This fall, Dr. Stacey Armas reached out to me to see if I’d like to read her new book for young people with hearing loss: My Hearing, My Way. If you know me personally, you may know that our daughter, Anne, has an auditory processing disorder that results in her having difficulty hearing in non-quiet environments and she wears hearing aids. So instead of me taking a closer look at this book, I sent it on to Anne.

Here’s what Amazon says about it:

Written by Dr. Stacey Armas, a pediatric audiologist and passionate advocate for children with hearing loss, “My Hearing, My Way” delivers a powerful message in a delightful way. By following children with hearing devices as they turn them into unique accessories that reflect their individuality, children learn valuable lessons about celebrating their differences and empowering young readers to embrace their own uniqueness.

This charming and empowering children’s book encourages children to take pride in wearing their hearing aids with the aim of improving hearing device use and thus reducing the negative consequences of untreated hearing loss, such as academic challenges, speech and language delays, and social-emotional issues.

Perfect for families, educators, and young readers, “My Hearing, My Way” offers a unique blend of self-expression, confidence-building, and hearing health advocacy. Audiologist Dr. Stacey Armas’ expertise and dedication to the field make this empowering children’s book an invaluable resource for promoting acceptance, encouraging full-time hearing aid use, and fostering a positive mindset toward hearing loss. See more children’s books on hearing loss and other resources at LittleListeners.org

What did Anne think? Well, she wrote to me right away and said that this book made her cry. Clearly, it resonated with her! She said that her younger self would have loved to have had this book when she got her hearing aids. So that sounds like a very definite thumbs up!

I looked at the book, too, and I really like how books like this promote representation. Children need to see themselves in books, on television, in their teachers/doctors/coaches/etc. This story did a great job of portraying a variety of characters that children can relate to.

Thank you for sharing your book with us, Dr. Armas!

Here’s some info from Dr. Armas’ website: https://littlelistenerspublishing.org/

You can find her books there and/or on Amazon.