St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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How to be a deaf friendly teacher!

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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What makes a deaf friendly teacher?

Source: NDCS

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Some statistics

34,000: the estimated number of deaf children in the UK

90% of deaf children grow up in hearing families

80% of deaf children in England are educated in mainstream schools

40% of deaf children have additional needs 15: the number of deaf children in St. Paul’s

WayMain source NDCS

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Types of deafness

Some children are born deaf (congenital) and others may become deaf (acquired) due to illnesses such as meningitis. There are two main types of deafness:

Conductive: the most common type, it is often caused by a build up of fluid in the middle ear. It may clear up or it may develop into a long term condition.

Sensori-neural: usually caused by loss or damage to the hair cells in the cochlea. This may be genetic or due to diseases like mumps, measles or rubella. This damage is permanent.

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Degrees of deafness Mild: Would hear music from a stereo, but may not hear

whispered conversation

Moderate: Would hear a telephone ringing, but may be unable to hear a baby crying

Severe: Would hear drums playing, but may be unable to hear a dog barking

Profound: Would hear a plane, but not a telephone ringing

Source: British Society of Audiology 1988

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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The Impact of Deafness

Language development: Deaf children may not hear all of the individual

sounds in a word. It is common for them to leave out word endings like ‘s’ or ‘ed’

They may have a limited vocabulary because they cannot hear conversations going on around them

They may struggle when one word has several meanings eg. Catch a cold, catch a ball, the catch on the gate

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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The Impact of Deafness (cont)A deaf child may become frustrated if they cannot communicate effectively or if they do not understand what is happening around them. This may affect their opportunity to:

Learn appropriate social behaviour incidentally Communicate effectively with others Initiate conversations Use appropriate language in differing social

situations Be fully included in large groups Express their feelings and emotions Develop confidence and self esteem

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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What can we do? Create opportunities

for deaf children to mix with their peers

Promote good communication skills within the classroom

Consider your seating plan and where you stand in the classroom

Source: NDCS

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Top Tips for Communication in the Classroom Make sure you have the deaf child’s attention

before starting to speak Don’t shout! This distorts your lip pattern and

may be painful for hearing aid users Don’t talk for ages as it can be tiring for the deaf

child to lip read for long periods Use gesture and facial expression to aid

understanding Encourage other children to put their hand up to

speak and to speak one at a time

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Top Tips for Positioning in the Classroom Make sure the pupil sits near to the

teacher, but it is important they can see other pupils too

Try not to wander around when you are talking, the pupil may not be able to see you

Don’t stand with your back to the window, you will be difficult to lip read

Don’t speak as you are writing on the board again

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Top Tips for Teaching Use lots of visual clues

to aid understanding Write key words on

the board Make sure the deaf

child knows when there is a new topic of conversation

Source:NDCS

St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

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Tips for Using the Radio Aid Make sure its switched

on! Switch off when you

are having a conversation the deaf child does not need to hear

Turn it off if you shout