From the article: Parenting - Stages of Acceptance
When parents discover their child is deaf or hard of hearing, or their child's hearing loss is confirmed, their reactions can range from outright grief to "Oh? Is that all?" Now that we have newborn hearing screening available, parents are learning about their children's hearing losses much earlier. Are parents' reactions to hearing loss any easier today? What was your own reaction to finding out your child had a hearing loss? Recall Your Reaction
What?
- My daughter was 18 when diagnosed with LVAS, I was shocked, scared for her, and grieved for her loss. After time they do learn to live with this complication in their life, in will eventually become their new normal.
- —Guest Lorre Bradbury
learning our son was deaf
- I didn't know anyone who was deaf, but I wanted to learn sign when I was about 10. I took college classes when I was in 8th grade and continued to learn in HS. At a church summer camp where I was a counselor, there was a deaf child. I met my husband who also worked there and taught him some sign. Years later, our son was diagnosed profoundly deaf. The look on the doctor's and counselor's faces when we picked up our hands to sign was priceless. We'd been prepared. Now, I am an interpreter and my husband is a deaf ed teacher. Our son is talented, kind, funny and all kinds of smart. He is in AP and Honors classes. He has great English vocab, grammar and spelling and beautifully expressive and flowing ASL. He is deaf and Deaf. My encouragement to parents discovering deafness is to learn sign - more than the basics. It takes time effort and can be frustrating, especially because your child will learn faster and better than you. Most parents miss so much because they don't share a language.
- —Guest AJRuby
Your child is HOH
- My son was such a wanted child, we tried for years to get pg. I was so happy that this child finally came into the world. I felt it shattered all around me when he failed the newborn screening test, and follow up which showed he was hard of hearing. I remember just crying and crying. I didn't want to get out of bed. I remember one day I was laying in bed with him thinking all the kids will make fun of him, he will have no friends. I am not cut out for this. It isn't fair I went through so much to finally have a child and now this. Just when I felt so depressed there was a commercial on TV of all things. It was talking about childhood leukemia. I felt that was my message from the man above. So what he can't hear, at least he is healthy and alive. I dried my tears after that and never looked back. He is now almost 12 and doing great. He is in gifted classes, honor roll and learning to play the oboe. We had no family history on either side, so it was a complete suprise.
- —Guest Melinda
My daughter
- We were not upset or depressed. We very nearly lost our daughter, so what she was deaf! We would take deaf over dead anytime!
- —Guest Miss Kat's Mom
Finding Out Son had hearing loss
- My son was born with a hearing problem but he wasn't considered hearing disabled until just this year and he will be 9 in Jan. I was relieved because I always knew there was something going on. Now I just want to know how to help him deal with this and the next step so that he doesn't lose all of his hearing. But it is also scary I blamed myself for not pushing the doctors more when he was littler but you live and you learn and for me and my family that is what this is. A learning experience for all of us and finding ways to help him so he doesn't [get] so frusterated at times.
- —Guest Carrie
my child was born deaf
- at first i didn't know what to think or what to do. i felt like it was all my fault. she's now 5, with an implant. it is still very hard. somedays are harder then others but we will get past it.
- —Guest jennifer
Finding out my child is deaf
- the first thing i did was blame myself. Trying to figure out what i did wrong what went wrong. I didn't and still won't label him as disabled. He is a normal acting 10 yr old boy with deafness just means harder work. it has taken him a LONG time to learn to communicate. But now doing so much better and still has a ways to go. He is the only child out of my 3 that are deaf and the only out of both my ex's family and my own that has no hearing. We are getting there from support from friends and family!!.
- —Guest Donna
Finding out my child is deaf
- I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. The deaf community is a strong willed group of people. I know my daughter has been given to me deaf for a reason GOD has a plan for her. We are waiting to see what thet plan is,and that is very exciting to us. My advice to people who are just entering the world of deafness. Take the experience as a chance to learn a new culture...a new world. Love it and embrace your childs world. It will make your life so much easier. Deafness isnt all that bad of a "disability" it (the disability) could be much. worse.
- —Guest Bravo
Finding out my child is deaf
- We were so depressed for about two weeks. We were so greatful to be pointed in the direction of our state school for the deaf. Their family education department made everything very okay! Now my daughter is a beautiful high school senior who just so happens to be deaf in a hearing family. Now I can't imagine how she'd be if she were hearing.
- —Guest Amy
Your child is deaf
- I felt sick in my soul. It was like our entire world had collapsed. Not only my son have to face the teasing with cleft lip and a slope face now he can not hear. Why have God allowed this to happen to us.
- —Guest Bessie
