New Guide for Families of Children who are DHH Plus
By Janet DesGeorges, H&V Headquarters
For families who have children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing with additional considerations, sometimes called DHH Plus (DHH+), supporting our child’s ability to reach their individual potential is at the heart of the issue in the journey of raising a child who is DHH Plus. Approximately 35-40% (Gallaudet Research Institute, 2011) of children who are DHH also have additional/other needs. The combined effect of hearing loss and additional needs presents a unique and complex challenge to professionals and parents. Additionally, a review of the literature provides little specific information on successful educational strategies and programs for our children. We know that the most important factors in a student’s success is parent involvement, early identification, and appropriate, individualized supports. As one parent put it,
“DHH Plus is meant to be a positive term, not in any way negative or insensitive to the child who has medical issues along with hearing loss. In fact, I see it as an ‘A+’ or ‘B+,’ meaning the child carries additional positive qualities. It is a gift that needs to be carefully unwrapped and it may not appear to be a gift when you first receive it. Time helps you appreciate, understand, and unfold the possibilities. and the ‘Plus’ most often means the child and family have added responsibilities and require additional expertise.” – Candace Lindow-Davies
With these questions and considerations in mind, a guide for parents was developed by the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Parent to Parent Committee, who are parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and DHH Plus, as well as a diverse group of professionals who support our families in early intervention and beyond.
The purpose of this guide is to ensure that families know how, where, and why to access expertise, resources and information for their child who is DHH Plus; to share information about the benefits and availability of connections to other families and adults who are DHH Plus, so they know they are not alone; and to assert their right to have high expectations for their child.
The Guide includes seven topic areas:
Topic 1: Identify and Prioritize Needs
Topic 2: Language Development
Topic 3: Who is on our Team? Benefit from Different Specialists for Different Needs
Topic 4: Family to Family Support and DHH Individuals to Family Support
Topic 5: Social-Emotional Development and Identity
Topic 6: Parent Self-Care
Topic 7: Educational Advocacy
For each of the seven topic areas the user will find three areas to explore:
- What this means to me: Brief outline of what the topic means to families (global description of topic).
- Things to think about: Ideas and concepts that your family might want to consider.
- Where can I learn more: Interacting with others, resources, and suggested supports.
This guide is available at the Hands & Voices website. https://handsandvoices.org/resources/dhh-plus.html
We hope that parents and the professionals who partner with them will find this document useful in considering the needs of our special population of kids who are a part of our community. Next up for this committee? After a survey of prioritized topics, they voted on creating a resource by fathers for fathers of deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind children. For more information about this product or the committee who created it, contact candace@handsandvoices.org. ~
H&V Communicator – Winter 2022