’

Step Three: Plan the Next Steps Based on Your Needs
 

This final table will suggest specific steps that may help you feel confident about your decision. Don’t give up. Keep 

looking for the resources you need to get to a level of comfort with this process. You will begin developing an understanding of your long term goals for your child, which may in turn shape your decisions and provide motivation. 

You can do it! 

If you are having difficulty What you can do 

Do you feel you do not have 

enough support? 

y Discuss your options with a trusted person 

y Find out what help is available to support your choice 

Do you feel pressure from others to make a 

specific choice? 

y Focus on the opinions of others that matter most to you 

y Share your guide with others 

y Ask others to complete this guide 

y Find a neutral person to help you and the other people involved 

Do you feel you do not have 

enough facts? 

y Find out about the advantages and limitations 

y List your questions and note where to find the answers 

Are you not sure which advantages and limitations 

matter most to you? 

y Review the stars in the Advantages and Limitations table to see 

what matters most to you 

y Find people who know what it is like to experience the 

advantages and limitations 

y Talk to parents who have made the decision 

y Read stories of what mattered most to others 

y Discuss with others what matters most to you 

Are there other factors that make the decision difficult? If so, list them here: 

Here are some of the resources available to help in your decision-making process:
 

y Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 


www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/default.htm

y National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management www.infanthearing.org

y Boys Town National Research Hospital and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 

(NIDCD) www.babyhearing.org/

y Hands & Voices www.handsandvoices.org

Disclaimer: 


We provide links to other web pages if you want to learn even more about a topic. One of these pages is on the CDC web site and others are on outside web sites. 


Links to organizations outside of CDC are included for information only. CDC has no control over the information at these sites. The views and opinions of these 


organizations are not necessarily those of CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). 


Format is based on the Ottawa Personal Decision Guide, University of Ottawa, Canada. 

For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing 

Decision Guide to 

Communication Choices 

“I wish I knew when my son was little that the decisions I made for him were my 

decisions for that time. I wish I knew I could change course and that was okay. 

It would have taken a lot of pressure off. I wish I realized that as he grew older, 

he would become the decision-maker and 

I would become his consultant and biggest fan.” 

Candace Lindow-Davies, Luke s mom, © 2008 MN - Hands & Voices 

CS208226-A 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This pamphlet will help guide you through the steps 

in deciding about communication. Deciding which 

communication method(s) will be best for your child 

can be stressful. The right choices are up to your family. 

Discovering what works for your child is truly a work in 

progress. Your child’s needs, and those of your family, 

along with your long-term goals for your child, may 

change with time and you’ll want to review your choices 

regularly. The communication method you choose first 

may not be your last or only choice. 

The keys to making a good decision for your child and 

your family are: 

y Knowing all of the options, 

y Learning all you can about those options, and 

y Resisting pressure to make a decision until you have 

enough information and you feel ready to choose. 

Learn all you can about the different communication 

options. You can get information from organizations that 

support children with hearing loss. You may also want 

to talk to professionals, other parents of children with 

hearing loss, and adults who have grown up with hearing 

loss. Check out books, journals, and quality web sites, too. 

A list of resources at the end of this pamphlet will help 

you get started. 

This pamphlet will guide you through three steps: 

1.	 Find your starting point in the decision-making 

process, 

2.	 Identify and explore your decision making needs, and 

3.	 Plan your next steps. 

Step One: Find your starting point 


This step will help you describe your starting point in exploring communication options. Please remember, this 

decision about communication involves the whole family. 

How far along are you with your decision? 	 Are you leaning toward certain communication 

 option(s)? I do not know what my options are. 

  No I am considering the options. 

  Yes. Which option(s)? Why? I am close to making my choice(s). 

 I have already made my choice(s). 

Step Two: Identify and explore your decision-making needs 


This step will help you move forward in the decision-making process. It will help you assess the knowledge you 


already have about the communication options and weigh the advantages and limitations of each one. It will also help 


you evaluate your support system and identify any pressure you might be feeling to choose certain options. 


Families that answer “No” to one or more of the questions in this section may be more likely to: 


y Delay their decision, 


y Feel regret about their choice or 


y Blame others for bad outcomes.
 

Therefore, it is important to focus carefully on your needs. Ideally, after working through this guide, you will be able 


to answer “Yes” to each of the questions posed. Likewise, if you’ve already made your decision, you should be able to 


answer “Yes” to each question. 

A. Support 

 Do you have family members, caregivers, and others 

who support you and who can help you make an 

informed choice for your child and family? 

 Yes  No 

 Are



 you c

Yes 

hoos



ing without pressure from others? 

No 

Use this chart to further explore your needs regarding support You may use separate sheets 

if you need more space. 

From whom have you 

received support? 

Name: Name: Name: 

Which option does this 

person prefer? 

Is this person 

pressuring you? 

How can this person 

support you? 

What part of the 

person’s background 

affects their opinion? 

The following questions refer to the “Comparison” table below. 

Advantages and Limitations of Communication Options 

You may use separate sheets This chart helps you work through your needs in the four categories (A, B, C and D) in Step 2 above.	 if you need more space. 

Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Combination 

of Options 

Advantages: 

Reasons to choose this option 

How much it 

matters. Add 

to 

Limitations: 

Reasons to avoid this option 

How much it 

matters. Add 

to 

vs. B. Knowledge 

 Are you confident that you know all the options available?  Yes  No 

 Have you considered the advantages and limitations to each option for your family?  Yes  No 

 Have you looked for more information or talked with others who can help you find more information?  Yes  No 

In the Advantages and Limitations table above: List the options and the main advantages and limitations that 

you already know. Underline the advantages and limitations that you think you are most likely to experience. 

C. Values 

Are you clear about which advantages and limitations matter most to you?  Yes  No 

In the Advantages and Limitations table above: Use stars () to show how much each advantage and limitation 

matters to you. Five stars () means that it matters “a lot.” Zero stars means it matters “not at all.” 

D. Certainty 

 At this point do you feel confident that you know enough about each option and 

how it might affect your family?  Yes  No 

In the Advantages and Limitations table above: Circle the option or combination of options with the advantages 

that (1) matter most to you and (2) you believe are most likely to happen. 

See Step Three on next page . . .