Perspectives on education, experience of hearing loss, and well-being among Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and their parents

ABSTRACT This paper reports a questionnaire study about education, the experience of hearing loss, and well-being among 77 Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) adolescents aged 11–16 and 208 parents of DHH children. It is one of few studies that explore the subjective perspectives and experiences of DHH children and their parents. The study found that adolescents had a more negative perspective on hearing loss than parents reported: they were more likely to consider their hearing loss a disability, to report performing below average at school, and to report trying to conceal their cochlear implant. The study also found that parents of adolescents were more likely than parents of younger children to report concerns about their child's performance at school and their future prospects. The paper discusses findings in relation to previous research showing the particular struggles of DHH adolescents and highlights the need for focused support for communication, social and educational challenges.