For Deaf and hard of hearing children, books and stories are vital spaces where they can see themselves, feel understood, find community and belonging, and lay the foundation for confidence and identity development that will set them up for success throughout their lives.
Inclusive Stories for Children With Hearing Loss
My firsthand experience with hearing, speech, and language development challenges, both personally and as a parent, helped shape my writing.
Writing the Book My Kids Needed
“Mara Hears in Style” is the book I wish my three children had when they were young and newly diagnosed with hearing loss. I wrote the book so that children who wear hearing aids will see themselves in a book and be seen, but I also wanted Mara's character to be relatable to all children.
Halloween Tips for Families With Hearing Challenges
For children with hearing loss and their families, Halloween traditions can be adjusted to make sure everyone enjoys a comfortable experience. Here are a few tips to help make the holiday fun and safe.
Brain Responses to Voice Pitch Offer Clues to Hearing Difficulties in Children
These findings show that even with appropriate amplification via hearing aids, children with hearing loss still have trouble processing certain aspects of sound, particularly the basic pitch of voices. These objectively measurable brain responses may explain why children with hearing loss struggle more in noisy or echoey environments.
Hearing Our Way
Ten years ago, I embarked on a mission to support children with hearing loss. These kids are often one of the few, if not the only, children with hearing loss in their mainstream schools. My goal was to connect them with other kids like themselves and introduce them to inspiring role models who also have hearing loss.
Continuing to Make Connections
I’ve been able to still send used cochlear implant processors from Australia to Iran. I have great friends and a lovely network that reaches kids in rural areas and even adults, people who have no support other than the kindness and compassion in other people.
Jack and the Crunchy Leaves
I wanted to create a story that would resonate with young children, guiding them and their families through the uncharted waters of hearing loss with empathy and understanding.
How Can We Measure Hearing Aid Success in the Youngest Patients?
We found that the use of neural responses to sound to infer how well hearing aids—a common first form of intervention—provide access to speech is similar in children to that found in adults.
How Far We've Come: Opportunities for Children With Hearing Loss Then and Now
Pioneering educators in the 1970s and 1980s created a new vision for infants and toddlers with hearing loss, emphasizing early identification and family training—revolutionary ideas then, best practices now.