Working with Your Child's Team of Professionals

Defining your role on your child’s team of professionals takes time and communication. Consider yourself an “expert” on your own child with valuable information that is needed for making decisions. Your information will be important as you and your team try out various strategies that can help your child develop successful communication.

Parents have stated the following benefits to working as a team with professionals in their lives:

• Parents feel they are respected and listened to when they contribute their observations about their own child
• Parents who describe their child’s needs, abilities, and use of hearing equipment report better problem solving and awareness from others, such as teachers and other family members and friends, involved with their child
• Parents report more confidence about detecting changes and having concerns when they have been actively involved in evaluation and monitoring of their own child
• Parents state they are more aware of their child’s progress and what they are doing that has a positive effect on their child’s development