Tips from parents

There’s advice here from parents who are bringing up deaf children.

Using sign language

“Signing is too valuable a tool in educational settings not to be considered. It provides deaf children with information they would otherwise be deprived of if they received an oral-only education, no matter how excellent their communication abilities.”

“I now feel that using signing allowed our daughter to learn lip patterns and learn English grammar. I think she has actually become much more fluent in spoken English language because she used signing in the early years.”

Teach the words

“In the beginning they don’t have the words so you have to teach them…you really need to actively teach a deaf child so as to help him or her…to manage the frustration created by the deafness and by the lack of being able to express feelings."

An early bilingual approach helps

“Because of all the input at an early stage  - we’ve given him the words, given him the signs -  he’s now able to actually name his feelings and pinpoint them.”

Books are great language teaching aids

“If you can find a topic your child is interested in, it opens up a whole world of language development. My son learned the signs for colours and numbers through his love of trains and Thomas the Tank Engine.”

Getting deaf children to understand about danger

“One of our biggest worries as parents is always how to warn your children about dangers and with a deaf child it is so much harder because they don’t hear you or they don’t hear you properly. The best way to warn him of the dangers…is to enact the situation.”