Most deaf children are born with the same ability to develop language (whether signed or spoken) as any other child. Whatever their stage of development, the way you communicate with your child can make a big difference.
The term deaf can be used to describe all levels of hearing loss in children, from mild to profound. Hearing losses are common in children. Although the cause and severity can vary, and may be temporary or permanent, all children with a hearing loss will have to work harder to listen and learn.
Sensorineural deafness is a hearing loss in the inner ear. This usually means that the cochlea in the inner ear is not working effectively, and this is a permanent type of hearing loss.
Conductive deafness means that sound cannot pass efficiently through the outer and middle ear into the inner ear. This is often caused by blockages such as wax in the outer ear, or fluid in the middle ear (glue ear).
Glue ear is a very common condition, especially in pre-school children. 8 out of 10 children will experience glue ear before the age of 10. Children with a cleft palate or Down Syndrome can be particularly susceptible to glue ear. Most conductive losses such as glue ear are temporary, but some can be permanent.
Help your child’s hearing and listening by making your home as listening friendly as possible by:
There are many different types of technology that can support your child to access sound. You can find out more about what is available using the link below
While this equipment can significantly improve your child's hearing, it cannot completely replicate the process of hearing sounds, so extra consideration will still be needed to support them at home and in any setting.
Use the link below for more tips and advice on keeping your baby or young child's hearing technology on:
Gain your child's attention before you start to speak by calling their name or tapping them gently on the arm, so that they have the best chance to hear and understand what you’re saying.
Repeat, repeat, repeat! Deaf children will need to hear new words again and again, in different situations. Talk about what they are doing or looking at.
Make the most of opportunities such as routines to model language. For example, washing hands can include action words like 'wash', 'dry' and 'turn', object names including 'tap', 'water' and 'soap' and concepts like 'wet', 'dry', 'full', 'empty', 'all gone', 'hot', 'cold', 'clean', 'dirty', 'on' and 'off'. Choose 1 or 2 to focus on for a while and when the child is sure of those, you can introduce some more.
BBC Tiny Happy People - washing hands - learning and chatting
New vocabulary can be challenging for children with hearing difficulties, as they can miss a lot of language that other children hear many times. Specifically teach new vocabulary – draw their attention to new words and explain their meaning. It is also important to check that they have accurately heard and remembered new vocabulary.
National Deaf Children's Society - communicating with your deaf baby or toddler
Children with a hearing loss may need extra support to develop their speech, language and communication skills. Please look at relevant levels of the pyramid for further information on specific areas of communication.
Targets might include:
You can access Speech and Language support by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays).
