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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'It's Not Nothing: For Some Parents, a Unilateral Loss is Huge' Track: 7 - Family Perspectives and Support Keyword(s): NBHS, parents, identification, unilateral Learning Objectives: Describe the reasons why an identified unilateral hearing loss can be just as devastating as a profound hearing loss. Abstract: To professionals who regularly work with children with deafness, some parents’ reactions to a unilateral loss can seem disproportionate. But from a parent’s view, the amount of grief doesn’t correspond to the extent of hearing loss; there’s only one point on the graph. When your child can’t tell where traffic is coming from or find a ringing phone; when you see his friends think he’s rude because he didn’t hear; or even when he realizes he can’t play Marco Polo in the pool, the last thing a parent needs to hear is “it’s not so bad.” Parents will work through the grief. But until then, being devastated isn’t out of the ordinary. Presentation: This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online. Handouts: Handout is not Available
PRESENTER(S) / AUTHOR(S) INFORMATION
Johanna L. Lynch - Primary Presenter,Author BEGINNINGS for Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing      Credentials: Parent of a child who is hard of hearing; parent educator with BEGINNINGS for Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing       Johanna L. Lynch is an advocate for families who have children with hearing loss and collaborates with the professionals who serve them. She has served as the parent representative for New Hampshire's Early Hearing Detection & Intervention program, the New Hampshire Department of Education's Deaf & Hard of Hearing Education Initiative, and the North Carolina Agenda Task Force. She has worked to promote early identification, to improve educational outcomes for children with hearing loss, and to establish positive partnerships between parents and professionals. She and her husband live in North Carolina with their two children, one of whom is hard of hearing.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.