As a result of the universal neo-natal hearing screening programme which was introduced in Scotland in 2005, babies born with congenital deafness are now identified at the earliest possible stage. Around 1 to 2 babies in every 1000 are born with a permanent hearing loss in one or both ears. This equates to around 75 babies being born every year with permanent hearing loss in Scotland, around 5 of whom will be born with a bi-lateral severe to profound loss (Scottish Council on Deafness, www.scod.org.uk ). The parents of these children are offered advice and support which enables them to make timely choices about interventions to support their child’s speech and language, cognitive, and social and emotional development. The vast majority of these children will be known to the Sensory Support Service prior to starting nursery and support will be provided by Teachers of the Deaf and other services, such as Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Audiology and Educational Psychology as required.

 

However, it is estimated that approximately half of deaf children become deaf during childhood, and so there is a chance that a child in your care could have an undiagnosed hearing loss. Any hearing loss, even if it is temporary or mild, can have a detrimental impact on various aspects of development, and so early identification and intervention is crucial. The National Deaf Children’s Society www.ndcs.org.uk has produced guidance for staff working in early years establishments and schools on how to recognise signs of hearing loss:

 

The following pages provide more information on supporting children and young people with hearing loss:

• Deaf awareness and Understanding deafness
• Auditory Processing Disorder
• Signs of Hearing Loss
• Supporting Children and Young People
• Creating a Listening Environment
• Curricular Resources to Support Pupils with Hearing Loss
• Supporting Deaf Colleagues in the Workplace
• British Sign Language (BSL) and Fingerspelling Resources
• Videos and Webinars 
• Useful Links