We are excited to share with you our Parent Toolkit, a resource for parents that has been several years in the making! This valuable resource toolkit covers:
- Questions that come up over and over again on the Alberta Hands & Voices Facebook page. Examples: Any advice for swimming lessons? My child is going into kindergarten – what do I need to know? How do I explain her hearing loss to her new teacher?
- Topics that are not covered well elsewhere, or are not readily available. Examples: Listening fatigue. Speechreading instruction for children. Incidental learning. Tinnitus in children. Unilateral hearing loss. And many more!
- Topics that provide a foundation for further knowledge. Example: Types of hearing loss. Coping with emotions after hearing loss is diagnosed.
- Topics that Parent Guides will need to know about. Examples: Causes of hearing loss. Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD).
Keep in mind this Toolkit will evolve over time. At the back of the Toolkit is a questionnaire. We would appreciate your feedback so we can make improvements. Please take time to complete the questionnaire and send it back to us. In doing so, you will help other families who will use the Toolkit in the future.
You can access the Toolkit in three different ways. Please click on a button below to get started!
Complete Toolkit View the complete Toolkit in your browser or download the PDF.
Topic Library Browse the Toolkit contents by topic.
Toolkit Sections View or download individual sections of the Toolkit.
*Note, we are currently in the process of altering our mode of section viewing. Below, you can see individual posts, and submit comments on if you found the article helpful, and if not what you feel was missing.
Section 3 - After Diagnosis
Counselling Support
Organization Alberta Health Services: Mental Health and Wellness Services Contact 1.877.303.2642Website – Click Here Description Contact to get more information about mental health programs …Initial Decisions
Even though you may have suspected, finding out that your child is Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HoH) can come as unexpected and/or unsettling news. …Coping
There are many ways parents typically cope when they learn that their child is Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HoH). Adapting to a diagnosis of …Now What? Making it Through the First Year
Adapted from Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D. Five years ago, I found myself standing in the same shoes that you are in today – after I found …Emotional Sticking Points of Parenting a Child who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Adapted from Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D. As a parent, it was emotionally overwhelming for me when I found out that my son was Hard of Hearing. …Fathers and Grief: Raising a Child with a Hearing Loss
Adapted from Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D. This article explores how fathers deal with their emotions when they first find out their child has hearing loss. There …Parenting the Child who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
All children need three types of inner resources in order to have emotionalwellness: Good feelings about themselves and others. An understanding of right and wrong. …Support for Siblings
There is no doubt about it. Having a child with special needs changes your family. It is often pointed out that most parents with children …