Maternal Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Involvement in the Auditory Development of Young Children with Prelingual Deafness

Maternal ratings of self-efficacy and involvement in early intervention were compared across two groups of mothers with young children with prelingual deafness: 24 mothers of children with hearing aids and 30 mothers of children with a cochlear implant. Although mothers of children with cochlear implants rated their child's early intervention program lower in quality, they perceived themselves as more efficacious in the care and maintenance of their child's sensory device and their involvement in developing their child's speech-language skills. Mothers of children with hearing aids had lower self-ratings of self-efficacy related to their child's sensory device and involvement in their child's early intervention program. Implications for early interventionists are discussed.