Parents of Deaf Children’s Post

Daniel Savegnago, Leonardo Franz, Marco Gubernale, Chiara Gallo, Cosimo de Filippis, Gino Marioni, Elisabetta Genovese. Learning disabilities in children with hearing loss: a systematic review. Am J Otolaryngol 2024; 45(5):104439. The main aim of this systematic review was to investigate the possible association be-tween hearing loss [and/or history of otitis media with effusion (OME)] and learning difficulties in children. Secondary aims were to: (a) investigate if deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children with learning difficulties might show different clinical and neuropsychological features compared with those with other neurodevelopmental disorders; (b) identify possible predictors of learning difficulty in DHH children. A review was conducted of the scientific literature reported by Pubmed, Cochrane and Scopus databases. The following inclusion criteria were used: (a) studies published after 2000; (b) studies conducted considering subjects with age <18 years; (c) studies considering patients who showed both learning difficulties and hearing loss and/or episodes of OME; (d) articles written in English. The exclusion criteria were: (a) presence in the studied cohort of any other proven comorbidities, other than hearing loss and/or OME; (b) non-original studies. A total of 924 studies were identified. Four were reviewed after applying the above criteria. From their analysis it emerged that: (a) children with hearing loss who had undergone a diagnostic and rehabilitation program before 6 months of age had better levels of K readiness and language and literacy skills compared to those who had undergone it after 6 months; (b) higher frequency of episodes of OME and the presence of a conductive hearing loss during the period of language acquisition was associated to lower scores in reading skills; (c) reading difficulties found in subjects with hearing loss had similar characteristics to those with language difficulties...

Continuing the theme of "Naughty and Nice" ... It's time to share some tips on how Santa's can be inclusive for all including Deaf, Disabilty and Neurodivergent. Here's my list that will aid Santa to be on a child's Nice list this year: 1. Learn Basic Sign Language or Use an Interpreter Tip: Learn simple signs like Merry Christmas, What’s your name?, or What would you like for Christmas?. If possible, have a sign language interpreter available to ensure clear communication with Deaf children. Why: This helps Deaf children feel included and understood, allowing them to share their wishes in their native language. 2. Provide Sensory-Friendly Spaces Tip: Create a low-sensory environment with dimmed lighting, quieter music, and reduced stimuli for neurodivergent children who may find traditional settings overwhelming. Offer designated times for sensory-friendly visits. Why: This ensures children with sensory sensitivities can enjoy meeting Santa without feeling overstimulated or anxious. 3. Use Visual Aids and Assistive Technology Tip: Incorporate visual aids like picture boards or digital tablets where children can point or type their wishes. Use captioned holiday videos or visual storytelling. Why: This supports children with communication challenges or hearing impairments, enabling them to participate fully. 4. Practice Patience and Adaptability Tip: Allow extra time for each interaction and be flexible in adapting to a child’s needs. Use open body language and follow the lead of caregivers if guidance is needed. Why: This helps create a relaxed and positive experience, ensuring every child feels valued and not rushed. 5. Be Physically Accessible Tip: Ensure your Santa setup is wheelchair accessible, including ramps and space for mobility aids. Sit on a bench or use a space where children can approach Santa comfortably. Why: This demonstrates inclusivity and ensures that children with physical disabilities can enjoy the magic of meeting Santa without barriers. Video note: Music is instrumental, bright happy "Christmas Corporate". No spoken words. Visual is Santa doing his food shop in a supermarket and waving to someone to put an item in the trolley. To right is text: Countdown to Christmas 33 days. Take care of yourself (you are worth it).

