How Parents Can Support the Education of Their Child with Hearing Loss

CCHAT prides itself on having a world-class staff of teachers, speech therapists, audiologists and instructional aides that ensure that our students who are deaf and hard of hearing get the best possible support on campus.

However, we know that a majority of learning occurs outside of school, at home and with the child’s family. It is why parent education and support is such a huge component of the CCHAT program.

There are many ways that parents can build on what is taught in a structured, school setting and aid in the development of their child’s listening, language and independence skills. 

Observe and Participate On Campus

CCHAT students work on a variety of critical listening, language and educational elements, whether that is in a classroom or speech therapy room. The best way to see what your child with hearing loss is working on is to observe these sessions and participate when the opportunity arises.

CCHAT encourages parents to watch speech therapy sessions and observe classroom lessons once a week. Seeing the activities first-hand gives parents insight into what areas need to be focused on and how these skills can be developed throughout their child’s daily life. There are also occasions when parents can participate in the lessons and develop their own ability to carry out communication-building exercises. 

Stay in Contact with Your Child’s Educational Team

Visiting campus is a great way to glean tips and strategies for supporting your child’s education. However, even if work or other commitments keep you from attending classroom and speech sessions, maintaining a line of communication with educational staff is very important.

At CCHAT, lessons are individualized to the present levels of each student. Staff members can keep parents updated on the specific progress of their child. They can provide areas that need work, and even give tools and strategies that can be implemented into the daily routine at home. Regular check-ins with teachers, speech therapists and audiologists are a great way to support the education of your child with hearing loss. 

Incorporate Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) Strategies into All Activities

Every occasion is an opportunity to develop listening comprehension and elicit spoken language. At CCHAT, this includes snack time, recess, music class, art and all standard educational activities during the school day. While at home, parents can do their best to incorporate LSL components into daily occurrences, like breakfast or dinner time, wake-up and bedtime routines, and recreational activities. CCHAT staff members provide regular tips for making all at-home events a learning opportunity for children with hearing loss. 

Read to Your Child Everyday

Reading is one of the best ways you can help your child with hearing loss develop his/her LSL skills. Reading encourages listening for understanding and provides exposure to vocabulary, proper grammatical structures and new experiences. Books and stories lead to conversations and spark imaginations. There are few if any, activities that have a deeper impact on your child’s LSL development than reading.

Maintain Audiological Integrity

If your child with hearing loss is trying to learn how to listen and develop spoken language, it is truly vital that their listening equipment is working properly. For younger children, this responsibility is carried largely by the parents or guardians. Parents can help LSL development by ensuring that hearing aids and cochlear implants are working properly and providing optimal sound to their child. Listening check equipment should be used regularly to make sure sound quality is clear, and batteries should always be on hand to ensure consistent access to sound.

Attending regular audiological appointments goes hand-in-hand with this idea, as your audiologist is a critical member of your child’s team and can alert you to imperfections in their equipment’s sound quality. Once sound integrity is confirmed, wear time for all waking hours should be the goal. 

Connect with Other Families

The hearing loss journey has its ups and downs, and it’s important to know that you are not alone. Connecting with other families of children with hearing loss serves several important functions. Fellow families provide a support system that can share tips and strategies, or simply be a sounding board for your own ideas or concerns. While CCHAT is always available for support, it helps to know that there are other people on the same journey, and these connections can truly help you in the education of your own child with hearing loss.

CCHAT aims to give parents all of the tools they need to ensure success for their child, both on campus and in the home. If you have a question regarding your child’s education, CCHAT encourages you to reach out via our contact page.