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Supporting Self-Concept in Students with Hearing Loss: 3 Go-To Ideas
Supporting self-concept in a student is important because children with hearing loss are more likely to struggle with belonging, confidence, and acceptance of their hearing devices. When students feel good about who they are, they are more likely to self-advocate, participate, and succeed in school.
Why Supporting Self-Concept Matters for Students with Hearing Loss
It can be tough being the only student using hearing devices and/or sign language in their grade or school. Teasing is a reality most children face, but those who are ‘different’ are teasing targets. What can we do to help strengthen self-concept in a setting where our kids are often made to feel different? This article shares some ideas for helping children with hearing loss feel good about themselves.
Since 19 out of 20 children born with hearing loss are raised in families without members who are deaf or have hearing loss, it is likely that most children who are deaf/hard of hearing are the only ones in their family using hearing devices. The older brother has brown hair, the sister has freckles, and the youngest child has hearing aids; hearing loss/deafness is just part of the aspects that makes up the family. Most families adapt to the child’s needs by communicating within close proximity, carrying extra batteries, checking that the child heard/understood directions, etcetera.
About the age of 4 years, children begin to care about being liked by other children. Children with hearing devices entering preschool or kindergarten are very likely surrounded by peers who have never seen a hearing aid, BAHA, cochlear implant, or any kind of hearing assistance technology. Curiosity and questions are very normal.
Image Credit: Photo via Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss / Stock Media. Used for illustrative purposes regarding supporting self-concept in early childhood social interactions.
HOW the student reacts to these questions can set the tone, along with how the classroom teacher shares information with the large group about ‘different = okay.’ If there is no preparation of the child for this situation and no help by the teacher, then the student is at high risk for feeling it is not okay, or even bad, to be using hearing devices.
Wanting to be accepted by a group is typical throughout primary school. Our sense of self is influenced by the groups we belong to. Who we compare ourselves to can affect how we feel about ourselves, for better or worse. If the child does not encounter any other children in the group with hearing issues, then there is a subconscious message that to be able to belong, they shouldn’t use their hearing devices. This can be tough to counteract!
3 Go-To Ideas for Supporting Self-Concept: Building Confidence and Belonging
Strategy 1: Reading Books featuring DHH Students
Read books with characters where the child can identify, ‘He’s just like me!’ These books can be read at home, long before the child starts school. The characters may have dealt with teasing, fitting in, or making friends. Books can introduce these concepts and open the door to discussions at home and at school. There are chapter books and young adult books that have characters with hearing loss, too! Reading together, discussing ideas, and making the connection that other kids deal with being hard of hearing or deaf too will strengthen the child or youth’s feelings that they are not alone and that they are OKAY being a kid with hearing loss. A teacher reading a book that features a character with hearing loss to the whole class is a great way to start the early school years. Look here for children’s book suggestions.
Image Credit: Vector line art by Michellebran via ClipSafari / CC0 Public Domain.
Strategy 2: Help Students Respond to Teasing
Prepare for questions or teasing. Whether the child is 4, in 4th grade, or age 14, chances are that someone will make a comment about hearing issues or devices. Count on it. Prepare for it. Humor, sarcasm, and yes, teasing, are all a part of language development and wordplay. Some children are raised in families where teasing happens and are likely to tease others—in a light-hearted manner, or not. Teasing can happen when someone feels threatened or upset, and they lash out at others.
Teasing/bullying can occur as a way for a child to feel more powerful due to their own low self-esteem. The key is to not ‘feed’ the bully with tears, embarrassment, anger, or any other negative reaction. Ignore the bully, or respond in a matter-of-fact way, i.e., ‘I know,’ ‘You told me that yesterday, ’ ‘Yeah, I wear hearing aids.’ Role-playing to practice responses is vital. For preschoolers and kindergarten students, practice ways they can respond to questions like, “What are those things?” “Why do you wear that thing?” Kids are curious, and the child needs to be prepared to provide simple answers!
| All of the reasons for teasing are NOT due to any fault of the child who is being teased.
Anyone can be teased or bullied. |
Strategy 3: Peer Connection Matters
Connect kids with other kids who use hearing devices and/or sign. The most POWERFUL tool we have to increase self-concept and create a strong and healthy identity that it is ‘okay to be a kid with hearing loss’ is to foster the feeling that the child is part of a group of ‘cool kids with hearing aids’ or other devices and/or ‘cool kids who sign.’
Image courtesy of social media / open web resources.
Image credit: Success for Children with Hearing Loss
Play dates or Zoom chats arranged by the family are fabulous! Working on self-advocacy skill development in school, where students from a number of buildings can join in virtually to learn strategies, discuss issues, and realize they are not alone, is terrific! Both family and school connections. AWESOME!
Starting with ages 4-5 and going all the way through high school, opportunities to connect, complain, strategize, and celebrate cannot be underestimated in their overall effect on self-concept, less rejection of using hearing devices, greater motivation to self-advocate, and more!
