Supporting all Deaf Children

by Sarah Johns, Helpline and Publications Manager, The National Deaf Children's Society

Discovering that your child is deaf

Parents of deaf children can feel a huge range of emotions when they discover that their child is deaf; for example shock, surprise, grief, anger, guilt or relief. You may feel these emotions strongly and you may jump from one to another through the course of the day. Whatever you are feeling is normal - there is no right or wrong way to react.

Learning to accept your child's deafness is a process that you will go through at your own pace. Many parents talk about this acceptance as a continual process. Having a deaf child may mean that you have some extra things to learn about. If you have never had experience of deafness, this can be a big challenge. Gathering information and meeting other parents can help to take the mystery and some of the fear out of deafness and having a deaf child, for example meeting other families, can give you an opportunity to see how others have coped, and to meet older deaf children.

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