November 2018

Your is Diane Matthews…………..

Helpful Hints for

Pre-school settings.

Effective working with children with hearing loss

Documentation prepared by Trafford Sensory Impairment Support Service: TSISS (0161 912 5526)

November 2018

Communication

What can I do to support communication? Get down to the child’s level so they can see your face, facial

expressions and lip-patterns. Speak at normal speed and loudness. Use short phrases. Use child directed speech as normal in this setting Use natural gestures and facial expressions as these convey

meaning. Do not exaggerate lip-patterns.

How can I improve the learning environment?Background noise is always going to be present in a pre-school setting. However, there are a few things that can be done to improve the listening environment:

Make sure lighting is good, so that the child can see the speaker’s face clearly.

Reduce noise: by shutting doors onto noisy corridors, shutting windows if there is heavy noisy traffic.

Reduce noise by using soft furnishings: curtains, rugs, blinds, carpets, rubber chair leg tips.

November 2018

How can I promote interaction.Effective interaction will help develop language and communication skills.

Use child directed speech within a play context. Let the child take the lead in the play where relevant and use their

interests to generate opportunities for conversation and learning language.

Support interaction by using intonation, natural gesture and facial expression and body language.

Use state of mind language: “I think…”, “I wonder if…” Use the language of emotions to support situations that the child is

in.

November 2018

How can I be sure that the child hears me?You can become familiar with the child’s hearing aid or implant so that you can maintain the best listening conditions.

Check aids or implants daily: see your Teacher of the Deaf Carry spare batteries: parents should provide these Ask for training from TSISS In form the parents if you feel that the child is not responding to

sound as well as you would expect: they might want to have hearing checked with the audiologist

Keep background noise down where possible

This is a stetoclip to test the hearing aid: connect the tube to the hearing aid elbow.

This is a puffer to get rid of moisture in the tube and mould; connect the puffer to the tubing and

Packets of spare batteries. Make sure parents let you have some spares.

November 2018

How can I include the deaf child? Use lots of visual support for learning: pictures, photos, videos,

dvds, models and concrete objects Cue the child into the topic: what does he/she already know? Start

from here, create a meaningful context. Introduce new topic and ideas with care: support with visual

materials and practical tasks. Identify the KEY WORDS that you are going to use and think of

ways that you can repeat and use them through your activity. The more the child hears the word the more likely they are to understand it and use it.

Use photos, recordings to create social stories that can be watched back, talked about and used to embed ideas and language.

Books, Books, BooksStory books are a vital part of a child’s language learning experience.

Autumn table

Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch

Owl Babies

November 2018

Choose an appropriate book. Think about the level of language used init and how complex the story is. Will the child have some of their own experiences to bring to the activity?

Share books regularly and keep going back to favourite books to nourish the love of story and books in general.

When telling a story use lots of visual support if possible: masks, puppets, models, pictures, acting out…

Read aloud using natural language patterns and intonation to carry meaning.

Use facial expression and natural gesture to convey meaning. Act out and retell the story.

Ask questions

Ask “Dialogic” reading questions to probe understanding. Use a variety of question types and where appropriate in terms of age and stage move past literal questioning.

Then extend to …….

Where is the duck?

What is the boy doing?

Who is pushing the swing?

Why is he crying?

When did he go to sleep?

What might he do next?

How is he feeling?

Who could help him?

November 2018

How can I include the child at carpet time?

Seat the children in a circle so they can see each other’s faces.

Manage the conversation : children should speak one at a time, the teacher should name the next speaker, repeat/recast questions that the child does not seem to understand, summarise at intervals.

November 2018

How can I include the child in trips out?

Prepare the child with pictures, photos of where they are going. Talk about what they will see and support with visual materials. Talk about what they need to wear and why. Talk about what they will do there. Record the trip with photographs or video to look at later as a

visual reminder.