The nature of parent support provided by parent mentors for families with deaf/hard-of-hearing children: Voices from the start

Abstract

This study used a qualitative design to explore parent mentors' summaries of conversations with more than 1,000 individual families of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children receiving parent-to-parent support as part of an existing family support project. Approximately 35% of the families were Spanish speaking. Five parent mentors who have DHH children provided varied support primarily via the telephone to families with DHH children, frequently birth to age 3. The nature and types of support provided were examined and resulted in an in-depth analysis of the summary notes prepared by the parent mentors. The notes were coded using a mixed-methods software application. Three topics were the most prevalent within the conversations between parent mentors and family members: hearing-related topics, early intervention, and multiple disabilities. Several differences emerged between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families receiving support. Implications and the significance of this study are discussed.