Free Essay. Self-Advocacy and Communication with Family

A hearing-impaired child spends most of their time with peers and parents and these are the people who determine how the child is going to grow. Although it might appear inconsequential to an outsider, there is a great relationship between how a hearing-impaired child grows and the group he or she associates with. The group has the ability to improve or worsen his or her condition. Factors such as cultural differences and socio-economic levels of the peers and parents determine how the child grows. This paper looks at the effects of cultural background and socio-economic status on the development of the child as well as the role of the educator in helping the peers and parents to improve the condition of the child.

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The culture of a person can greatly affect the ways in which hearing impairment impacts the quality of life. Different cultures address hearing loss differently. There are cultures that support hearing-impaired children by showing them love, concern, and care. In such cultures, the hearing-impaired child is likely to improve. However, there are other cultures that treat hearing-impaired children with contempt and hatred. In such cultures, the condition of the hearing-impaired child will deteriorate. As such, culture is a great determinant of how the hearing-impaired child will grow.

The socio-economic levels of peers and parents have a great role to play in the development of a hearing-impaired child. For example in areas where the socio-economic status is high, children with hearing impairments have a higher rate of improvement than in areas of low economic status. High economic status is associated with higher educational attainment (Plack, 2018). Parents and peers who are well-educated are more likely to support a hearing-impaired child and help him or her improve his or her condition than a family where educational attainment is low.

Educators have a great role to play in supporting the development of family and peer relationships. The educator can become a link between the family, peers and the affected child. In such a situation, it is the role of the educator to educate the family and peers on the best ways to care for the hearing-impaired child. Additionally, the educator can educate the peers and parents to use visual stimuli such as display boards when interacting with the affected child to help improve his or her condition (Plack, 2018). The educator also needs to make it known to the parents and peers that the most important support that the hearing-impaired child needs is their support and care and concern. With that, the child will feel appreciated and will feel positive about the entire interaction.

In conclusion, hearing impairment among children is a condition that can be improved by the peers and the parents of the affected child. Peers and parents are supposed to show love care and support for the affected child and this is likely to influence the child positively. Besides, culture and socio-economic status also determine the extent of hearing impairment among children. Hearing-impaired children who come from wealthier backgrounds are likely to show greater improvement than their counterparts from a low socio-economic family. Educators understand the child better and are useful in providing useful information to the peers and family about improving the condition of the child.

References

Plack, C. J. (2018). The sense of hearing. New York: Routledge