Mother-Child Attachment Development in Young Children with Hearing Loss: Effects of Early Versus Late Diagnosis of Hearing Loss

Abstract

Mother-infant attachment is a connection between a child and his/her mother that is dependent upon maternal sensitivity and accessibility. This relationship is well studied in children with typical development as well as in those with special needs. However, our knowledge of attachment in children with hearing loss is minimal compared to other mother-infant dyads. To confound this issue, most of this knowledge was collected prior to the implementation of newborn hearing screenings, a process that leads to earlier diagnosis of hearing loss in children. The attachment development in 21 young children (i.e., 2-6 years-old) with hearing loss was evaluated using the Attachment Q-Set (AQS; Waters, 1985; 1995). Results of this study support the conclusion that children with hearing loss can develop attachment security similarly to typical peers. Furthermore, there was some evidence to suggest that age of diagnosis of hearing loss might not be an influencing factor in attachment development. In summary, even with early knowledge of hearing loss, the attachments of children and their mothers are consistent with attachment development in the typical population.