Christiane Haukedal

• Johansen, Lene; Gray, Thea; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Laugen, Nina Jakhelln; Diamanti, Vassiliki & Löfkvist, Ulrika (2023). Validation of the Norwegian version of the Parents' Evaluation of Aural/ Oral Performance of Children (PEACH+) for children with typical hearing aged 12-72 months. PLOS ONE. 18(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289898. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background The Parents’ Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children (PEACH+) is a parent reported questionnaire. It was first developed in Australia (2007) to assess the effectiveness of hearing devices in young children, and to register how oral children under the age of five hear and communicate with others. Objective No validated version of the Norwegian translation of PEACH+ exists. This study therefore aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of a back-translated Norwegian version of the PEACH+, from a sample of Norwegian children with typical hearing. Methods Parents of 255 children with typical hearing between 12 and 72 months were recruited through kindergartens and social media platforms. Participants were asked to fill in the PEACH+ questionnaire on behalf of their child, in a digital format. Results High internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = .917) and satisfactory item-total correlation were found (.342-.678). Conclusion The Norwegian translation of PEACH+ shows good psychometric properties that are similar to the original version (Ching and Hill, 2007) and that of other translations. The PEACH+ questionnaire is therefore valid to use in a Norwegian context.

• Haukedal, Christiane; Wie, Ona Bø; Schauber, Stefan & Torkildsen, Janne von Koss (2023). Children With Developmental Language Disorder Have Lower Quality of Life Than Children With Typical Development and Children With Cochlear Implants. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. ISSN 1092-4388. 66(10), p. 3988–4008. doi: 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00742. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine quality of life (QOL) and its relation to language skills in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). This was examined by comparing QOL to a control group of children with typical development (TD), as well as children with cochlear implants (CIs), who potentially struggle with language for language, although for a different reason than children with DLD. Method: Two groups of children, a group with TD (n = 29) and a group of children with CIs (n = 29), were matched to the DLD group (n = 29) on chronological age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and parental educational level through a propensity matching procedure. A third group consisting of children with CIs was also matched to the DLD group but additionally matched on language abilities. QOL scores were compared across groups, and the association between language skills and QOL was examined in the DLD group. Result: The DLD group was reported by parents to have statistically significantly poorer QOL scores than peers with TD or CIs. When controlling for language skills, either statistically or through an additional CI group matched on language abilities, there were no statistically significant differences in QOL scores across groups. In the DLD group, language skills explained 16% of the variation in QOL. Conclusion: DLD is associated with the children's overall QOL, and the degree of reduced QOL relates to the severity of the language impairment.

• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Wie, Ona Bø; Schauber, Stefan; Lyxell, Björn; Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth & Torkildsen, Janne von Koss (2022). Social communication and quality of life in children using hearing aids. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. ISSN 0165-5876. 152(152), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.111000. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objectives This study compared the parent-reported structural language and social communication skills—measured with the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2)—and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL)—measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)—of children who use hearing aids (HAs) and their typical-hearing (TH) peers. Design The participants were 88 children (age range of 5; 6 to 13; 1 (years; months)) and their parents: 45 children with bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss using HAs who had no additional disabilities and 43 children with typical hearing. The groups were matched based on chronological age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and parental education level. The parents completed questionnaires related to their children's communication skills, including subdomains structural language and social communication, and HR-QOL. Results The HA group had significantly poorer overall communication skills than the TH group (r = 0.49). The children in the HA group scored significantly lower than the TH group on both structural language (r = 0.37) and social communication (r = 0.41). Half of the children in the HA group had overall communication scores that either indicated concern or required further investigation according to the instrument's manual. In terms of psychosocial functioning, which was measured as HR-QOL, the subdomain school functioning was the main driver of the difference between groups, with the HA group being at least twice as likely (OR = 2.52) as the TH group to have poor HR-QOL in the school domain. Better parent-reported social communication was associated with better parent-reported psychosocial functioning in the children using HAs—even when background variables were taken into account. Conclusion The results suggest that traditional assessments and interventions targeting structural aspects of language may overlook social communication difficulties in children with HAs, even those with no additional disabilities. As school functioning stood out as the most problematic domain for children with HAs, efforts to improve the well-being of these children should focus on this area.

