Download A Good Start

A Good Start
Parents’ evaluations of
support following Newborn
Hearing Screening in
Trondheim, Norway
Health and education joining
forces
Psykolog Nina J. Laugen
Background
 Universal Newborn Hearing Screening since
2002 in Trondheim
 Hospital and educational services developed
a common follow-up model
 Quick initiation of diagnostic assessments
 Parents get to meet professionals and other
families soon after diagnosis
Our study, A Good Start:
 An evaluation of parent follow-up: Do they
get the support they need?
 Sample: Parents to children identified
through Newborn Hearing screening 20022009
 Two studies:
– Research interviews
– Questionnaires
Research interviews:
 6 families from the sample were interviewed
– Ages of children: 1-6 years old
– Differing types of hearing loss
 Open interviews: What are parents’ views on
– Having a child with hearing loss
– Support and follow-up from screening until
today
 Phenomenological approach
What do parents tell us?
 Information given at point of screening
 Living with uncertainties
Screening:
 Possible explanations for refer:
– Instrumental errors?
- Fluid?
– Ear channel too small? - Hearing loss?
 The possibility of hearing loss fades, or
parents prefer the other explanations
”There were so many explanations… of course you
embrace them, in a quite stressed situation.”
Screening skills
 Experienced screeners, confidence in result
 Balanced information about possible causes:
– Hearing loss is an actual possibility
 Being able to handle parents’ worries, instead
of reassuring too early
Screening skills…
 Detailed knowledge about what happens
next
 Acknowledging the importance of meeting on
further appointments
 Communication between Department of
Audiology and Screening personnel is
essential
Psykolog Nina J. Laugen
Coping with uncertainties
 What caused the hearing loss?
 What does my child hear and not hear?
 What about my baby’s language
development?
 Often, we don’t yet have an answer!
 ”We wanted more support, so we wouldn’t
have to sit alone trying to figure out
something someone already knew”
 ”Of course we felt insecure, but even the
hospital didn’t know any more than us. They
told us everything they knew, and that was
ok.”
Being comfortable despite
uncertainties
 Feeling insecure, and suspecting that there is
some information out there, that is not
available to you
versus
 Feeling insecure, but also confident that
everything there is to tell, has been told by
the professionals
Psykolog Nina J. Laugen
”Will he be able to talk?”
 Why don’t we get a clear answer?
– Lack of experience?
– Not updated?
– No time or interest?
 Can we help parents by offering an outline of
the complexities?
 Don’t save information for later
 We are not to decide the pace of parents’
information processing
Psykolog Nina J. Laugen
A Good Start – the
questionnaires:
 Extensive questionnaire sent to the whole
sample, about 70 families
 Details about follow-up, emphasizing
information needs
 Parenting Stress Index (Abidin 1995): Stress
and coping in the parental role
 To be finished spring 2011
Summary:
• The importance of
competent screening
personnel
•Uncertainties are easier to
handle when information
about reasons of
uncertainties is given
•Thank you!
Psykolog Nina J. Laugen