Fostering Joy: Professionals

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How can we help?

Donate

Events

Fostering Joy: Professionals

The Institute is proud to serve as the home for the Fostering Joy – Professionals movement.

Fostering Joy is a family/professional effort celebrating the joy of raising and supporting a child who is deaf or hard of hearing (DHH).

Fostering Joy provides resources for families and professionals to support the growth and development of a child who is DHH.

Loving and supportive families provide a strong base for social and emotional health and well-being.

Focusing on special moments that bring joy helps families put aside concerns and focus on their natural and loving parent-child connections.

Please visit the companion site – Fostering Joy – Families, hosted by Hands & Voices.

Resources for Professionals to Foster Joy

Joyful Prompts and Activities:
Ideas for Working with Families

Download PDF

Joy in Work:
A Weekly Worksheet for Reflection

Download PDF

What Does the Research Say?

  • Parents who report experiencing high levels of stress tend to have DHH children who have greater levels of emotional difficulties and reduced socio-emotional development (Hintermair, 2006)
  • Among families with DHH children, taking care of the special needs of family members and having insufficient relief from stress were rated as having the greatest negative impact on Family Quality of Life (Jackson, Wegner & Turnbull, 2010)
  • An overview of emotional availability of caregivers toward infants and toddlers has shown that the extent to which caregivers can attend, attune, and foster engagement with their infants and toddlers will influence the child’s social and emotional development (Bornstein, Suwalsky & Breakstone, 2012)
  • Positive mother-child interactions are reinforced by social networks of families with children who are DHH (Meadow-Orlans, Mertens & Sass-Lehrer, 2003)
  • Parent attitudes, parent involvement, social support, expectations, and problem-solving skills are related to academic and social development of children who are DHH (Calderon & Greenberg, 2011)

As a professional, what can I do to foster joy?

Share
Joy

Share joyful stories from your professional experiences with colleagues, families, and other individuals in the field.

Inspire
Joy

Exude positivity and emphasize growth in your professional interactions.

Spread
Joy

Spread the message of how fostering joy has impacted your work by connecting with others in the field through conferences, workshops, and professional networks.

Infuse
Joy

Incorporate a focus on joy in your work, whether through teaching, therapeutic support, educational administration, research, or beyond!