Family Adjustment

After learning a child has a hearing loss, some parents may have feelings of surprise, shock, confusion, anger, and even guilt. You may feel differently than other parents who have a child with a hearing loss. If you share parenting with a spouse or partner, each of you may feel differently about your child’s hearing loss. Other children in the family may also feel differently about their brother or sister than you do.

Families are sometimes troubled by this. It is normal to have different feelings. Your family might want to talk to someone who is trained to help families learn about and share their thoughts and feelings. This person might be a counselor, social worker, clergy, teacher, service coordinator, or any other person that the family feels comfortable with.

Remember, it is common for families to take time to learn about and adjust to their child’s hearing loss. Most families develop positive, healthy views about their family and their child’s future. Often, it just takes time.