Children in regional, rural and remote areas have less access to services than those living in urban areas. Practitioners serving children with a hearing loss have attempted to address this gap, however there are few studies investigating service access and experiences of non-metropolitan families and professionals. This systematic review evaluates the literature on service provision to children with a hearing loss living in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. A search of five databases, the gray literature and a prominent author located 37 relevant documents. The journal articles were rated for quality and the findings of all documents were themed. The evidence from this review indicates that children with a hearing loss living in regional, rural and remote Australia experience reduced quality and frequency of service. Further investigation is needed to identify the accessibility and suitability of services for children with a hearing loss in non-metropolitan areas.

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In this article we review the medical, human rights, social and social interactionist models of disability, and consider how these differing perspectives have influenced the provision of educational services to students with disability in Australia. We contend that the shift in educational policy and provision, from supporting to including students with disability, has engendered a need for targeted professional development for both general and special education teachers. A model illustrating the unique skills of special educators and the common skills, knowledge and attitudes required by all teachers to implement effective inclusive education is presented and priorities for future research discussed.

This paper reviews the sparse literature on parental readiness for cochlear implant decision-making. It urges professionals to be cautious when engaging parents inThe early diagnosis of deafness through universal newborn hearing screening requires parents to make a series of decisions in rapid succession (Li, Bain and Steinberg, 2004). This includes choosing the child's medical specialist, communication modality, early intervention service and hearing technology. Although there is growing evidence on cochlear implant outcomes, relatively little is known about the related parental readiness for decision making and its long-term impact on the family. Relaxed cochlear implant candidacy eligibility criteria may complicate and increase the important parental role in the decision-making process (Li et al., 2004). It is not only the decision that has lifelong infl uences but also the decisionmaking process itself that can affect the family. Improved understanding of how parents make choices may facilitate the effi cacy of the decision-making process and reduce the potential negative impact, such as regret, on the family. It is important to note that the majority of the information available on parental readiness for decision making does not come from otology, audiology, speech pathology or deaf

The study explored the social capital of Australian adolescents who were deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and their parents, and investigated the relationship between social capital and individual characteristics, language, literacy, and psychosocial outcomes. Sixteen adolescents (ages 11-14 years) and 24 parents enrolled in the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study completed an online questionnaire on social capital and psychosocial outcomes. Information about demographics, language, and literacy was retrieved from the LOCHI study database. On average, parent-rated social capital was positively related to adolescent-rated social capital, but not to child outcomes. Aspects of adolescent-reported social capital were significantly related to the adolescents' language and reading skills, but not to psychosocial outcomes. This study gives support to the promotion of social capital in adolescents who are DHH and their families, and considers how social capital promotion could be applied in interventions.