Deaf Awareness Month is almost here, and I wanted to encourage you all to think about sharing your stories! I would love to have stories from anyonwhyIsignw that deaf and hard of hearing children’s families often tell me that they don’t see enough stories from deaf and hard of hearing, deafblind, deafdisabled, and late-deafened adults ( did not sign that in the video, but I want to acknolee that I did not sign, but I mean all deaf and hard offering people, including deafblind, deafdisabled, and late-deafened) who have lived through the experiences, and their journeys regarding sign language and the deaf and hard of hearing community varies, and they may be members of several communities and cultures and have expereinces in navigating that. This would be a great project for schools, programs, businesses, individuals, and especially families to share stories during Deaf Awareness Month! Please reach out if you have any questions, whyisign@gmail.com. Your stories can be in another sign language too! Some countries have started their own #whyIsign campaigns too!  Transcript: Hi everyone! It’s almost time for September, DeawhyIsigness Month. It’s a great time to share stories. Really, stories can be shared everyday but sharing during Deaf Awareness Month is extra incentive to do it. Lately the algorithm on social media has been annoying. Sometimes I cannot see who used the hashtag, #whyisign or shared their stories. So I’ve been thinking about how to work around it. One idea is when you post your story, add me as a collaborator. Importantly, add your video (or photo), have a transcript, video descriptions, and preferrably, captions. If that’s a struggle, let me know and we can work together to make sure your story can still be shared. I look forward to your stories. It can be your own story, your family’s, from your ASL classes or projects, deaf schools/programs, and so forth. FYI- #whyisign is a great class assignment, school precut, etc… Many awesome individual, school, program, business stories were shared- so this could be a great activity to do with your family/school/class/workspace. Did you know #whyIsign is for everyone! Deaf, hearing, deaf blind, deafdisabled, late deafened, does not matter. Everyone has a story to share about sign language, deaf culture, etc... (Personal experiences, and the impact of sign languages (all over the world) & the deaf and hard of hearing communities here and everywhere). All stories must be seen, heard and felt. So go ahead, and think about your #whyIsign story to share, and I look forward to seeing it soon.

The right to education might be enshrined within our country’s Constitution, yet it is a right that is not fully realized for apprixamately 420 000 children with a hearing impairment or hearing disability in South Africa. In 2022, South Africa's total population was estimated at 62 million people, of whom nearly 21 million were children under 18 years old. Children make up 34% of the total population. Between 1.7% and 2% are children with a hearing impairment or hearing disability. (World Report on Hearing 2021). Therefore, it is correct to assume that there are approximately 420 000 children with hearing impairments or hearing disabilities in our country. I would like to hear from experts what percentage of these children are Sign Language users. (According to Census21, 0.02% of the South African population are Sign Langauge users) The WHO says that about 60% of hearing loss in children under 15 years of age is preventable. Hearing disability is the third-highest reported disability in South Africa, but identifying that a child has a hearing impairment or hearing disability is not as easy as it sounds. Myths regarding hearing impairment and/or deafness have a huge impact on the prevalence of hearing loss in South Africa. Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) can improve the potential outcomes for these children. https://lnkd.in/dRGfD9sQ https://lnkd.in/d9yJy3-F Inclusive education in South Africa - the challenges posed to the teacher of a child with a hearing loss: https://lnkd.in/dMgAJpjT This study focuses on the response of teachers to teaching learners with varying degrees of hearing impairments in an inclusive environment. https://lnkd.in/d_GBrsWA https://lnkd.in/dbQppgGr In the classroom: https://lnkd.in/dQcV74CJ https://lnkd.in/dJMpuv4e https://lnkd.in/dk5x-G_W A mild hearing loss: When not treated, mild hearing loss can cause: • Listening Fatigue • Speech and Language Delays • Central Auditory Processing Disorder • Social-Emotional Impacts Even if experts recommend the “wait and see” approach, we encourage you to, question that! https://lnkd.in/dx73r69t Mild hearing loss in adults can, for example, result in a moderate functional limitation. A moderate functional limitation may be substantially limiting, and be disabling. Compiled by: Fanie du Toit Cochlear implantee Adult Basic Education Practitioner National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities WhatsApp 082 820 7358 https://lnkd.in/dUhw-_xa