• Schmid, Evi & Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2022). Identifying resilience promoting factors in vocational education and training: a longitudinal qualitative study in Norway. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training. ISSN 1877-6337. 14:11(11), p. 1–18. doi: 10.1186/s40461-022-00139-1. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Lyxell, Björn & Wie, Ona Bø (2019). Health-Related Quality of Life With Cochlear Implants: The Children’s Perspective. Ear and Hearing. ISSN 0196-0202. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000761. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess self-reported health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in a group of children with cochlear implants (CIs) and to compare their scores to age- and gender-matched controls. The authors also assessed the agreement between proxy- and self-reported HR-QOL in the CI group and examined individual and environmental variables that could be associated with higher or lower self-reported HR-QOL in the CI group. Design: The sample consisted of 168 children between the ages of 5;6 and 13;1 (years;months), where 84 children had CIs (CI group) and 84 were age- and gender-matched controls with normal hearing (NH group). HR-QOL was assessed with the generic questionnaire Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Parents of the children in the CI group completed the same questionnaire as the children. In addition, the children in the CI group completed tests of language, hearing, and nonverbal I.Q. and background variables such as age at implantation and socioeconomic status were assessed. Results: On average, children with CIs rated their HR-QOL lower than peers with normal hearing on school functioning, social functioning, and overall HR-QOL. A higher percentage of children with CIs reported low levels of HR-QOL than did those in the NH group, 27% and 12%, respectively. The differences between groups were small, and fewer children than parents reported concerningly low HR-QOLs. Better spoken-language skills and older age at the time of testing was associated with better HR-QOL. Conclusions: Most children with CIs in this study reported HR-QOLs that were close to those of their age- and gender-matched normal-hearing peers. The children, however, reported concerns about social and school functioning, indicating that these areas require more attention to ensure children with CIs have good HR-QOL. Improving spoken-language skills in children with CIs may contribute to improved HR-QOL.

• Löfkvist, Ulrika; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2019). Hørselstap hos barn, Spesialpedagogikk. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202592059. p. 451–477. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Arciuli, Joanne; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2018). Does a lack of auditory experience affect sequential learning? Cognition. ISSN 0010-0277. 170, p. 123–129. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.09.017. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To understand the interaction between sensory experiences and cognition, it is critical to investigate the possibility that deprivation in one sensory modality might affect cognition in other modalities. Here we are concerned with the hypothesis that early experience with sound is vital to the development of domain-general sequential processing skills. In line with this hypothesis, a seminal empirical study found that prelingually deaf children had impaired sequence learning in the visual modality. In order to assess the limits of this hypothesis, the current study employed a different visual sequence learning task in an investigation of prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants and normal hearing children. Results showed statistically significant learning in each of the two groups, and no significant difference in the amount of learning between groups. Moreover, there was no association between the age at which the child received their implant (and thus access to electric hearing) and their performance on the sequential learning task. We discuss key differences between our study and the previous study, and argue that the field must reconsider claims about domain-general cognitive impairment resulting from early auditory deprivation.

• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Lyxell, Björn & Wie, Ona Bø (2018). Parents' perception of health-related quality of life in children with cochlear implants: The impact of language skills and hearing. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. ISSN 1092-4388. 61(8), p. 2084–2098. doi: 10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-17-0278. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: The study compared how parents of children with cochlear implants (CIs) and parents of children with normal hearing perceive their children's health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Method: The sample consisted of 186 Norwegian-speaking children in the age span of 5;0–12;11 (years;months): 106 children with CIs (53% boys, 47% girls) and 80 children with normal hearing (44% boys, 56% girls). No children had known additional disabilities affecting language, cognitive development, or HR-QOL. Parents completed the generic questionnaire Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Varni, Seid, & Kurtin, 2001), whereas children completed a test battery measuring different aspects of language and hearing. Results: Parents of children with CIs reported statistically significantly poorer HR-QOL in their children, on Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory total score and the subdomains social functioning and school functioning. Roughly 50% of parents of children with CIs reported HR-QOL levels (total score) within normal limits. No significant differences between groups emerged on the physical health and emotional functioning subscales. For the children in the group with CIs, better speech perception in everyday situations was associated with higher proxy-ratings of HR-QOL. Better spoken language skills were weakly to moderately associated with higher HR-QOL. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the social and school situation is not yet resolved satisfactorily for children with CIs. Habilitation focusing on spoken language skills and better sound environment may improve social interactions with peers and overall school functioning.

