In this age of Web 2.0, more parents are going online to find support and advice. Parents of children with hearing loss often struggle to find guidance on raising their children with unique needs. A new Web site has opened up the lines of communication, offering advice and support to families of children with hearing loss.
HearingFamilies.com was recently launched in Jerusalem by Efrat Schorr, PhD, a developmental psychologist specializing in the social and emotional development of children with hearing loss. “As a mother of a child with hearing loss, there were so many questions I had about my son’s social and emotional development and I had nowhere to turn," Schorr said. "I decided to start this Web site to share information that is hard to find.”
On the site, parents converse on a range of subjects, from how to help adolescent children cope with the stress of cochlear implant device failure to answering children’s questions about the duration of their hearing loss.
“These issues are very emotional for parents since we want the very best for our kids," Schorr said. "When we aren’t sure what to do, we don’t have many people to turn to since our usual sources of advice–family and friends, haven’t dealt with these issues that are unique to our kids with hearing loss." The site aims to help fill in the gap.
The Web site’s mission is to support and strengthen families of children with hearing loss. By combining insights and perspectives from real families with up-to-date research, it provides advice, encouragement, and caring.
Contact Schorr via the Web site, by e-mail, or call 301-576-9584.
[Source: Efrat Schorr, PhD]
