2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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3/05/2012  |   11:05 AM - 12:05 PM   |  Working with Parents: Family-Centered Care Delivered with Compassion   |  Grand Ballroom C   |  4

Working with Parents: Family-Centered Care Delivered with Compassion

Traditionally, the roles of parents of children with hearing loss and those of health care providers and allied professionals were fairly well- established and rigid. Those roles created a negative dynamic of ‘healing professionals’ and ‘powerless parents ’ which led, in some cases, to a vicious cycle of parents feeling helplessness or incompetent. Internalize of that feeling of powerlessness by the children can lead to reduced self-esteem and hurt the parent-child relationship. So, how can we do it better? The benefits of implementing a Family-Centered approach to care are numerous. Accepting the family ‘where they are at’ can be instrumental in helping them to deal with challenges and manage the uncertainty frequently associated with the diagnosis of hearing loss. Utilizing a family-centered approach, delivered in a supportive, consistent, and culturally competent manner, can have several positive impacts, including: improved skill development in the parents, decreased parental stress, and improved satisfaction of services. Drawing on research in the fields of health care policy, public health, and psychology, this presentation will define specific family-centered approaches and describe how they can be used to help parents recognize their emotional reactions to a diagnosis, promote healthy attachments between parents and their children, and foster positive changes within the family system. This presentation is targeted for professionals working on the front line who interact directly with families, whether in their homes or in a community-based setting. Delivered by a psychologist, this presentation will highlight important considerations in working with the family not only on issues ”related to the ear,” but also those related to the overall development of the child, including social-emotional functioning, and the family system as a whole.

  • Evaluate the potential impact of a child’s hearing loss on the parent-child relationship Analyze the impact of the diagnosis of hearing loss on the entire family system Identify a minimum of two negative outcomes often identified when a clinician poorly delivers a diagnosis of hearing loss Identify a minimum of two strategies that can be suggested by front line professionals (in their interactions with families) that, if implemented, are likely to facilitate better parent-child relations

Presentation:
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Handouts:
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Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference


Presenters/Authors

Amy Szarkowski (POC,Primary Presenter), Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf, Amy.Szarkowski@childrens.harvard.edu;
Amy Szarkowski, PhD, is the Director of The Institute and The Clinic at the Children's Center for Communication/ Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD), and faculty for LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities), at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Szarkowski holds an academic appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is also an adjunct instructor for the Infants, Toddlers and Families (ITF) Interdisciplinary program at Gallaudet University.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
• Receives Salary for Employment from CCCBSD.
• Receives Salary for Employment from Gallaudet University.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.