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• Stadskleiv, Kristine; Lopez-Pedersen, Anita & Haukedal, Christiane (2026). Nevropsykologisk utredning av barn med lærevansker. Full text in Research Archive
• Ribu, Ingeborg Sophie; Akhtar, Iqra Batool; Viken, Christopher & Haukedal, Christiane (2025). Hvordan er det å ha en språkvanske? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Talespråket er en av våre viktigste kommunikasjonsformer. Ungdom og unge voksne med språkvansker kan stå i fare for å oppleve utenforskap og har større risiko for å droppe ut av skolen. På standen vår får du mulighet til å oppleve hvordan det kan være å løse ulike oppgaver hvis du har utfordringer med språk, tale eller kommunikasjon. Her får du kjenne på hvordan det kan oppleves for personer som har språk-, tale- eller hørselsvansker; klarer du å løse alle språkoppgavene?

• Haukedal, Christiane; Sundström, Simon; Löfkvist, Ulrika & Wie, Ona Bø (2025). Hørselstap hos barn. In Befring, Edvard (Eds.), Spesialpedagogikk. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202839888. p. 507–538. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Spesialpedagogikk, som er det mest omfattende og allsidige verket om spesialpedagogikk i Norge, kommer nå i sin 7. utgave. Bokas fire deler omhandler disse temaene:Spesialpedagogikkens identitet som et mangfoldig lærings- og verdifag: faglige perspektiver og forståelsesmåter, etikk, opplæringsrettigheter, historiske grunntrekk og spesialpedagogisk kompetanseutvikling. Spesialpedagogiske grunnleggende arbeidsoppgaver: inkludering, kartlegging, forebygging, den spesialpedagogiske tiltakskjeden og samarbeid med foreldre, PPT og andre. Spesialpedagogiske støtte- og hjelpetiltak for en mangfoldig målgruppe: kommunikasjons- og språkforstyrrelser, lese- og skrivevansker, matematikkvansker, utviklingshemming, hørsels- og synsvansker, fysisk-motoriske funksjonshemminger, psykososial sårbarhet, migrasjonsrelaterte vansker, autisme og barn og unge med stort læringspotensial. Spesialpedagogikk i barnehage og skole: barnehage, grunnskole, videregående opplæring og skolelivsmestring. Boka retter seg primært til bachelor- og masterstudenter i spesialpedagogikk og studenter i lærerutdanningene, men er også velegnet i pedagogikk-, sosial- og helsefagene. Forfatterne er rekruttert fra de fremste studie- og forskningsmiljøene i Norge.

• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Haukedal, Christiane & Veenstra, Marijke (2024). All ears? Hearing loss and variations in well-being dimensions in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane (2023). Livskvalitet og hørselstap; erfaringer med bruk av PedsQL. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Haukedal, Christiane & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Skarpe øyrer? Høyrselstap og variasjonar i livskvalitet i eldre år. Full text in Research Archive
• Schmid, Evi & Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2022). Against the odds: Resilience among students and apprentices in vocational education and training in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2022). Social Communication and Quality of Life in Children Using Hearing Aids. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2021). Livskvalitet hos barn med hørselstap. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2021). Oppsummering av avhandlinga "Quality of life in children with hearing loss". Norsk tidsskrift for logopedi. ISSN 0332-7256. 1, p. 34–37. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2021). Livskvalitet hos barn som har hørselstap. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2020). Livskvalitet hos barn som har et hørselstap. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2020). Barn med nedsatt hørsel bør få bedre språkoppfølging. [Internet]. UIO. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2020). Hørselshemmede barn får lite språkoppfølging. [Internet]. Nasjonal behandlingstjeneste for hørsel og psykisk helse OUS. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2020). Livskvalitet hos barn som har hørselstap. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Vartun, Marika (2019). Selv om barna hører svært dårlig, trives de like godt som andre barn. [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2019). Livskvalitet hos barn med cochleaimplantat i Norge. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2018). Livskvalitet hos barn med cochleaimplantat i Norge. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Lyxell, Björn & Wie, Ona Bø (2018). Health-Related quality of life in Norwegian children with cochlear implants or normal hearing. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2017). Self- and proxy-reported Health-Related Quality of Life in children with Cochlear Implants. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2017). Unge med CI og helserelatert livskvalitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2017). Presentasjon av resultater fra forskningsprosjektet "Språk, hørsel hos livskvalitet hos personer som har fått CI som barn i Norge mellom 1988 og 2015". Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2017). Livskvalitet hos barn med CI. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Wie, Ona Bø & Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2016). Language abilities in children with moderate hearing impairment. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Arciuli, Joanne; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2016). Intact visual statistical learning in children with cochlear implants. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Torkildsen, Janne von Koss & Wie, Ona Bø (2016). Quality of life in children who received cochlear implanted before the age of two. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Bø, Wie Ona (2016). Presentasjon av resultater fra forskningsprosjektet "språk, hørsel hos livskvalitet hos personer som har fått CI som barn i Norge mellom 1988 og 2015". Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Arciuli, Joanne; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2015). Visual Statistical Learning in children With Language impairment and children With hearing loss. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Arciuli, Joanne; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Gismarvik, Marit Enny & Wie, Ona Bø (2015). Statistical Learning in typically developing children, children with specific language impairment and children with hearing loss. Full text in Research Archive
• Wie, Ona Bø & Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2015). Hørsel, språk og livskvalitet hos personer som har fått CI som barn. Aldersgruppe 0-6 år. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Wie, Ona Bø (2014). Early literacy skills in children with simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation between 5 and 18 months. Full text in Research Archive
• Torgersen, Leila; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås; Torgersen, Karethe Hustad & Aase, Heidi (2021). Bedre føre var OG etter snar. Utvelgelse og oppfølging av adoptivfamilier: Erfaringer og anbefalinger. Folkehelseinstituttet. ISSN 9788284062037. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Executive summary (English) Background In 2018, a new Adoption Act was passed in Norway which, among other things, entailed a new framework for prior approval of applicants for foreign adoption. In this connection, the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) was tasked with preparing a circular concerning the requirements for the applicants regarding their suitability. During the processing of the Act, The Norwegian Parliament also made a request to identify the needs of adoptive parents and children for assistance and follow-up after adoption. In connection with the preparatory work on the Adoption Act, Bufdir initiated the assignment that forms the basis for the work on this report. In the assignment, Bufdir emphasised the significant need for more knowledge about the field of adoption, in terms of both the knowledge base for the criteria that form the basis for the approval of adoptive parents and for the choice of methods and mapping tools that are used when studying applicants who wish to adopt children from abroad (prior approval). There is also very limited knowledge about the needs of health care in adoptive families after adoption. This is why Bufdir commissioned the Norwegian Institute of Public Health to help ensure that the criteria for assessing adoptive parents are firmly rooted in updated research, that good methods are in place for conducting this assessment, as well as contributing to ensuring that the authorities have a good knowledge base for planning the future follow-up of adoptive families. Method The aim of the project was to arrive at reasoned and quality-assured assessments and guidance based on the following: • A review and systematisation of research literature on the importance of family resources and parenting skills for adoptive children's health and development. The results of this work have been published in the report "What characterises good (adoptive) parents? A literature review"2 . • Mapping and review of assessment criteria and methods for assessing adoptive parents nationally and internationally. • Survey of families who have undergone adoption from 2003 until October 2020. Results The project has responded to the following issues: 1: Are the current assessment criteria based on updated research about which parental characteristics are important for the children’s development? We have noted that there is support in the research literature for the assessment criteria currently being used for assessing adoptive applicants in Norway. We have also found studies suggesting that it is beneficial to apply increased focus on the fundamental 2 https://www.fhi.no/publ/2021/hva-kjennetegner-gode-adoptivforeldre/ 10 personality traits that form the basis of the applicants’ perceptions, motivations and actions and, to a greater extent, assess resilience and stress management in light of the major care tasks associated with many of the children. 