It was through a dedicated Facebook page set up by Hear and Say for families of children with microtia and atresia that Violet’s parents first stumbled upon a community of others forging a similar path.
“I first joined the Facebook group when Violet was only a few weeks old,” recalled Violet’s mum, Clem.
“I had asked a question and Simone from Hear and Say responded and offered to call me. She answered a lot of questions I had about future options for surgery and hearing aids, and invited me to the Hear and Say centre in Brisbane. There I learnt about listening and spoken language therapy lessons and [Group Social Skills] playgroups that we could attend.”
For Clem, the opportunities to gain local support proved invaluable, following Violet’s surprise diagnosis at birth and resulting moderate-to-severe hearing loss.
“Once a fortnight we now visit Hear and Say for an hour-long listening and spoken language therapy lesson which includes lots of interactive play, singing and reading,” said Clem.
