Only about .2% of infants born in the US are identified as deaf or hard of hearing, but 90% of these babies are born to hearing parents.
No wonder you were surprised.
My family wasn’t prepared for the arrival of our son. Unfortunately, the doctors, educators and therapists who were supposed to help us weren’t all that ready, either. Pros who work in pediatric deafness often carry outdated beliefs and inaccurate information on language acquisition and cognitive development. This makes raising a happy, healthy deaf or hard of hearing child a lot harder than it needs to be.
I wrote The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual as a cheat sheet for parents like us, with guidance by the real experts: Deaf educators and researchers who know the current developmental science of dhh children, and have first-hand experience of actually growing up deaf. Then I added poop jokes.
The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual now available for pre-order from Bloomsbury Academic now, and will be published April 2026. To get updates about the book, or read more about parenting deaf and hearing kids subscribe to my newsletter or check “I want to buy it” on my contact form.
For literary inquiries, please contact Jen Nadol at the Unter Agency.
“The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual is funny, totally irreverent, compassionate and DIRECT. Will is a great writer and an amazing father, but the power in this book lies in the shock of seeing someone telling the truth, strongly and unequivocally, and prioritizing absolutely nothing but the well-being of Deaf children”
Rachel Zemach
Author, The Butterfly Cage