Image Credit: Cover art from Building Self-Confidence & Resilience to Maximize Acceptance of Hearing Devices by Karen L. Anderson, PhD. Used with permission via Supporting Success for Children With Hearing Loss.
How Adults Can Support Self-Concept
Want to learn more about positive identity? Check out Building Self-Confidence & Resilience to Maximize Acceptance of Hearing Devices, available inexpensively in print from Supporting Success or digitally from Teacher Tools Takeout.
Supporting Self-Concept: Top 10 Ways for Students with Hearing Loss
- Encourage self-advocacy
- Focus on strengths
- Celebrate accomplishments
- Support communication success
- Encourage independence
- Foster peer connections
- Teach problem-solving
- Promote positive role models
- Build self-awareness
- Set meaningful goals
Self-Concept Checklist for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
Can the student:
- Identify personal strengths?
- Describe their hearing loss?
- Explain communication needs?
- Request accommodations?
- Participate in goal setting?
- Handle setbacks constructively?
- Build positive peer relationships?
- Recognize personal achievements?
- Advocate for themselves?
- Feel confident discussing hearing technology?
Frequently Asked Questions: Supporting Self-Concept in DHH Students
What is a student’s self-concept, and why does it matter?
A student’s self-concept is the overall mental blueprint of how they see and understand themselves, including their abilities, personality traits, and sense of belonging. For deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students, a positive self-concept directly impacts their willingness to wear their hearing devices proudly, participate in classroom discussions, and confidently advocate for their communication needs.
Why do students with hearing loss often experience a dip in self-concept?
When a child is the only one in their classroom, grade, or entire school wearing visible hearing devices or using sign language, they lack immediate peer comparison. Without positive representation, they can easily begin to feel isolated or assume that being “different” means being flawed. This social isolation can cause their self-concept and self-esteem to plummet, particularly during the tween and teen years.
How can educators and parents actively support a child’s self-concept?
Adults can turn abstract emotional support into practical, daily actions by deploying three targeted, go-to strategies:
- Introduce Representational Literature: Read books featuring diverse, confident characters who wear hearing aids, use cochlear implants, or use sign language. This helps children see their lived experience mirrored as a normal, positive trait.
- Facilitate Peer Connections: Intentionally group them with other children who share their hearing profile so they realize they are part of a broader, thriving community.
- Normalize Hearing Technology: Celebrate their unique identity and strengths while treating assistive listening devices as standard, cool, everyday tools (like high-tech headphones or glasses).
What does supporting self-concept in the home look like?
Families talking positively about hearing loss, building identity pride, and helping children connect with others who share similar experiences.
How can I prepare a young student to answer curious questions or teasing from peers?
Children are naturally observant and will ask blunt questions like, “What are those things stuck to your head?” Instead of leaving a child unprepared, use proactive role-playing at home or in therapy sessions to practice calm, direct, and empowering scripts:
| Expected Scenario | The Passive Reaction (Avoid) | The Empowered Script (Teach This) |
| Curious Classmate: “What’s that thing on your ear?” | Shrugging, hiding their ears under their hair, or looking down. | “It’s my hearing aid! It works like high-tech AirPods to help me hear you better over all this background noise.” |
| Unkind Peer: “Why do you talk/look weird?” | Internalizing the comment, withdrawing socially, or refusing to use technology. | “Everyone’s ears work differently. Mine just needs a little extra boost. It’s not a big deal.” |
Why is peer connection considered the most powerful tool for identity pride?
Connection removes the exhausting psychological burden of being “the only one.” Whether it is arranged through local community meetups, regional DHH programs, or structured virtual student chats, seeing a group of happy, successful peers who navigate the exact same challenges completely shifts their perspective. It transforms their relationship with their hearing technology from a medical deficit into a neutral element of who they are.
Does a student’s self-concept affect their IEP self-advocacy goals?
Absolutely. A student cannot successfully advocate for accommodations they are deeply ashamed of. If a child has a negative self-concept, they will frequently lie to teachers, claiming they can hear fine, or intentionally leave their Roger FM systems turned off to avoid drawing attention. Building a resilient self-concept is the mandatory first step before a student can successfully take ownership of their IEP accommodations and legal rights.
Additional Resources:
Self-Concept: How the Child with Hearing Loss Sees Himself
Self-Concept: Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Self-Concept: School-Age Children with Hearing Loss
Self-Concept: Assessment & Strategies for Adolescence
Self-Identity and Hearing Loss
Addressing Self-Esteem and Issues of Fitting In
Teens and the Price to Pass as ‘Normal’
Bullying and Students with Hearing Loss
Bullying / Teasing Happens!
Reducing the Impact of Stigma and Teasing
Supporting Mental Health of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in the School Setting
What I Wish My Educators Had Known: 20 Tips from Mainstream Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Individuals
Author: Karen Anderson
Download the original article.
Originally published: March 2022
Last update: June 2026