#DeafAwarenessWeek at UHBW We caught up with Lisa from Audiology to find out more about being deaf aware and how to be more inclusive: "As an audiologist (and hearing therapist) I enjoy meeting the adult patients and being able to support them with their hearing and communication needs with regards to their hearing. It is rewarding to be able to help someone with their deafness as well as the family and friend/carer of the individual we may see. According to the statistics from The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), deafness affects one in five adults in the UK. An estimated 1.2 million adults in the UK have hearing loss severe enough that they would not be able to hear most conversational speech. People who are deaf or who have hearing loss or tinnitus, are more likely to experience health inequalities and are twice as likely to experience mental health problems compared to people without hearing loss. People who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus experience issues accessing or communicating with essential everyday services, in particular utilities companies, supermarkets and essential retail. It has been shown that companies that champion disability inclusion report 30% higher profit margins compared to their peers. An ideal healthy inclusive environment for deaf people would include: - subtitles where possible - good signage - an interpreter for the department - all staff to understand deaf awareness - be pro-active in making sure the communication for the deaf person was optimised where possible - good lighting so as to support the individual’s lip-reading - staff slowing their speech down to help support speech understanding Be reassured that a deaf person will be eternally grateful and appreciative of the support you give." #TeamUHBW #Audiology

The ability to hear well affects more than our ability to communicate; it also impacts a child's development of vocabulary and sentence structure, academic achievement, social interaction, and career choice. According to the experts, there are four major ways that hearing loss can affect children: • It causes delays in speech and language skills • The language deficit results in lower academic achievement • Communication difficulties lead to social isolation and poor self-concept • It may have an impact on vocational choices Hearing-impaired children have trouble learning abstract words like "before" and "after" and understanding words with multiple meanings. They often have trouble hearing certain sounds, such as "s", "sh", "f", "t", "k" and "ed," which affects the sentences they construct and the words they include in their vocabulary. ~ When should hearing-impaired children get treatment? As soon as possible. Experts state that babies with confirmed permanent hearing loss should receive #HearingAids or similar treatment by the age of six months to give them the earliest start for full language and speech development. Generally, all babies undergo newborn hearing screening at the hospital. But if your baby passed his/her newborn or infant hearing tests and you still suspect he/she is not hearing well, you may want to consult an Audiologist to see if he/she needs further evaluation. ~ My child is in primary school. How do I know if he/she needs hearing aids? Sometimes hearing loss is not detectable when children are really young, which is why it is important to have regular screenings with an audiologist to catch hearing loss in kids in kindergarten, primary school, and beyond. If your child showed signs of hearing loss during her screening, follow the audiologist's recommendations for the follow-up. Keep in mind that for some kids, what seems like a hearing loss may actually be a neurological condition such as auditory processing disorder (ADD or #ADHD) Please remember, while the gap between children with normal hearing and those with #HearingLoss widens as they age, children with hearing loss can catch up if they receive proper diagnosis and treatment from an Audiologist. For consultation with an #Audiologist, please call #AumniHearingServices on ph +91 9820047823 or click on the website link https://buff.ly/4cRyEpk

I recently re-hired my publicist Desmond Warren of Jaya Jaya Productions. Desmond is excellent; efficient, communicative, and open minded. He caught the attention of Nelly Chavez, my newest hero. That resulted in an article in the Chicago Journal: https://lnkd.in/gDJjHWaG where Chavez proved keenly intelligent in her quick understanding of the issues. So many hearing people never learn much about the realities of Deaf life (or Deaf education) beyond a very limited lens, leaving them to base their beliefs on sheer assumptions. I love being able to reach such readers; people who are intelligent, well-meaning, and can do considerable good in the world once they know why and how to, once they know what the issues are. To that end, here is another article, again thanks to Nelly Chavez. https://lnkd.in/gWmfA-CQ This took me three or four days, working 8-10 hours a day. I have a process for article-writing where I first write the outline, then free-write within the outline, then expand, adding more interesting stories and examples to illustrate my points, and then brutally edit for length, usually removing all the interesting/fun stuff, lol. After multiple rounds of edits, every extra word is removed, and the bare bones article is sent off. If I have any room on the final word count I add a little of my own personality or word choices, sometimes embedded within the piece or in this case tacked onto the end, ha. Along the way I work hard at clarity, overcoming the PTSD the topics bring up, and the tricky challenge of explaining complicated things clearly enough for hearing outsiders to understand, and trying not be too heavy handed. Judging by Desmond Warren, and Nelly Chavez, (and many others) I know it's totally worth it! Hopefully hearing teachers, of all kinds— for whom all these concepts will be brand new and often surprising— will read and be influenced by my little article. When they go back to work in the Fall, and find that a Deaf student has been placed in their class, or the class of the new teacher down the hall from them, hopefully something here will have stuck with them that helps them fight off the knee-jerk preference for oralism and assimilation that is so rampant—and so frequently harmful— in the mainstream. #DeafEducation #InclusiveEducation #DeafCommunity #AmericanSignLanguage #TheButterflyCage #RachelZemachAuthor #BackToSchool #Teachers

