12 Parenting Tips for Raising a Deaf Child
My deaf son is only 6 months, but I can tell you that I have learned a ton about raising a deaf child in a very short time frame. I won’t sit here and say I know it all, because I certainly don’t, but I’m learning more and more each day. Since my husband and I had no history of deafness in our family, we were completely in the dark when it came to understanding anything about raising a deaf child. We were naive, and we were incredibly overwhelmed when it came to his diagnosis, testing and treatment options. I’d be lying if these things weren’t still a constant daily struggle.
All of that said, here are a few parenting tips for raising a deaf child that we’ve learned so far.
- Find the special education services in your local school district. This includes speech pathologists, case workers, etc.
- Join a sign language class at a local community college or join an online community.
- Work with your child’s daycare provider to bring in added support and resources from local special education services.
- Get any siblings involved with your Deaf child’s appointments, programs, etc. This helps them feel included.
- Learn to communicate effectively with your deaf child through sign language. Start this as early as possible.
- Read a book about Deaf culture and history
- Discuss your deaf child’s future. Does it include cochlear implant surgery? Does it include special education or programs?
- If you decide to pursue treatment options including cochlear implant surgery, sit down with specialists and learn the pros and cons of each device and manufacturer.
- Conduct research into the schools where your deaf child will attend. Will they be accommodating?
- Consider having a Deaf mentor to help you learn sign language and give you some support for your deaf child.
- Talk to your family about your deaf child. Explain diagnosis, treatment, expectations, etc.
- Teach your deaf child’s siblings sign language so they can communicate together.
I’m very new to all of this, so if there are any tips I am forgetting, let me know. Keep in mind, we’re only 6 month into this. 😊
