What is it about?
This study shares the stories of three mothers from different areas of the United States, whose young children have hearing loss and were receiving special education (SPED) services during the COVID-19 pandemic (spring 2020 to fall 2021). When schools closed and moved online, these mothers faced many challenges in making sure their children still got the help they needed. We listened to the mothers' experiences and identified five common themes: First, the sudden changes in spring 2020 caused a lot of confusion and stress. Second, schools often didn’t give enough attention to the needs of children with hearing loss. Third, virtual learning and therapy were difficult and exhausting. Fourth, face masks made communication even harder for children who rely on seeing faces and lips. And finally, while the situation was tough, many teachers and school staff did their best to help.
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Why is it important?
The themes uncovered in this study are a first step toward better understanding the challenges of SPED service delivery for children with HL during the COVID-19 pandemic. This knowledge can inform future SPED delivery protocols as well as teach professionals in education and hearing healthcare to provide more consistent and effective SPED experiences for children with HL.
Perspectives
The mothers in this study were all white, well-educated, and had higher-than-average incomes. This means they likely had more resources and support than many other families. It's possible that families without these advantages faced even greater challenges during the pandemic. By listening to these mothers' personal stories, this study takes an important first step in understanding what parents went through when trying to get special education (SPED) services for their children with hearing loss during this difficult time. The hope is that what we learned from their experiences can help improve how SPED services are delivered in the future, especially for children with hearing loss.
Rachael Redford
Utah State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Exploring Parents' Experiences With School-Based Special Education Services for Their Children With Hearing Loss During the U.S. COVID-19 Outbreak: Three Case Studies, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, May 2025, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2025_persp-24-00186.
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