Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Identification of Deafness: Parents' Responses to Knowing Early and Their Expectations of Child Communication Development

Abstract

This article presents results from an interview study of 45 parents/caregivers (representing 27 families) whose infants were correctly identified as deaf during the first phase of the implementation of the national universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in England. Average age of children when parents were interviewed was 25 weeks. Two issues are explored: (a) how parents talk about significance of knowing early that their child is deaf and (b) parents' expectations of their child's development in light of early identification. Although results demonstrate clear support from parents' perspective of knowing early, they also identify the psychological complexities of recognizing both the grief and reassurance that early knowledge brings; the risks of early knowledge-inducing timetables of expectations that create distress when not met speedily; the extent to which parental models of the developmental advantages of early identification are underpinned by notions of normal speech and the possibility of being like hearing children; and the pervasiveness of deficit and illness models associated with having identified deafness early. Implications for parental support and professional responses are also discussed.