How to be a deaf friendly teacher!

1. How to be a deaf friendly teacher! St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

2. What makes a deaf friendly teacher? Source: NDCS St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

3. 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 Way Main source NDCS St. Paul's Way School Deaf Support Base. C.Dew

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

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