Disability is not Inability

::Pre-schools - Information for teachers and educationists
02 February 2006

The first few years are a crucial development phase, which do much to shape a child's life chances. Early years education has a positive effect on young children's cognitive development.
Early identification of deaf children
For many years the importance of early identification of deaf children has been recognised. Early diagnosis of deafness enables families and professionals to begin to work together on behalf of the child before a substantial language and communication deficit builds up.
Deafness at Birth
Early identification and effective early intervention offers the best chance for deaf children's language and communication skills.
The material on the website is a form of on-line training. It is a resource which can be used flexibly to support:
• Training and information for individuals to inform their own work.
• Local education authorities and others providing short courses and professional development.
• Universities and other agencies currently developing formal training courses in this area.
All families of deaf children, including those whose children are identified later as deaf, need sensitive and effective support through pre-school years so they can make informed choices about communication options and the education of their child.
The benefits of early identification of deaf children include:
• Caseloads of those professionals working with the families of young deaf children will increase as babies are identified earlier than previously.
• The duration of the pre-school family/professional partnership will be longer.
• Professionals who have been used to working with deaf children aged two to five years and their families will be asked to work for the first time with very young deaf babies. (Many teachers and other professionals have already worked with babies aged six to nine months.)
• Some babies will be referred earlier for cochlear implantation.
• Any additional disability will be detected earlier.
• Communication through signing can begin earlier for those babies whose parents choose to use British Sign Language or sign communication to support spoken language.

Category: Education

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