Meanwhile I Keep Dancing is one Mum’s story of the journey she and her two sons have been on since their hearing loss was diagnosed. It covers her experience of dealing with a multitude of professionals, dealing with making decisions for her sons that will impact on their whole life and how their hearing loss has impacted on the family as a whole.
The author is a Speech and Language Therapist so has experience as both a professional and a parent and puts things across from both points of view, but it is the parent’s perspective that ends up being the most powerful. The chapter entitled Trust was probably the most enlightening for me, explaining how things can alter the relationship between a family and a professional and exploring the reasons behind some interactions that can occur in appointments or meetings. It highlights the positive difference it can make when the parent/professional relationship is right.
The book also is a reminder for those of us who may have thought that recent changes in practice and legislation means families have a smoother ride through the education and healthcare system. It’s very clear that parents still strongly feel that they are fighting for their children every step of the way.
The book is an easy, if thought-provoking, read suitable for both parents and professionals. I would recommend it for any audiologist starting to work within paediatrics as an insight into what parents are dealing with outside of the clinic and the impact their care will have on them.
