Parental involvement in the care and intervention of children with hearing loss.
The present study aimed to explore the nature of parental involvement in the intervention of children with hearing loss, as experienced by parents.



A qualitative descriptive methodology was adopted to conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of parents who have a child with hearing loss.



Seventeen parents of 11 children aged 6-9 years participated in this study.



The overarching theme of parents taking the central role was identified using thematic analysis. This overarching theme connected five themes which described the nature of parental involvement: (1) parents work behind the scenes; (2) parents act as 'case managers'; (3) parents always have their child's language development in mind; (4) parents' role extends to advocacy for all children with hearing loss; and (5) parents serve a number of roles, but at the end of the day, they are parents.



The results indicate that parental involvement in the intervention of children with hearing loss is multifaceted in nature and incorporates a broad range of behaviours and practices. These findings have important implications for the provision of family-centred practices.
a The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences , Brisbane , Australia.|b The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre , Melbourne , Australia , and.
Ennur
E
Erbasi
a The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences , Brisbane , Australia.|b The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre , Melbourne , Australia , and.
Nerina
N
Scarinci
a The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences , Brisbane , Australia.|b The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre , Melbourne , Australia , and.
Louise
L
Hickson
b The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre , Melbourne , Australia , and.|c National Acoustic Laboratories , Sydney , Australia.
Teresa Y C
TYC
Ching
D000367:Age Factors; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001315:Australia; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002651:Child Advocacy; D002652:Child Behavior; D002663:Child Language; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006310:Hearing Aids; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D036301:Qualitative Research
Children; family-centred practice; hearing loss; intervention; parental involvement