FAQs

These are some of the questions suggested to us by parents of deaf children.

Is sign or speech better for my deaf child?

Where can I learn British Sign Language?
My child is having a cochlear implant – is there any point learning to sign?
How can I get my child to enjoy reading?
How can I get my child to concentrate during storytelling?
My child shows no interest in reading or even books. What can I do?
What are pre-reading skills?
My child knows the basics of reading – how can I further her/his skills?
My children always want the same story over and over again!
Help! I’m not a very good reader…
My child is 15 – isn’t storytelling just for little kids?
My son does after-reading activities at school – he’s an only child, so how can we do this at home?
How can I keep my deaf child’s interest while we’re reading?
Are there books with deaf characters in them?

Is sign or speech better for my deaf child?

This is usually one of the first questions parents ask and it’s an important decision because your child’s academic and social development will depend on effective communication.

Signed Stories gives you support with whichever option you choose – our stories are performed in British Sign Language, but there is the full text of the story and a voiceover. Deaf children who learn to sign and speak in parallel can develop better communication abilities.

Teaching your children to communicate effectively at a young age will increase their self esteem and they will feel confident talking to both deaf and hearing people.

Where can I learn British Sign Language?

You can learn BSL at colleges, universities, night classes, deaf centres and clubs. There are professional qualifications to be gained and lots of resources. Forest Books offer a huge range of sign language books, DVD’s, CD’s and videos to help you build your signing skills. See More About BSL.

My child is having a cochlear implant – is there any point learning to sign?

This issue has fuelled a lot of debate, and sorry there’s no clear-cut answer. It depends entirely on your child and your family.

Research carried out by the Ear Foundation on a group of deaf children with cochlear implants revealed a mixture of views on this issue. About one fifth of those interviewed described themselves as hearing, and the rest either deaf or deaf and hearing.

Many people use speech with hearing friends and sign with deaf friends. As parents you will make the decision for your children – so you might want to use both and let your child choose which they prefer when they’re old enough.

And have a look at some of the research about the benefits of learning sign language.

How can I get my child to enjoy reading?

Firstly, don’t always expect your children to enjoy the books you read and enjoyed. There are plenty of excellent modern children’s books available – many of them on the site. You might not know the books – but they might be perfect for your children.

And remember that stories are more than just books. Tell stories about when you were a child, looking through family photographs.

Reading isn’t just about books either. Don’t forget about newspapers and magazines, posters, comics, manuals - even song lyrics. Try to see things from their point of view – they might need to read about ‘real’ things as they try to understand the world around them.

Children are great imitators and seeing you read for enjoyment or purpose make children want to read too. This doesn’t mean you always have to be reading books – it can be activities like looking up numbers in a telephone directory, reading labels in the supermarket and checking bus timetables.

Learning to read is hard for many children – if reading becomes part of everyday experiences then children naturally learn it progressively over time. Follow your child’s lead – they’ll let you know what they like and you’ll know instinctively when you can start reading other, more difficult materials.

Choosing books your children enjoy will make it much easier to begin with – create happy enjoyable times, concentrate on the story for fun not just as education, so children look forward to this special time.

How can I get my child to concentrate during storytelling?

Deaf children can find it harder to concentrate than hearing children – they don’t get to enjoy the intonation in your voice which often adds to stories. And watching signs or lip-reading can be very tiring.

Short, simple stories will help at first – along with choosing subjects which you know interest your children.

Getting your children involved more in storytelling is a good way to maintain their interest. Let them choose the story, let them turn the pages, ask them questions about the text - and encourage discussion.

Adjusting the placement of signs helps introduce variety to the story. As you learn more signs and become comfortable using them you can change the way you present them – for example try finger spelling names on your child’s fingers.

Use actions instead of explanations. Focus on the gripping parts of the story to keep your children on the edge and make the details colourful.

My child shows no interest in reading or even books. What can I do?

Your child might not be interested in books because s/he can’t relate to them – it might be useful to consider books that promote a positive image of deafness. Deaf author Joyce Dunbar, a supporter of Signed Stories, has written several books with deaf characters.

