Preparing deaf children for surgery

Deaf children may need surgery for lots of reasons including:

• having grommets to help treat glue ear
• having a hearing implant fitted
• having reconstructive surgery (such as with microtia)
• having cholesteatoma or other growths removed from the ear
• for another reason not related to their ears or deafness

Having surgery can be a worrying experience for any child. For deaf children, there may be additional things to think about, such as communication. There are lots of things you can do to help prepare your child for surgery. 

Helping your child understand surgery

Talking to your child

It can be difficult to know how to talk to your child about surgery. It’s natural to want to shield your child from things they may find scary, but it’s important to be open and honest so they know what to expect. 

Make sure to use age-appropriate language and explain why the procedure is important. For younger children, you may like to use fun analogies that connect with your child’s interests.

Learn more about talking to your child about surgery with advice from Dr Ranj Singh on the BBC website.

How the hospital can help

Your child’s medical team can help you explain the surgery to your child. Many hospitals have specialist play professionals or liaison nurses who can help your child prepare. Depending on the hospital and your child’s age, they could do this in lots of different ways:

• Using medically themed toys
• Providing age-appropriate information
• Offering a visit to the ward before the surgery

Some hospitals provide access to the free Little Journey app, which includes a virtual tour of the hospital, a checklist of things to pack, and child-friendly videos about surgery.

Deaf awareness at the hospital

When a child is in hospital, it’s important that they understand what is happening and they can communicate with medical staff. This can be more difficult for deaf children if staff are not deaf aware. 

Some doctors and nurses will have good deaf awareness. However, others may not know as much about deafness and the best ways to communicate. 

Depending on their age, your child may need your help to explain the best ways to communicate with them, or they may want to take the lead themselves. 

You can help your child by:

• encouraging them to tell medical staff about their deafness and how they like to communicate (or explaining this yourself for younger children)
• encouraging your child to speak up if things aren’t clear and checking that they have understood important information
• working with your child and medical staff to find alternative ways to explain (for example – writing things down, drawing diagrams, showing pictures, or demonstrating with toys or models)
• helping your child to create a Personal Passport for their hospital visit
• speaking to the hospital in advance about arranging communication support if needed
• agreeing a plan with staff for where to keep hearing technology if it needs to be removed

I broke my elbow and had an operation to fix it. The hospital staff wore face masks, which made it difficult to hear. I explained I was deaf. The consultant spoke clearly and used the arm of a model skeleton to explain the surgery visually.”

Ida (16) is moderately deaf and wears hearing aids.

Resources for children and young people

There are lots of resources available to help explain surgery to your child.

Some hospitals create webpages, booklets and videos aimed at children to help them prepare. Evelina London Children’s Healthcare has a website full of child-friendly information and videos about being in hospital.

At the National Deaf Children’s Society, we have produced several comic books for deaf children about common medical procedures. These include Harvey Gets Grommets and Chloe Gets Cochlear Implants.

There are lots of books for children about going to hospital. 

• Going to the Hospital by Anne Civardi and Stephen Cartwright, Usborne Books (Age 2+)
• Peppa Pig: Peppa Goes to Hospital, Ladybird Books (Age 2+)
• Look Inside a Hospital by Katie Daynes, Zoe Fritz and Stefano Tognetti, Usborne Books (Age 5+)
• The Hospital: The Inside Story by Dr Christle Nwora and Ginnie Hsu, Neon Squid Books (Age 6-8)

The CBeebies series Get Well Soon explores different illnesses, conditions and treatments and includes an episode about having an operation.

Older children and young people may enjoy deaf vlogger Iona’s video about having surgery.

If your child is a BSL user, they like to watch these videos from the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Support for parents

When your child is having surgery, you may feel a mix of emotions. You may be confident in your decision and aware of the benefits of surgery, but you may also be anxious about the procedure and your child’s recovery.

This is completely normal. Asking questions and learning more about the surgery and recovery process can help you feel more prepared and confident about supporting your child.

Communicate with medical staff

Don’t be afraid to ask medical staff lots of questions, or to ask them to explain again if you don’t understand. Consider making a list of questions to ask before an appointment so you’re prepared.

Learn from other parents

Talk to other parents about their child’s surgery. You could chat to parents at your local deaf children’s support group or follow our Facebook page.

If you can’t speak to other parents in person, reading blogs can be a great way to learn more. We have lots of stories from parents about surgery on our Real Life Stories page.

Take care of yourself

When preparing for your child to go into hospital, it’s natural to focus on packing things for your child. However, it’s also important to consider what you will need while they’re having surgery. 

• Food and drink: Hospitals will provide food for patients, but not necessarily carers. Make sure to pack plenty of snacks and drinks and have a plan for getting a meal (for example – swapping with a partner to go get food while the other stays with your child or asking someone to bring it to you).
• Things to do: While your child is having their operation, you may feel anxious and worried. Having things to distract yourself can really help. Bring a book, a tablet with your favourite TV show or ask a friend to come and keep you company.
• Technology: Make sure to bring everything you need to keep devices going, such as a charger or battery pack.
• Overnight supplies: If you’re staying overnight with your child, don’t forget your essentials. Sometimes, you may end up staying longer in hospital than you expect, so consider packing a small bag so you’re prepared.