In this issue

• From the online groups
• GPOD Position Statement - what does it mean for you?
• Making sense of noise
• New on our website
• Articles of interest
• What's on in July?
• Free trial membership to AG Bell
• Join our online parent forums
• Make a donation

My month long holiday in Spain and Italy has come to an end and I am back at the ADK desk - renewed and inspired.

The NHS 2010 conference in Como Italy gave GPOD (The Global Coalition or Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing) the opportunity to present the results of our worldwide survey and our Position Statement on Family Support which is discussed more in this newsletter. It seemed this was timely with many countries and organisations now recognizing the important role families can play in the development of systems that support them.

Our plan now is to organise an international parent leadership conference in 2012 and I will heading to the US next week to attend the Hand & Voices Leadership Conference to move this forward. Our goal is to ensure that wherever a child is diagnosed with a hearing loss, the parents are appropriately supported with comprehensive information and high quality professional and parent-to-parent support.

Until next month...

info@aussiedeafkids.org.au

A topic of discussion this month has been self-acceptance. How do families support young people when they are struggling with their deafness and what it means in their lives?

In their article "Parenting and resilience", Hill et al discuss the parental factors that have been shown to promote resilience in children and help them cope with everyday stresses...

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GPOD is the Global Coalition of Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Aussie Deaf Kids is a founding member of this group and in June 2010, GPOD presented its Position Statement on Family Support at the NHS 2010 conference in Como, Italy.

This Position Statement and Family Support Recommendations are the synthesis of input from parent leaders and family support organisations worldwide who have contributed to this document. They reflect feedback on the most effective and appropriate practices from current research and the parents around the world.

What does this mean for YOUR family?

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Radio National produced an interesting program on noise in the classroom and the ability of the young brain to learn in noisy conditions. The information is not about children with a hearing loss but highlights the difficulties they face each day in the classroom.

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Our latest article is on the child with microtia and atresia. Thank you to the National Deaf Children's Society in the UK permission to reproduce their material and adapt it to the Australian context.

This information is for families who have a child diagnosed with microtia or atresia. It explains what microtia and atresia are, about different types and causes of deafness that may be related to microtia or atresia and how microtia, atresia and any associated deafness can be managed. Other medical conditions that have microtia or atresia as components of the condition are reviewed.

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Lieu, J. E. C., Tye-Murray, N., Karzon, R. K., & Piccirillo, J. F. (2010). Unilateral Hearing Loss Is Associated With Worse Speech-Language Scores in Children. Pediatrics(125), e1348 - e1355.
Abstract available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/125/6/e1348

Suter, S., McCracken, W., & Calam, R. (2009). Sex and relationships education: potential and challenges perceived by teachers of the deaf. Deafness & Education International, 11(4), 211-220.
Abstract available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123194616/abstract

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Special Education Expo - Hindmarsh, SA - July 5 - 7.

AI-Live demonstration - Sydney - July 7.

Go Karting for under 12s, Sydney - July 14.

Employment Information Night - Sydney - August 10.

Let us know what you are planning for parents and kids and we can spread the news!

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AG Bell is offering a FREE six month trial membership for parents and families of deaf children. This includes Volta Voices -"a bimonthly magazine featuring information on hearing loss, education, advocacy initiatives, listening and spoken language, family support and professional development."

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You can help Aussie Deaf Kids by donating online. We use the Our Community secure online donations facility. Your donation will go directly into the research and development of content for the website which will assist parents to make informed choices about raising their deaf child.

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