S-P-E-L-L it out for me: A Letter to Mom and Dad from Your Child with Hearing Loss

Dear Mom and Dad, Hi, its me your child with hearing loss. There is something really important about me that you need to know. I realize how hard you try to help me learn language and succeed, so I know that you would want to know about this so you can help me. I try [...]

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Older people are valuable in the lives of children with hearing loss

This article combines some of my most favorite issues: kids with hearing loss and elderly family members. I m so lucky to have grandparents, who live near me and make my life more wonderful and interesting. My kids are incredibly lucky to have great-grandparents in their day-to-day lives! I never knew any of my great-grandparents [...]

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Getting Kids with Hearing Loss Ready for the First Day of School

The first day of school is both exciting and stressful for many kids. There is so much anticipation and anxiety and everyone wants the first day to go well. Here are a few tips to make sure that the first day goes smoothly: Put brand new batteries in cochlear implants or hearing aids. Nobody needs [...]

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Are Hearing Aids Best Not Seen and Just Used to Hear?

A friend called me from the middle of an appointment with his preschool-aged child to find out what type of hearing aid he should get for his newly-diagnosed child. I told him a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid. He asked “But the little ones they have here are so small, you can barely see them?” I [...]

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Volunteering: A Win for Everyone

Gabriel’s teacher called his parents in for a meeting. Mr. Michaels was concerned that Gabriel was starting to view himself as a victim. He explained to Gabriel’s parents that recently, when challenges came up in class, Gabriel would sigh and mutter that “its too hard for a kid with hearing loss anyway, what is the [...]

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Celebrate the Successes!

As the school year comes to an end, I find myself filled with emotion: stress about the last book report when the book is lost, anxiety about the letter from the library about HOW MANY books are lost, relief that the children (and their parents) got through it, excitement about the beach and summer vacations, [...]

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Siblings: Our most enduring relationships!

I made a mistake*. In a previous post, I discussed siblings in the way that everyone always does: how to minimize feelings of jealousy and rivalry between brothers and sisters. But I was wrong in only focusing on that negative aspect of sibling relationships. Perhaps I am influenced by TV and other media where fighting [...]

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Encouraging Friendships for Kids with Hearing Loss

Some kids seem to make friends with ease. They always seem to have someone to play with, and they have no trouble navigating the social world of their classroom or neighborhood. Other kids need more support and may need parents to play a more active role in their effort to make friends. All of the [...]

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No child can afford to have fluid in the ears

Half of the children in special education preschools in Israel failed the hearing screening! The audience was shocked and more than a little confused. The study was conducted by the Audiology Department of the Ministry of Education and it sounded like it was done properly. Experienced professionals went into dozens of special education preschool classrooms [...]

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Children with Hearing Loss and ADHD: Interview with Dr Susan Wiley, Developmental Pediatrician

Dr Wiley, please tell HearingFamilies readers a bit about yourself and your background. I am a developmental pediatrician in Cincinnati Ohio, USA.  I have been in practice in developmental pediatrics since 2001. I became interested in children who are deaf/hard of hearing as my hearing aunt and uncle taught at a residential school for the deaf. [...]

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