BIAP Recommendation n° 25/1

GUIDANCE OF PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN SUFFER FROM HEARING IMPAIRMENTS




Parents guidance is an important part in the global care process provided to a child and his/her family, and should be so since the very diagnosing of any hearing impairment.

The objective is to readjust the parents-children interaction according to the specific needs of the family. Such guidance should be systematically proposed.

The challenge consists in involving parents (or the family) in each stage of the child's life, until adulthood.

It associates listening, speaking, reflection and dialogue in order to help parents adapting themselves at emotional and behavioural level.

It must take into consideration:

-the seriousness of the disability and the specific rehabilitation process (associated disabilities, ...)
-the child and family's original characteristics
-the existence of other actors interacting with the parents or the child (day nursery, school, employers, associations, other deaf actors, etc)
-the mediatization of hearing impairments
Each member of the multidisciplinary team is in charge of a specific part of the guidance, according to each person's skills and in the respect of ethical rules
(see annex 1).

The multidisciplinary therapeutic team can be of a centralized (functional rehabilitation center, hospital, medical center, etc) or decentralized nature (independent speech therapist, isolated otorhinolaryngologist, independent hearing aid audiologist). Whatever the nature of the team, the guidance should be coordinated by one of the team members (speech therapist, physician, psychologist, etc) in order to guarantee:

-clarity,
-consistency,
-objectivity,
-reality.
Each team member should be quite familiar with the other members' respective disciplines, whatever his/her own personal background.

He/she may never:

-express any value judgment,
-make parents feel guilty,
-substitute himself/herself for parents.
In order to play his part in the guidance process, he/she should:
-be sensitive to and aware of the consequences the hearing impairment may have on the family system,
-have had complementary training in interview techniques
The BIAP recommendation n°25-01 on Parents Guidance may be adapted according to national and/or regional geographical and/or administrative constraints. Its contents, as well as its multidisciplinary, specific, specialized or ethical aspects may not be changed in any way whatsoever.
 

Djerba, May 1st 1996
 

ANNEXES TO RECOMMENDATION 25-01
 

I. Guidance forms (per discipline)

A. The role of the physician

B. The role of the psychologist

C. The role of the speech therapist

D. The role of the hearing aid audiologist

E. The role of the social worker

F. The role of the specialized teacher

G. The role of the experienced parents

II. Bibliography
 


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(1) Active device: a device whose operation depends on a source of electrical energy or any source of energy other than that directly generated by the human body or gravity. (Definition from European directive 90/385/EEC, published 20/07/90).

(2) see Article L 510-1 of the " Code de la Santé Publique "