Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment

The Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment supports children, young people and their families across the age ranges from birth to 25 years. Referrals are taken from NHS Audiology and the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme.

The Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment consists of Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (ToD), a Deaf Instructor, Specialist Technical Support Officers, specialist Learning Support Assistants and Communication Support Officers. 

What can the service do for me and my child?

The service can help you with:

Language Acquisition
We can offer a range of communication methods to help support you and your child that is bespoke to each family for example British Sign Language (BSL), Sign Supported English (SSE), Total Communication or Oral.

Language Development 
We help to develop your child's language using specialist language assessments and targets. If a child is not yet in school these targets would be set with the family. If the child is in school the targets would be set with the school and the family. 

Social and Emotional Needs
Your child's Deaf Instructor / Teacher of the Deaf will will help you to understand what it is like to be Deaf and the impact this may have.

Psycho-acoustic Assessment
If a child has hearing aids their aids will be tested every term by Specialist Technical Support Officers who will ensure the equipment is working.

PHIG (Pre-School Hearing Impaired Group) - FREE Session at Wheatley Family Hub

  • PHIG is a fortnightly session that runs at Wheatley Family Hub on a Thursday for Deaf Pre- School children.
  • This is a FREE Service which is run by a Teacher of the Deaf (Early Years Specialist) and is often attended by other members of the team including a Deaf Instructor. Other professionals often attend too, including an NHS Speech and Language Therapist.
  • The session involves activities, signing, singing and gives parents the chance to have a chat with each other.
We send out a fortnightly PHIG Newsletter to parents via email. If you would like to receive this newsletter, or have any questions about PHIG, please contact us.

Professionals working with children and young people with a Hearing Impairment

If you are working with children and young people with a Hearing Impairment, the service can offer in-service training whether this is whole school or bespoke. The service will also support professionals with:

  • SEN support plan process 
  • Asses, Plan, Do, Review process
  • EHCP involvement
  • Transition 

Hearing Impaired Additionally Resourced Centres (HI ARCs)

The majority of deaf students attend mainstream school. However, for some students (those with an EHCP) a Hearing Impaired Additionally Resourced Centre (HI ARC) might be more suitable to their needs. There are two HI ARCs in Doncaster which provide an inclusive, mainstream environment where the students have full-time access to Qualified Teachers of the Deaf in addition to specially trained Learning Support Assistants, Communication Support Workers and a Deaf Instructor. 

Useful Information

Equipment care

Please remember to store & dispose of batteries safely. Keep them out of reach of young children/ those who are vulnerable. (If you suspect or know someone has swallowed a battery, they need to go to A&E straight away).

Audiology services

Doncaster Royal Infirmary Children’s Audiology

  • Phone- 01302 642763 (call and leave a voicemail with your child's name, DOB and what you need)
  • Text- 07542 028058 (do NOT call this number, they have no facility to answer or listen to voicemails)
  • Email- dbth.childrens.audiology@nhs.net

Sheffield Children’s Audiology

Sheffield Children’s Audiology are able offer some limited telephone appointments and provide some postal service – you can contact them via email if you feel it is urgent: sch.audiologyreferrals@nhs.net. 

For enquiries relating to batteries, hearing aid repairs or ear moulds contact: 07854 089810.

Please visit their website for answers to FAQs.

Deaf Charities 

How (and what) we hear

  • Process of Hearing - a short video clip by MED-EL about how the process of hearing works 
  • Hearing Loss Simulator - provides an idea about what it may sound like for someone to hear with a hearing loss

Product support and equipment

Support for Cochlear Implant Users (instruction books/ videos)

Support for Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) wearers

Resources

  • The Listening Room - website developed by Phonak & Advanced Bionics (AB) which contains free resources and ideas to support deaf children’s spoken language and listening development for all ages
  • Book Trust - great books which are read aloud. Some have signing included
  • Nottingham Auditory Implant Programme (NAIP) information 
  • Advanced Bionics listening resources - supporting all children with a hearing loss – all housed in one webpage which can be accessed by logging in
  • BabyBeats™ - an early intervention resource to encourage babies to learn to listen, and to love sound!
  • See hear BBC- an online magazine highlighting the latest issues and showcasing a range of programmes aimed at the Deaf community

Communication approaches

British Sign Language (BSL)

 

Contact

For further information about the Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment, please contact:

hearingsupport@doncaster.gov.uk

Useful Links

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Last updated: 23 April 2024 00:19:55

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