Abstract
In this article, we discuss deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children's pragmatic difficulties and strengths from within the lived experiences of 5 hearing parents of DHH children and 5 DHH adults (one of whom is also a parent of a deaf child). We define lived experience as both a specific form of knowledge (first-hand stories from everyday life) and a unique way of knowing (reflecting and telling from insider perspectives). The parents and DHH adults involved coauthored the article alongside 2 experienced researcher-practitioners. Key themes include what pragmatic challenges feel like for a DHH person, why they arise, how they might result in longer-term consequences (such as implications for well-being) that can continue into adulthood, what might be pragmatic strengths in this population, and what might be done to ameliorate pragmatic difficulties. We end the article with reflections on the significance of individual parents and DHH adults in the coproduction and execution of research on this topic and make suggestions for future directions of inquiry.
Highlights
In this article, we discuss deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children’s pragmatic difficulties and strengths from within the lived experiences of 5 hearing parents of DHH children and 5 DHH adults
We are not suggesting that pragmatic development should take precedence over language development, but rather we propose that they should not be separated; formal language and the social use of language are vitally interconnected in supporting the rounded development of DHH children
Encourage lots of opportunities for turn taking activities and activities that encourage theory of mind development—don’t let your child always win and encourage lots of discussions about differing points of view. In authoring together this contribution, we have become acutely aware as DHH adults and parents of DHH children that this topic is so rarely discussed among us and has been poorly understood
Summary
Parent and DHH contributors were drawn from the United States and United Kingdom and approached directly through the professional and personal networks of the 2 researcherpractitioner authors (A.Y. and A.S.). The DHH contributors varied in their preferred language(s) and communication modalities, including signed, spoken, and written languages, as did the children of the hearing parent contributors. Authors’ reflections were shared among the entire group, allowing for feedback and clarification on the content as needed as well as for further development of ideas (eg, after reading another author’s response, many authors shared additional revelations of their own or endorsed having had similar experiences: “That happened to me, too!”). All participants reviewed and agreed on the final manuscript Through these collectively unique insider perspectives, we set out to articulate why pragmatics in DHH children should be of relevance to medical providers and allied health professionals working to support DHH children and families
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