80 choosing and learning a language
Will your child use a hearing aid?
A hearing aid may help your child understand words. But hearing aids
do not help all children. Sometimes health professionals may suggest
that your child use a hearing aid. Try to get opinions from other parents
with children who wear hearing aids, and remember that each child’s
hearing is different. If you think you want
to buy hearing aids for your child, read
pages 217 to 224 to help you decide.
The people who sell hearing aids may
give you some information about them.
But they are not always the best people
to ask for advice. They may be more
interested in selling their products than
about finding out what is right for your
child. Sometimes the clinic or the hearing
aid store may allow the child to use the
hearing aid for a few days or weeks before
deciding to buy it.
This is the best
brand of hearing
aid. Of course it will
help your child.
A hearing aid may help your
child. But it may not. Do not
let anyone pressure you into
buying something or make you
feel guilty if you do not.
How will I know if my child is learning?
It will take time to know if a child is learning a language. After you have
worked with a language for several months or more, evaluate how your
child is doing. Ask yourself these questions:
• Does my child understand more than she did before?
• Is my child using speech or sign more often than before?
• Does she seem interested in learning to communicate? Or is she
getting more and more frustrated?
• Does my child have any behavior problems that may be caused by
frustration with not knowing a language, or with not knowing it
enough to understand and express herself?
• Do I enjoy communicating with my child, or is it always a frustrating
experience?
• Can we communicate easily enough so that I am able to talk with my
child about what is happening?
• Does my child communicate well with other people?
• Can my child understand the information that her brothers and
sisters understand?
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)