Behavioral Parent Training for Families With Young Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children Followed in Hearing Health Care

Abstract

Purpose: It is well established that individuals with a communication disability, including being deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), experience inequities in health services and outcomes. These inequities extend to DHH children's access to psychosocial evidence-based interventions (EBIs). Behavioral parent training is an EBI that can be used to improve caregiver and child outcomes. Despite being supported by decades of effectiveness research, this EBI is rarely accessed by, or studied with, caregivers of DHH children. The purpose of this article is to describe a program of stakeholder-engaged research adapting and assessing behavioral parent training with caregivers of young DHH children followed in hearing health care, aimed at reducing inequities in access to this EBI. Method: The first section briefly summarizes the literature on disruptive behavior problems in young children, with a focus on preschool-age DHH children. The evidence base for behavioral parent training is described. Next, the gaps in knowledge and practice regarding disruptive behaviors among DHH children are highlighted, and the potential integration of behavioral parent training into the standard of care for this population is proposed. Conclusions: Young DHH children who use hearing aids and/or cochlear implants experience disruptive behavior problems at rates at least as high as typically hearing children, but their access to EBIs is limited, and behavioral parent training programs tailored to this population have not been rigorously tested. Caregivers and hearing health care service providers affirm the potential benefits of behavioral parent training and were partners in adapting this EBI. This research highlights several principles and approaches essential for reducing inequities and improving the quality of life not only for DHH children and their families but also for individuals with communication disabilities more broadly: engagement of key stakeholders in research, collaboration across disciplines, and using implementation science methods and models to design for implementation, dissemination, and sustainment.

Research to Advance Health and Health Care Equity for People With Communication Disabilities: An Overview of Research Symposium Papers

“…In the third article, Studts (2022) describes an intervention for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children to improve their behavioral health outcomes. She outlines how, despite having high rates of disruptive behavioral health issues, children who are DHH rarely receive services to address these issues.…”