Pediatric Hearing Aid Management: Experiences and Perspectives of Spanish-Speaking Parents

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was twofold: (a) to explore hearing aid management experiences of Spanish-speaking parents who have young children using hearing aids and (b) to explore parents' access to the Internet and perceptions about remote audiology services.

METHOD

The study used a mixed methods design. Data were collected through a phone interview.

RESULTS

Eleven mothers of children aged 14-60 months participated. Most of the children (9/11) had a bilateral hearing loss, and two had an additional disability. Three themes emerged for hearing aid management experiences: audiology services, routines, and emotional challenges/supports. Parents had variable levels of confidence in their skills ranging from no confidence to complete confidence, with the greatest variability for three items: (a) using the listening tube to make sure that the sound quality of the hearing aid is good, (b) removing moisture from the earmold tubing, and (c) troubleshooting problems when your child's hearing aids are not working. All participants reported having consistent Internet access and had positive perceptions about the possibility of remote audiology services.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided insights into hearing aid management experiences and perceptions of Spanish-speaking parents. Parents described variability for audiology services, routines for hearing aid use and care, and access to other parents of children with hearing loss. Spanish-speaking parents present additional elements in the hearing care process that need to be incorporated in planning. Remote services may be an opportunity to enhance access to support that could improve effectiveness of hearing aid management.

Importance of Clinical Judgment Skill Competencies Across Practice Settings: Certified Rehabilitation Counselors’ Perceptions

Accurate clinical judgments are critically important for counselors in their work with clients. To date, there are no studies that have assessed rehabilitation counselors’ knowledge of clinical judgment and its importance to implement in practice. In this internet-based study, a random sample of certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs;n= 579) were surveyed using the clinical judgment skill inventory (CJSI). The CJSI measures clinical judgment skills across seven clinical judgment skill areas (scientific attitude, cognitive complexity, cultural bias, confirmatory bias, memory bias, negative bias, and evidence-based practice). CRC participants overall rated clinical judgment skills to be important. Significant multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test indicated significant mean differences between practice settings (Wilks’ LambdaF= 3.31,pvalue <.01) in “scientific attitude” (F-statistic = 3.91,pvalue <.01), “cultural bias” (F-statistic = 3.71,pvalue <.01), “confirmatory bias” (F-statistic = 3.02,pvalue = .01), and “evidence-based practice” (F-statistic = 5.62,pvalue <.01). Specifically, CRCs working for a college or university perceived clinical judgment skill areas to be more important than CRCs working in other practice settings. Implications for rehabilitation counseling practice are discussed.

Supervision and Ethics: Updates to the CRCC Code of Professional Ethics

Supervision is a key element to the development of ethical skills and awareness in rehabilitation counselors. Ethical standards specific to rehabilitation counselor educators and supervisors were first introduced in 2002 and updated in 2010 and 2017. This article discusses supervision and professional dispositions as constructs that were used to help frame the revision process and outlines some of the key change to Section I. (Supervision, Teaching, and Training) of the Code of Professional Ethics for certified rehabilitation counselors. In conjunction with the revision process, special considerations for multicultural competencies have been strengthened throughout Section I, as well as specific requirements for the measurement and assessment of professional dispositions in educational settings. The article helps to inform and guide supervisors, trainers, and educators as they review Section I and consider their role in the development of ethical skills in those they supervise and their own respective practice.

Field-Based Counseling Supervisors' Perceptions of Needs and Barriers in Providing Clinical Supervision

Purpose

Supervision plays a critical role in the development of rehabilitation counselors. Research and accreditation standards have long called for the appropriate training of rehabilitation counseling supervisors but have offered little in the way of topical suggestions for such trainings.

Methods

The present study used the Delphi method. A panel of 33 subject matter experts participated in three rounds of data collection to establish supervision topics that would be both beneficial and of a high priority to site supervisors working with counselor education programs.

Findings

Results were grouped according to high, moderate, and low priority with participants. Items identified by participants were grouped into one of six themes: supervision resources, supervision activities, supports provided by the institution, and aspects of supervision broken down according to the Tripartite Model of Supervision proposed by Schultz (2008).

Conclusions

Findings can help educators consider the type of supervision training and delivery method most appropriate for their site supervisors.