As children are beginning to develop language skills, I often see parents getting caught in the cycle of asking their child question after question to practice and “show off’ the newly acquired language skills. While it appears that the child is practicing listening and language skills, often the questions are…
Perspective Taking/Theory of Mind: A Critical Skill for Social Competence
When we think of our goals for our children with hearing loss (whether our own children, our students or our clients in private practice), we aim high and strive for development of age appropriate skills across all domains. This includes academics, communication, and of course socialization. To develop good social…
Adult Self-Advocacy:–How To Be Your Own Superman (or Superwoman)
Recently, I wrote an article about promoting self-advocacy in children with hearing loss. That particular article was geared towards providing parents with ideas on how to ensure that their children become the best advocates for themselves. It focused on helping children to understand that their hearing loss is a…
Doing vs. Knowing: Are You Raising an Excellent Self-Advocate?
Self-advocacy is a hot topic for children with hearing loss. For all children with disabilities, it is important to teach self-advocacy skills, but for the child with hearing loss, it is even more crucial. This is because hearing loss is an access issue, rather than a learning issue. Throughout life,…
Let’s Do Lunch: A Challenging Time for the Child with Hearing Loss
Most students look forward to the break that comes with the ring of the bell for lunch. This is a time when there are no academic challenges and students have the opportunity to relax and socialize with their peers. However, for the student with hearing loss, lunchtime in the cafeteria…