Family Support

Family-centered, culturally-sensitive, individualized care with effective communication and collaboration between professionals and family members

Understanding Families: Partnering with families in addressing childhood hearing loss begins with professionals understanding family perspective. When professionals can view the child from the family’s perspective, professionals can partner with families more effectively. Professionals who strive to understand the unique family cultural factors that impact the family journey are more effective in creating a supportive partnership.

Conversations: Professionals and families are involved in many conversations about the impact of hearing loss and discussion of choices to address the child’s hearing loss. Families benefit from working with professionals that offer clear and concise discussion of information and options in family-friendly phrasing that is individualized to the family’s unique needs. Professional-family partnerships develop when professionals engage in active listening and provide emotional support to families.

Collaboration: Children who are deaf or hard or hearing and their families benefit from an interdisciplinary team of professionals supporting their family in the EHDI process. Communication between team members has a direct impact on the outcome of children and their families. Families benefit when professionals collaborate in a timely and efficient process that honors the privacy rights of families.