Even while wearing hearing aids your child will remain hearing impaired – a situation to which your family, friends, and relatives will need to adjust. Raising a child with hearing loss requires much patience from everyone in the family. The best advice for your family is to act like a team and learn to adapt together.

For you as a parent, the birth order of your child with hearing loss will affect your parental expectations. There is a difference if it is your oldest child, middle child or youngest child, the age space between them and your family size. If your child with hearing loss has a younger sibling, it’s important that he or she is allowed to be the “older” sibling, and that their younger sibling is not given the role as the more responsible because they can hear more.

Coping with the emotional reactions of siblings, one strategy could be to hold family meetings where you can answer questions, discuss important topics, and help your children express their feelings and where you find positive ways to help them deal with their emotions.

It's also important to always remember the potential negative impact of background noise - TV, dishwashing, music, other people talking -on your child's speech understanding and ability to follow a discussion when you are involved in a family meeting or activity.

Coping with the reactions of your children’s friends, another useful strategy is to invite your children's friends over to play. If you can be open, informative, and encourage them to ask questions, you will make it easier for them to accept your child’s hearing loss.

Involve grandparents and siblings

The majority of children with hearing loss are born into families in which the child is the only, or one of only few relatives with hearing difficulties. Both grandparents and siblings must learn the most appropriate ways to communicate with your child.

Grandparents
Grandparents may be experiencing a hearing loss but that is often age-related. Grandparents need to understand that their experiences may greatly differ from the experiences of their grandchild and cannot be compared – whether positively or negatively. Grandparents can offer their support by being positive and loving, and by not treating the child differently to other grandchildren.

Siblings
Siblings are often overlooked, even though they are greatly affected by a brother or sister with hearing loss. It is important to be optimistic and informative, and educate them about hearing loss and hearing aids. They may encounter other children’s comments such as “ Why does your brother speak so funny?”, or “What are those things he’s wearing”. Help siblings by teaching them how to respond and remember to act as a role model yourself.

Encourage them to play together

Like children of different age groups, children with different hearing capabilities might need a little extra coaching on strategies for playing together. Praise them on their successes and remember: your hearing child may have to be patient – but allow him or her to set fair limits too.
Give everyone chores

It might be easier to ask your hearing child for help when you need things done – especially when you are in a hurry. It may take more time to explain things, but all children can help around the house, appropriate to their age.
Siblings are not interpreters

Be careful not to let your hearing child act as interpreter, telling you what happened when you were not watching or calling your hearing child when dinner is ready and expecting them to tell their hearing-impaired sibling.

Learn more about raising children with hearing loss here.

Why children’s hearing is important

Your child uses their hearing to learn to talk, read and write and not least for developing social skills.

Why Children's Hearing is Important

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Raising a child with hearing loss

How to balance your role of protecting and empowering your child so they can enjoy all that life has to offer.

Raising children with hearing loss

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The child’s environment and social life

Hearing is important to develop social skills and be able to communicate in different environments.

The childs environment and social life

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Oticon hearing aids for children

Explore our hearing aid solutions for children with mild to moderate and severe to profound hearing loss.

Solutions

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Engaging family

Working as a team at home

Involve grandparents and siblings

Encourage them to play together

Give everyone chores

Siblings are not interpreters