Date Approved

2018

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department or School

Special Education

Committee Member

Audrey Farrugia-Bernard, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Committee Member

Sarah Ginsberg, Ed.D., CCC-SLP

Committee Member

Derrick Fries, Ph.D.

Abstract

This study shares themes identified across the experiences of mothers of children cochlear implant users with speech-language pathologists. Parents describe learning that their child has a hearing loss as an overwhelming journey with much to learn and many decisions to make, especially in their child’s first year of life. Parents rely on professional support in developing their child’s listening and spoken language development. A phenomenological framework of qualitative research was utilized to understand the perspective of the mothers who participated in this study. The intent of this study is to improve the partnership between parents and professionals of children with hearing loss working towards an outcome of spoken language, by better understanding the perspective of parents of this unique population.

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