Assessment of the degree of involvement in family therapy for children with hearing impairment Avaliação do grau de envolvimento familiar nos atendimentos de crianças com deficiência auditiva

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to assess family participation in the therapeutic process of children with hearing impairment using hearing aids and/or cochlear implants enrolled at the Educational Audiology Clinic and Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on Hearing, Language and Education. Methods: This study was conducted with 25 families of children with hearing impairment between 0 and 14 years old enrolled in speech and hearing therapy for at least six months. Data was collected from the patient charts. The Family Involvement Rating Scale (Moeller) translated into Portuguese was administered to characterize the quality of family participation in the therapeutic process. Results: The mean degree of family involvement among the 25 families studied was 3.28. The therapists classified 40% of the families as presenting an average level of participation (score: 3); 20% were classified as presenting below-average participation and 8% were classified as presenting an ideal degree of participation. Conclusion: A large portion of the families analyzed exhibited an average level of participation in the therapeutic process of their children. No correlation was found between the different categories of family involvement and the degree of hearing impairment with or without hearing aids or cochlear implants. Additionally, no correlation was found between the duration of therapy and the degree of family involvement.