Family supportBUDAPEST/HUNGARY

Primary target/aim of the support

Family support – mainly in connection with education of the hearing impaired children in their special situation

It is very important, because:• The proper support is missing (especially in

families in the country)• In our institute it is the easiest for them to get

The most important parts of the family/parent support

1. Increasing parental competence2. Mentalhygienic support3. Helping the connection between child and parents 4. Contribution to improve financial situations of

families 5. Others: any help according to the actual life situation;

Audiological advice and care

These special parts cannot be divided one or more of the activities could be realised

1. Increasing parental competence

Aim: to give them information in connection with:• Hearing impairment• Improvement, education of the hearing impaired

child

It could be realised by.• giving information• Improving skills• Giving advice • Referring to specialist orspecial institute

1. Increasing parental competenceForms of activities:• Preparation of parents for home training (early improvement between

the ages of 0-3– Special home training together with the parents– Regular small-group special training together with parents, grandparent at the

methodical centre– Hiring tools ( it makes easy for parents to obtain developing tools)

• Giving advice for all age-groups in connection with:– home improvement, learning – with any other important question, (CI-hearing aids,choosing institution,

integration and further education)• Organising lectures (specialist, parents,institutions)• Exchanging experience between parents• Organaising open-school-days to present special methodes to parents• Playing together• Lessons/courses for parents

1. Increasing parental competenciesPlaying together

Educator in the afternoon in her own classOnce a month on Friday afternoon Playing together with the parents and their children

Aim: teaching such enjoyable developing games that can be played at home as well (logopedia, fine motorics)

During the classes:Play – competition games (between parent and child or between families)

e.g.: Who can suck the juice out of the plate with a strow?; Who can shoot a goal with a cotton? (blow); Picking up zizi (small candy) with a tweezers; making Christmas decorations (wreath, etc.)

Making games e.g: Mikado – from sticks; rings from paper plates – trying out the games (playing darts)Talking meanwhile – who has problem and what kind of, what has worked for whom.Booklet – writing down the games

Difficulties: making the appointmentsone of the parents never came bad feeling for the child

Positivities: besides the teaching of the parents: good atmosphere, good community builder

1. Increasing parental competenceCourses for parents

From schoolyear 2005-2006Aim: giving information in connection with:

- hearing impairment,- knowledge, - expert of special needs education,- mentalhigenic assistance

Topics: lectures,visiting lessons,watching videoed therapies,talkings, discussions

The sessions were held by special teachers, experts, doctors,psychologistThe programs gave possibility to parents:

- to get new knowledge, - to know better the experts, - to became braver to turn to experts for advice and help, - to be able to get into contact with other parents

1.Increasing parental competence Courses for parents

In the 2007-2008 schoolyear a publication was issued including the drafts of the lectures and presentations

Content: - Our partners are parents, - Together for our children,- How to help our children with learning? - Auditive examination in different ages,- Psychological speciality in different ages,- Hearing impaired child in the family,- Learning by playing-playing by learning,- How much can integration help children to socialize? How is it realised in

practice? - Hearing impairment-language disorders, Different way of individual communication development? - How can methodical centre help integration?

2. Mentalhigienic support

Aim:• Reducing enhanced psychic burden in connection

with bird and education of a handicapped child• To help overcome the actualy problems

Forms: - group of parents,- help given by psychologist

2. Mentalhigienic supportParent-groups

Main aim: Mentalhigienic support of parents instead of providing knowledge

It was realised first time in 2010-2011 schoolyearIn the course-of grouptrainings we talked about

topics,which were extremly important for parents of hearing impaired children

Groupleaders: 2 psychologistThe important feature,that the hearing impaired

parents did not come

2. Mentalhigienic supportParent-groups

Topics:• Characteristics of parent-child connection, if

the child is hearing impaired• Reasing hearing impaired child• Integration or segregation• Tolerance ,acceptance,adjustment• Educational situations

2. Mentalhigienic supportParent-groups

• Difficulties du to hearing impairment in parent-child connection

• Hearing impaired prent with hearing impaired and/or healthy child

• Who can the parent depend on?• Characteristics of different age-groups

(kindergarten and elementary school• Life of the child in educational venues• Connection of the hearing impaired parents with

the school and other parents

2. Mentalhigienic supportParent-groups for hearing impaired parents only

Why for them?• The project failed to gather them in the programs• Adventages: favurable situation: more parents from the

same age-group with open minds,acquitance with less worries

• Disadvantages:rivalling: starting from the same point where did we get?

• Communicational difficulties• There were more psychic and behevioral disorders of the

childGropleaders: 2 psychologistsCommunication: by signlanguage

2. Mentalhigienic support„Parent-school”

2012-2013 schoolyear• Lectures,talks,playful elements• Parents of hearing impaired children integrated and non-integrated

environment• Hearing and hearing impaired parents togetherTopics:

- Prejudic, - Taskes and importance of the family- Faulty educational styles (spoiling-or-agressive)- Speech-development (CI, hearing aids)

Groupleaders: 3 persons (special teacher-psychologist –specialist working with h.i. children)

Communication: verbal (no need to signlanguage)

3. Helping the connection between child and parents

It is important, because the communicational difficulties influence the parent-child connection, its organisation and living.

Forms of activities:- organising sign language courses

3. Helping parent–child connectionSign courses for parents

• It was organised after its need had emerged from the parents • It is free with the help of SINOSZ (tender support)• Our institute provides classes for these course• Participating parents:

– Those who indicated their needs– Parents of children with serious disphasia

• Important result: strenghtening the connection between the parents; good atmosphere

• Experience: the application of sign language is difficult for the hearing parents, according to the feedbacks of the parents the sign language will not become the main communicational channel within the parent-child connection

4. Contribution to improve financial situations of families

By Foundation for hearing impared children• Medicines, medical care• Obtaining hearing aids and accesories • Forest-scools, camps, travels• ProgramesRefering to the proper institutions

National Assosiation for the Deaf and Hard of hearing

Giving information on allowances, family benefits, nursing fees, free medical care

5. Others

The actual help of families regarding lifesituations and needs

• employing unemployed parent• giving accomodation for parents coming from

far-away homes or in unexpected crisis situation

5. OthersAudiological advice and care

Besides the education of the children giving advices to the parents

Difficulties in supporting families

Finding the proper time for the programs• Lack of time• Different work –shifts• Accessibility of parentsNo-motivated parents-disinterestMistrust (disbelief)

h.i. parents do not trust in hearing specialistFinancial sources of the institute is scare

No goverment-help, only applications sources

Conclusions

Parents of younger children can be motivated more easily

Parents generaly ask for help in important decesion only

• (CI –operation, further education and choice of career)

Importance of family support

Indispensable from point of view of the child’s development

It contributes to cooperating with parents, that enhances of effectiveness of our work