Communication Approaches for Deaf Children and Young People
in Blackburn with Darwen
Visions and Values:
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Every child and young person (C&YP) is entitled to:
o a language for life, equal access to education and an appropriate preparation
for adulthood
o a positive self-image
o be involved in and make positive choices about their communication and
educational provision
All parents are entitled to be well informed of the different approaches to
communication and different educational provision available and to choose the
education they want for their child
In Blackburn with Darwen we aim to:
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Offer families full evidence based impartial information regarding the various
approaches to the development of language and communication skills
Encourage and support families to explore all communication approaches and the
support available
Give a full description of the communication approaches currently being implemented
in Blackburn with Darwen and the skills and experience of the staff working with deaf
children
Discuss with families the benefits and challenges of the choices they make
Involve families in on-going evaluation and discussion of their child’s communication
and language development to help them make and evaluate choices on behalf of
their child
Early Support:
There is a national programme for screening all new-born babies for hearing loss. Once a
child has a diagnosis of a hearing loss the audiology paediatrician will refer the family to the.
local authority’s support service for children and young people with a hearing impairment.
Often very young babies are referred to services and there is a strong emphasis on working
together with families to meet the needs of the children. Qualified teachers of the deaf and
support staff have received additional training in working with young children to support
families and colleagues in early years settings.
They provide the following early support:
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Written information outlining the services available, locally and nationally, for families
with newly diagnosed babies
Contact with new families, at the confirmation of diagnosis meeting or within 1 to 3
working days
Detailed information to families about all aspects of hearing loss
Joint working for deaf children with additional needs, including joint visits and
assessment with other pre-school support services e.g. portage
Opportunities for families and pre-school children to meet regularly
Evaluation of hearing aid use at home
Regular home visits / support programmes
Training for early year’s providers and individual settings as required
Direct support and advice in settings
Contribution to the statutory assessment process when appropriate
Support on transition to school
School Aged Children:
The majority of deaf children attend their local mainstream primary and high school.
For some children a specialist placement may be needed to enable them to participate fully
in school, therefore:
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Some children attend schools with resourced provision for hearing impaired children.
The primary provision is located at Lower Darwen Primary school and the secondary
at St Wilfrid’s C.E. Academy
A small number of children attend out of borough schools for the deaf to access
specialist provision
Some pupils with additional learning needs attend local authority specialist provision
Communication Approaches
The Communication Approaches available in Blackburn with Darwen are outlined below. It
is important that families understand that they can change a communication approach if they
wish, and the first choice they make is not necessarily a choice for life.
In Blackburn with Darwen we embrace the diversity of the families within the borough and
seek to reflect their culture and heritage when supporting them to make choices about their
child’s language development.
1. Auditory-oral approach
Aims to develop speaking and listening in deaf children.
Benefit:
This approach emphasises the use of hearing aids, radio aids and cochlear implants to
make the best use of any hearing a deaf child has (residual hearing). Most use lip-reading
to help a child’s understanding.
What can we offer in Blackburn with Darwen?
We can offer the following to support families who choose this method;
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Teachers of the Deaf to work with the family at home and at school
Training for family and staff in schools including good use of equipment i.e. hearing
aids, cochlear implants
Access to Deaf Role Models and family support groups through local voluntary
services e.g. East Lancashire Deaf Society
Access to Speech and Language Therapy
Specialist resourced provision for children and young people with a significant
hearing loss
Considerations for parents and as a family in choosing this approach
You will need to encourage your child to use their hearing aids or implant consistently in
order to support the best use of their hearing and listening as you go about your daily
activities and experiences together.
2. Bilingualism
A bilingual approach uses sign and spoken language.
Benefit:
British Sign Language (BSL) is a totally visual language so being deaf need not affect your
child’s ability to learn the language. This approach provides a choice of communication, BSL
or spoken language which will allow your child to communicate effectively in any situation.
