Diagnostic process and subsequent care of children with early-age hearing impairment: parents' experience

Abstract

The article introduces the process of obtaining a diagnosis and hearing screening of young children in the Czech Republic. The subsequent care has been described as multidisciplinary, with its main goals being early intervention, initiation of functional communication with the child and providing the child with professional Speech Therapy training. The submitted text includes the qualitative research outcomes that analyse the experience of parents of children with hearing loss. These outcomes will be published on the website https://hovoryozdravi.cz/. The research has been carried out by the Olomouc University Social Health Institute and also forms part of the "Promoting the effective use of assistive devices by children with hearing impairments" project (financially supported by TA ČR). Within our research, 20 interviews with parents were selected for the purpose of this article, in which focused on the factors influencing the care and parenting at an early age from the parents' perspective. In addition, topics are described that we found helpful in complementing the common clinical practice of Speech Therapy.

Keywords

• hearing impairment
• child at an early age
• hearing screening
• speech therapy
• qualitative research
• parents' experience