2: Do we have sufficient methods for assessing adoptive applicants in Norway? The practice in Norway is similar to the practice in other countries: Unstructured interviews with little or no utilisation of systematic and standardised mapping methods. The method that is used ensures a good overall picture of the family and succeeds in building up the necessary level of trust to create a good and trusting dialogue between the investigator and the applicants. However, the method is susceptible to insufficient clinical and psychological expertise in the investigator and the investigator’s own adaptation of questions or emphasis on different topics. 3: What do applicants feel about the assessment process? The survey results show that parents generally have a positive experience of the process during which they were interviewed, in terms of their suitability as parents. 4: What do parents feel about their first time with the child? Findings from the survey indicate that around half of the parents regarded the first time with the child as being unproblematic. However, a not insignificant proportion of parents felt that the first time was challenging, in terms of both bonding with the child and also adapting procedures and the relationship between the adoptive parents to the new life. 5: How high a percentage of the families reported having children with various difficulties? What kind of difficulties are most prevalent? Although three out of four parents stated that they have children who, during the course of their own childhood, had one or more of the difficulties that we asked about, half of the parents stated that their children currently have no difficulties. However, one in three parents stated that their child currently has tangible or serious difficulties. The most widespread difficulties in adoptive children are behavioural problems, mental health problems, reading and writing difficulties, social difficulties, as well as attachment disorders. Around two out of five families reported having children who had at least one of these difficulties. 6: What characterises the families that have children with the most difficulties? The families that have children with the most extensive difficulties reported poorer family finances and a greater degree of perceived parental stress compared to families that have children with less extensive difficulties. 7: Do parents feel that their family receives the help they need from the support system? Like other similar surveys, the responses from parents indicate that the support system is not designed in such a way as to ensure that children with difficulties receive the help they believe they need. Even though a high proportion of the families have received various kinds of health care, there were many that feel they have not received enough help. This particularly applies to the parents of children with substance abuse problems, developmental disabilities and severe mental disorders. More than half of the parents of children with serious diagnoses in need of treatment feel that they had received much less help than they needed. 8: What characterises the kind of families in which the parents state that they have not received sufficient help? Such families are characterised, for example, by the primary caregiver having a lower level of education, less social support and a greater desire for adoption assistance, compared to primary caregivers who state that they have received adequate help. 9: According to the parents, what are the most widespread help requirements in the families? The need for help is great in adoptive families. Most parents see the need for adoptive websites and parental guidance, which could be described as preventive services. This is followed by the need for help from mental health personnel with competence on adoptive children: Both directly to the child and in terms of receiving parental guidance and help the first period after they adopted the child. Moreover, many parents have needed help with self-help: Help to get in touch with other adoptive parents and to take care of their own mental health. Fewer parents wanted direct guidance online. In the open text responses, the parents stated that the school and the support system lacked the necessary skills to help their children. The results show that the more difficulties a child has, the greater the need for help from someone with special expertise in adoptive children. There is a widespread perception, particularly among the parents of adopted children with major difficulties, that adoptive children have some unique challenges that require special knowledge from the helpers, in both the health service and in the school system. Recommendations Recommendations regarding rating indicators The Norwegian Institute of Public Health recommends that the following indicators are mapped when assessing adoptive applicants. A more detailed description of the nature of the various indicators and how to proceed in assessing applicants on the various indicators is presented in the report. 1: Applicant characteristics: Empathy, self-image, control, attachment style, ability to process life events, resilience and resilience to stress, mental health and quality of life, age, mental illness, addiction problems, serious illness or chronic illness, antisocial personality. 2: Family characteristics and their resources: Family environment, adaptability/flexibility, conflict/conflict management, parental relationship, partner violence/family violence, parental stress, parental characteristics/style of upbringing, finances, education, housing standards, social networks. 3: Adoption-specific assessment criteria: Motivation to adopt, parents’ (realistic) expectations, the importance of openness and communication regarding adoption, when adopting children from ethnic backgrounds other than the applicants’: Cultural and ethnic socialization, attitudes towards other ethnic groups. Recommendations on methods for assessing adoptive applicants: The Norwegian Institute of Public Health recommends that the following methods be used when assessing adoptive parents: 4: The assessment should primarily be based on a personal interview, with supplementary standardised screening tools for assessing mental health and attachment ability. 5: The responsible authority should use a comprehensive standardised tool to assess the parents’ primary characteristics. The Canadian Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) assessment tool is a good example of such a holistic standardised tool. SAFE has been developed to investigate adoptive applicants and foster parents and includes interviews, procuring the necessary information from various registers, as well as completing standardised questionnaires. 6: The responsible authority should include interviews with a third party, i.e. a person who knows the applicants well. Recommendations on measures for follow-up of families after adoption: The Norwegian Institute of Public Health recommends the following measures to support and guide families after adoption: 7: Update the contents of the adoption preparation courses so that the course prepares families to a greater extent for potential mental health issues in the children. 8: Establish a website with relevant information about adoption-specific conditions, including an overview of the rights of adoptive families, as well as an overview of the various support services. 9: Establish an adoption competence center comprising employees associated with an already existing research and teaching environment. 10: The competence center will be responsible for organising a service that ensures that all recent adoptive families are offered the opportunity to meet a mental health specialist (with knowledge of adoption) during the first period after adoption. 11: The competence center will be responsible for running a telephone service staffed by mental health professionals with experience with adoptive families and adoptive-related issues and challenges. 12: The health centre will invite the parents and the child for checks and guidance in the first period after adoption, similar to the way in which biological families receive follow-up after birth. 13: There should be a specialist psychologist in each of the four health regions given primary responsibility for receiving adoptive children who are referred.

