Outcomes for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Educational Service Guidelines
Activity:	Use these tools to create a list of ideas for what needs to be considered in a child’s IFSP or IEP. www.cdc.gov/ .../PlanforYourChild.pdf IEP meeting planner IEP Checklist.pdf
Monitoring Goals	Monitoring goals and celebrating accomplishments provides encouragement and insight on a child’s progress. This can be done through documenting progress, understanding mile- stones and journaling the strengths of the child.
Activity:	Create a way to document/track a child’s progress (recording a video, taking photos, keep- ing a home journal, organizing progress reports, etc.). This link shares about creating a binder. www.babyhearing.org/ - Also in Spanish
Activity:	Review the following H&V document to better understand the importance of and how to use developmental milestones checklists. Developmental-Milestones.pdf
Activity:	Use the following Fostering Joy journal to capture joyful moments. Fostering-joy Journal - Also in Spanish
Language & Communication	Understanding a child’s language and communication growth, including the milestones will positively impact a child’s language, social development, and reading skills.
Activity:	Review the following Language and Literacy Tip Sheets and use the Family Activity Plan to list communication activities that will foster language development and encourage communication between the child and the family. Language and Literacy Tip Sheets Also in Spanish Link to activity-plan.pdf Also in Spanish
Activity:	Watch videos from Language and Literacy experts about the Language and Literacy Tip Sheets. Language and Literacy Tip Sheets Videos
Activity:	Watch the following videos that promote literacy for D/HH children. Reading with children who are D/HH produced by MD/DC Hands & Voices chapter: MD/DC Hands & Voices Also in Cued English and ASL Reading children’s stories in ASL produced by CSD: ASL Story Time For Kids
Activity:	Try these tips to make reading more enjoyable, as children who get regular reading time do better in math, vocabulary, and spelling than those who don’t. https://wordsforlife.org.uk/ Also in Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Dari, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Yoruba.

Construct 1B : Parent & Family Well-Being

Component 1 - Relational

Refers to language and communication outcomes, social and psychosocial aspirations and educational and employment objectives and achievements.

TOPIC	FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
Bonding	Bonding with a child who is D/HH is important for creating positive relationships and healthy social-emotional development of the child.
Activity:	Watch the “Magic of Everyday Moments” video: https://vimeo.com/103169425
Activity:	Read the following articles that provide tips for families on establishing positive relationships with the child laying the foundation for healthy social-emotional development. Tips-for-Families.pdf https://kidshealth.org/ - Also in Spanish FL3 Parent-take-aways .pdf - Also in Spanish
Activity:	View the Hands & Voices “Fostering Joy Video” where families with children who are D/HH share their joy in the journey of raising their children. https://vimeo.com/463926086
Building Relationships	Understanding the child’s hearing levels and demonstrating effective communication methods and language with them to family, friends, and community members fosters relationships and interactions for everyone involved.
Activity:	Read the following chapter titled “Audiology 101: An Introduction to Audiology for Non-audologists” and/or watch the presentation through the links below. https://www.infanthearing.org/- pdf https://www.infanthearing.org/ - video
Activity:	Review “The Familiar Sounds Audiogram eBook” from Hearing First. It’s intended to help families and professionals answer questions together, with clear explanations and definitions. www.hearingfirst.org/
Activity:	Read the following “Fathering a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child – An Onboarding Checklist for Dads” (written by Dad’s). P2P_Dads Checklist - Pdf
Family Functioning	Parents/Caregivers need to ensure they are also taking good care of themselves. Self-care is important for family functioning.
Activity:	Learn self-care suggestions for families from the following article provided by PEPS. Self-Care for Parents
Activity:	View this webinar on “Self-Care during ‘Interesting Times’ – Beyond the Advice to Eat Better and Get a Good Night Sleep” by Amy Szarkowski PhD. www.infanthearing.org/ - Video
Activity:	Read “Thrive Now Blueprint: Self-Care & Success Strategies for Parents of Special Needs Children” by Ms. Siobhan Wilcox. This book offers simple and easily applied tools and tech- niques to reduce stress levels, create a life of deeper self-awareness with more energy and greater well-being. Link to Book in Amazon

Component 2 - Emotional

Emotional support offers psychological benefits such as coping, acceptance, hopefulness, self-reliance and confidence, readiness to engage in response to potential grief, loneliness, vulnerability, and perceived stigma

TOPIC	FAMILY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
Coping	Identifying, discussing, & locating sources to support one’s grief can provide hope- fulness and assist with developing strategies to work through challenging situations.
Activity:	Read Hands & Voices article titled “For Better or For Worse: Keeping Relationships Strong while Parenting Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children” which provides insight and support strategies. For Better or For Worse: Keeping Relationships Strong while Parenting Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
Activity:	Review the blog post where Hands & Voices ask families to respond to the question “I realized that I accepted my child’s deaf/hard of hearing journey when…?” Link to Journey of Acceptance article
Activity:	Try 1-2 tips a week from the following tipsheet that supports families in making a conscious effort to create and celebrate joyful experiences with a child who is D/HH. Link to F ostering-joy web page Also in: Spanish, French, Hmong, Italian, Somali, Urdu, Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, German, ASL
Emotional Support	Having experiences to connect with and exchange information and resources with other parents/caregivers can provide encouragement, confidence and reduce feel- ings of loneliness.
Activity:	Download the Hands & Voices Parent app to receive valuable tools each day, for 90 days, in raising a child who is D/HH. Download the Hands & Voices Parent App
Activity:	Connect with a local family support organization. Use this link to locate state/territory contacts. A listing of state/territory level family-based organizations and family leaders partnering with their EHDI Program
Activity:	Learn about national organizations that provide support specifically to families with children who are D/HH. AG Bell Association: www.agbell.org/ American Society for Deaf Children: https://deafchildren.org/ Hands & Voices: https://handsandvoices.org/ Hearing First: https://www.hearingfirst.org/ National Cued Speech Association: https://cuedspeech.org/ National Center on Deaf-Blindness: https://www.nationaldb.org/
Perceived Stigma	Meeting D/HH adults and learning more about their lived experiences can overcome any perceived stigmas and help parents/caregivers identify how they can best support a child who is D/HH.
Activity:	Watch the following Hands & Voices video of a mom sharing her experience meeting adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and the impact it had on her family’s journey. https://vimeo.com/230043030
Activity:	View the following Hands & Voices Casual Conversations Series where Teens who are D/ HH discuss careers and lived experiences with Professionals who are D/HH. Casual Conversations Also in ASL and Cued English
Activity:	Use these questions to start conversations with adults who are D/HH. Ask providers (early intervention, school, parent-to-parent) for assistance in making these connections. Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) Guides Conversation Starter Questions