How can you support families with Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing children? We got you! Read more: https://lnkd.in/edkkQEU7 [GRAPHIC DESC: COVER: 8 ways to support families of Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing Children 1: Become a mentor. Deaf communities can mentor families with Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing children. Mentors can teach sign language, communication skills, and serve as a role model. To find out if a mentor program exists in your state or community, contact your local state association of the deaf, school, and/or state’s Early Hering Detection and Intervention’s (EHDI) program. 2: Share content online. With nearly 94% of people in the US having access to the internet, sharing your own experiences though video posts, blogs, and social media are generally accessible for parents and the professionals who work with them. You may not realize how often new parent searches “XYZ” on the internet, they may come across your important post! This can be a great way to reach a wider audience and connect with families who may be feeling isolated. 3: Join parent and professional organizations. Local, state, and national groups hold meetings and events, publish materials, and sponsor other activities. Many organizations depend on knowledgeable volunteers to help them conduct their activities. 4: Engage with online communities. Get involved by sharing information, resources, and your personal experiences with the communities, online. This could include participating in online groups such as Reddit or Facebook groups, as well as leaving comments or sending direct messages on various social media platforms. 5: Make yourself available through informal networking. Let others know that you are available to serve as a resource in your community to parents trying to learn more about raising a Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, or Hard of Hearing child. Volunteer at schools and related community events. Description cont'd in comments.

In recognition of the upcoming #DeafAwareness Week (06-12 May 2024), UCL has a free, online, certificated training course: ‘#Deaf Awareness: Working and Communication Well with D/deaf People’ to help us support our colleagues and students. Do you interact with deaf people or those with a #hearing loss, and wish to have a deeper understanding of how to provide access, the issues they face and Deaf culture in general? Deafness and hearing loss can occur for a variety of reasons, including age-related causes, accident or disease. It's estimated that around 70 million people in the world currently live with hearing loss (source: World Federation of the Deaf @wfdeaf). This short course - it is about 1.5 hours' of self-paced, online #training - will help you to: - understand the variety of types of hearing loss and the needs of these groups of people;  - understand what access support these groups of people may need;  - look at how #deafness effects people in different ways by exploring real life examples, and also giving you an insight into Deaf culture, identity and sign language;  - understand different methods of communication in practice; - learn about causes of deafness and assistive technologies that can help to provide equal access. The course is run by the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL), based in UCL's Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. There will be a quiz at the end of the course to test your understanding of the topics explored in the content. You’ll be able to access and download a UCL certificate of participation once you have completed the course and successfully completed the quiz. 

September is Deaf Awareness Month. There is a wide range of spectrum of people with hearing loss, from having little hearing left in both ears, to having one ear be completely deaf to being completely deaf in both ears. Some of us can talk well. Some of us cannot. Some of us can lipread well. Some of us cannot. Some of us use ASL, some of us do not. Some of us say I am deaf, and some of us hide it, wanting to fit in with the hearing world. Some of us wear hearing aid/cochlear implants and some of us do not. There is no one size fits all for people with hearing loss. Some of us may need something to help us out and some of us may not need it (for the moment). All of us need a form of accessibility to make our lives easier. From using apps on our phones to having an interpreter to using a 3rd party to make phone calls for us to having legit closed captioning on video platforms. When the light is turned off, all of us on the hearing loss spectrum are the same. We are lost in the dark. We need light to guide us and help us be successful in the world that thrives on sound only. Helen Keller once said, "Alone, we can do so little, yet together we can do so much!" Let's work together, you and I to make this world better for Deaf/Hard of Hearing (and other Disabled) people in regard to employment, accessibility, accommodations and awareness Paul Meyer #Deaf #DeafAwarenessMonth #Disability #Awareness #Education #Employment