184 support for parents and caregivers
Parents’ groups
A parents’ group changes Irlandita’s life
A mother in Nicaragua, named Rosa, began to suspect something
was not right with her daughter Irlandita. Irlandita did not
respond when her name was called, and only reacted to very
loud noises.
Worried for her daughter, Rosa took Irlandita to a doctor when
she was 16 months old. The doctor was very cold to her, and said
only, “Your child can’t hear anything. Bring her back when she’s
5 years old and we will see if anything can be done for her.” Rosa
left feeling more frightened and lost than she had been before
the visit.
On the way home she met a friend who
suggested that she make an appointment
with Los Pipitos, a community
organization. Los Pipitos was started by
a group of parents who wanted their
children with disabilities to have the
opportunity to develop fully.
Although the doctor and staff at Los
Pipitos gave Rosa the same diagnosis — that her daughter was
deaf — they also gave her hope for the future. They explained
how with special help and extra support from her family,
Irlandita could develop just like a child who hears normally. With
the support of other parents at Los Pipitos, Rosa began to feel
confident that she could make a difference in Irlandita’s life.
Now Rosa is an active member of Los Pipitos and she works to
give other parents the same help and friendship that she herself
found when she needed it.
Thanks to the support of her family, and the care given at
Los Pipitos, Irlandita is an expressive, caring, happy, intelligent,
and confident girl. She can communicate and is able to attend a
regular school.
With the help of Los Pipitos and a
lot of effort at home, we have come
a long way in 3 years. To other
parents I would say, ‘I could do it,
and you can too! Try!’
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)