• Bårdstu, Silje Kvam; Haukedal, Christiane Lingås & Torgersen, Leila (2021). Hva kjennetegner gode (adoptiv) foreldre? En litteraturgjennomgang. Folkehelseinstituttet. ISSN 9788284061696. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukedal, Christiane Lingås (2020). Quality of Life in Children with Hearing Loss. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The current thesis consists of three papers that, through examination of different samples and perspectives, aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in children 5-12 years old with different degrees of bilateral hearing loss treated with an amplification device, but otherwise typical development. Their results were compared to peers with normal hearing. A second aim was to evaluate the association between language and communication and HR-QOL. Factors previously found to be associated with HR-QOL or psychosocial issues, such as age at implantation or diagnosis, nonverbal abilities and socioeconomic status, were examined in each paper. The results suggest that the majority of children and parents perceived the children’s HR-QOL to be comparable to that of their peers with normal hearing. However, the children experienced significantly lower HR-QOL in some domains. Children using cochlear experienced lower QOL in domains related to social and school functioning compared with their peers. For children using hearing aids (HAs), school functioning was the only subdomain affected. Better spoken language skills or better communication skills, were found to be associated with higher HR-QOL. Factors such as age at implantation or diagnosis, nonverbal abilities and socioeconomic status were not found to be associated with HR-QOL. Based on the findings in the current thesis, recommendations for future praxis are to use the advantages associated with early diagnosis to promote spoken language interventions in children with hearing loss. Improved spoken language skills seem not only to equip children to succeed academically but also to be an important tool for improving overall HRQOL. In addition, more knowledge is required to improve the follow up children receive in school, which should be the target in future studies in order to pinpoint which areas that need improvement. Combined, these strategies may be a step towards providing children with different degrees of hearing loss, educated in mainstream schools, with the same opportunities for well-being as their normal-hearing peers.

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