At school children’s spoken English may be supported with signs taken from BSL. When
signs are used to support English in this way it is known as Sign Supported English (SSE).
SSE is used to add clarity to what is being said and may be necessary in situations where
there is background noise or distance between the child and the speaker. It is not a
recognised language.
In the early years children may be encouraged to use Makaton, which provides visual
support to spoken language for key words. It is not a recognised language.
What can we offer in Blackburn with Darwen?
We can offer the following to support families who choose this method;
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Teachers of the Deaf to work with the family at home and at school
Training for families and staff in schools including good use of equipment i.e. hearing
aids, cochlear implants
Access to Deaf Role Models and family support groups through local voluntary
services e.g. East Lancashire Deaf Society
Access to Speech and Language Therapy.
Specialist resourced provision for children and young people with a profound loss
Teachers of the Deaf and support staff with BSL and Signed English qualifications to
work with the family at home, in the early years and at school
Considerations for parents and as a family in choosing this approach
Both you and the wider family will need to commit to learning BSL so that you can become
fluent enough to use it in your daily lives. Just as the professionals working with you and
your child need to be skilled in supporting your child’s communication and language in
signed bilingual approach, you too must be able to provide a good sign bilingual
communication environment.
In Blackburn with Darwen we believe that children and young people choosing a bilingual
approach should be placed in a school community where sign language is extensively used
by both other pupils and staff. Currently this provision is available in out of borough specialist
provision.
3. Total communication:
This approach uses a combination of methods to communicate with a deaf child. It involves
good amplification, auditory-oral communication, lip-reading, natural gesture and facial
expression, signs and fingerspelling. Some children may also need alternative or
augmentative systems such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS),
which is a system that uses pictures or symbols in order for a child to be able to
communicate their wants and needs.
Benefit:
This method combines the use of manual and oral methods. The aim is to teach the child to
communicate in any way that is successful for them.
What can we offer in Blackburn with Darwen?
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Access to Deaf Role Models and family support groups through local voluntary
services e.g. East Lancashire Deaf Society
Access to Speech and Language Therapy
Specialist resourced provision for children and young people with a significant
hearing loss
Teachers of the Deaf and support staff with BSL and Sign Supported English
qualifications to work with the family at home, in the early years and at school
Considerations for parents:
You will need to commit to learning whatever signing system your child is using so that you
become skilled enough to support and encourage their communication development as their
own skills grow. You will also need to manage their amplification well to make sure they can
benefit from the spoken environment. It will be important for you to understand the way in
which Total Communication is being used in your child’s school so that you can approach it
similarly at home. The whole family will need to learn about Total Communication so that
your child can communicate effectively and be involved fully in family life.
Partnership Working:
The range of services involved with children and young people with a hearing impairment is
committed to the following:
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Providing parents with understanding and knowledge about hearing impairment so
that they can recognise and meet their child’s / young person’s communication needs
Listening to the child / young person and helping them to develop an understanding
of their communication approach and skills required
Providing schools and early years settings with information regarding aspects of
language development as appropriate for individual children and young people
Helping school staff to understand how to facilitate communication and to feel
competent and confident in doing this
Providing training opportunities to meet a child/young person’s individual needs
Accompanying parents to children’s audiology appointments to support their
understanding of information regarding the management, use and effectiveness of
their child’s audiological provision
Working closely with the Cochlear Implant Service for those children who have a
cochlear implant or are undergoing assessment regarding cochlear implantation. In
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many instances joint school and home visits will be carried out by local teachers of
the deaf with team members from the Cochlear Implant Service
Working together to assess and monitor children’s progress and to plan and deliver
appropriate interventions.
Promoting the range of services and information provided by local and national
voluntary agencies
Websites you may find useful:
NDCS (National Deaf Children's Society)
www.ndcs.org.uk
East Lancashire Deaf Society
www.elds.org.uk
School of sign language
www.schoolofsignlanguage.com
Parents in Partnership
www.bwd.pip1@gmail.com