Focussing on your deaf or hard of hearing child’s hearing loss, can skew parenting. If you find yourself in this situation, listen to this episode to learn how, why and what to do about it.

Consistency brings structure and order to a child’s day. With order comes predictability and with predictability comes a sense of security and confidence, especially for a deaf or hard of hearing child.

In this ninth episode, Shefali Shah leads a spirited workshop discussion with three couples, exploring how regularity, rigour, and diligence in following up weekly targets help children strengthen their learning pathways.

Children raised with consistency develop self-regulation, a life skill that underpins both learning and emotional resilience.

Consistency builds an internal rhythm in children.

This is The Sound Steps Podcast.

🎧 Top Tips from Episode 9

Evolving relationships: Each member of the family including your child has a unique relationship with the hearing loss; recognise and respect this dynamic.
Consistency brings order. When children see a pattern between cause and effect, life feels safe because it is predictable.
Consistency builds security. Repeated patterns help children know what to expect and reduce uncertainty.
Consistency instils self-regulation. Your child learns when and how to manage behaviour and responses.
Consistency supports learning pathways. Regular follow-up on targets reinforces neural connections and accelerates learning.

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents
00:00:11 Choosing Auditory-Verbal Therapy for your deaf or hard of hearing child
00:00:54 AVT facilitates age-appropriate development
00:01:16 Abundant choices open up through AVT
00:01:40 Early identification and the fitting of early and optimal amplification.
00:01:48 A life free of limitations
00:01:57 Show notes, Top tips and Time Stamps
00:02:06 Links and contact details
00:02:12 Resources
00:02:23 Standing lines and sleeping lines explained
00:02:54 Introduction
00:03:29 Introducing our guests on this episode
00:03:38 What does Consistency mean?
00:04:42 The challenge of bringing family members on board
00:06:24 Planning
00:06:50 Practice and Automaticity
00:07:55 Moving forward synchronously as a couple
00:10:00 Consistency shapes your child’s world view
00:12:54 Consistency and self-regulation
00:13:41 Providing a safety net
00:13:21 Consistency in following through with targets
00:16:09 Reflection
00:16:53 Our next episode: Generalisation

Resources:

• Understanding the Importance of Structure and Consistency in Child Development (2024)by inclusiveteach.com