Short sessions of reading with you will give your children valuable practice in the skills they are learning. If they don’t show interest in books and stories perhaps they need more time spent playing with their pre-reading skills first.

What are pre-reading skills?

As with so much of their learning, children practise many of the skills they need for reading over a long period, starting years before they actually try to make sense of the printed word.

Practice conversation and turn-taking – this will add to children’s learning of sign language, help them learn lip patterns for the future if they want to lip-read, and also reinforce the structure of English as a spoken language.

You can also start to build up a range of vocabulary which prepares them for many words they will see in print later.

Show them the signs and write the words for unfamiliar objects

Use ‘describing’ and ‘emotion’ words

Provide lots of print to reinforce the association between signs and words

My child knows the basics of reading – how can I further her/his skills?

Continue to encourage your child to read and re-read books so the interest in them doesn’t wane. Encourage your child to read both aloud to you and silently.

This is also a good time to start improve the accuracy and comprehension with your child – ask about the meaning of words, talk more in depth about the characters, what happened in the story and how this made them feel.

Teach your child the meaning of words and signs together.

My children always want the same story over and over again!

Don’t worry! Children enjoy familiarity so repeating stories can be useful – they maintain concentration because they know that their favourite part is coming up next! To keep yourself sane during yet another reading of a favourite, it can be useful to create new adventures for the characters.

Try leaving other interesting books around the house – they might just decide to have a peek at it and want you to read it to them.

Help! I’m not a very good reader…

Your storytelling time will be very special to your child – and they will never criticise your skills! If you are using sign language, practise on your own and get familiar with the story before you read it together.

Reading to deaf children requires more animation and expression than a straight reading of a text. It’s an experience you can really get into. Look at how Signed Stories are presented – it’s much more a performance than a translation. Children love big gestures, and enjoy time with parents who ‘play act’ while they are reading stories.'

My child is 15 – isn’t storytelling just for little kids?

Most adults instinctively think of small children having ‘storytime’ - but shared storytelling can be beneficial for people of all ages. In the days before radio, TV and the Internet, the telling of stories was a pastime for all the family, adults just as much as children.

Signed Stories doesn’t group books into age categories – we encourage people of all ages to enjoy any of our stories.

My son does after-reading activities at school – he’s an only child, so how can we do this at home?

Activities can be as simple or as complicated as you like. It can be as easy as talking about the story during or after you’ve finished it, drawing pictures of the characters, reconstructing parts of the story by acting them out, imagining different extensions to the story – ‘what could happen next’ – or even writing new ones using the same characters.

How can I keep my deaf child’s interest while we’re reading?

Here are some suggestions from experts and other parents:

Sit so that your child can clearly see your face and the book. It is important that you keep both languages, BSL and the English visible.

Change your facial expressions to suit the personalities of the characters.  This will bring the story to life.

Spend time looking at the pictures.  Your child will make connections through pictures, signs and words.

Let your child interrupt a story to ask questions.  Interaction is a vital part of learning.

Try to connect concepts in the story to the real world – for example compare a dog in a story to one that your children see regularly.

Encourage and praise your child.

Make reading fun and separate from school work.

Ask your child questions about what the characters are doing or what might happen next. 

Introduce new words/signs gradually.  Use different pictures or objects to help understanding.

Repeat stories. Remember that language is learned in stages and sometimes they contain a lot of information which can be difficult to absorb in one go. Re-reading their favourite stories helps them remember new words and adds to the understanding of the story. Children are most comfortable with the familiar so each reading of their favourite story will build on the last.

Are there books with deaf characters in them?

There are many books with deaf and hard of hearing characters – click here for useful websites.

Deaf characters can be extremely useful for helping your child learn about their deafness in a non-threatening way. Books with characters that children can relate to opens their minds and provides scenarios in which they can live vicariously.

They’re also useful for explaining a child’s deafness to siblings, friends and family.

“Let children be children. A skilled five year old grows from a busy four year old, a curious three year old, a cuddled two year old, an adventurous one year old and a communicative baby.” 

(From the early-education.org website)