Deafness

What do we mean by deafness?

Deafness is term used for all children with a diagnosis of mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss in one or both ears. This includes either permanent hearing loss or temporary hearing loss caused by Glue Ear. The hearing loss may be congenital (from birth) or acquired (become deaf later on in life) and it may be sudden loss through illness or injury or progressive meaning it gradually deteriorates over time. 

Glue Ear

Glue Ear is when the middle part of the ear canal fills up with fluid which can cause temporary hearing loss. If glue ear lasts a long time, it can affect a child’s speech development. More information can be found on the NHS Glue Ear webpage.
We also have a webinar on Glue Ear which can be found in the training pages of our website.


What can I do to help my child?

Every child has different levels of deafness and ways of communicating, here are some general tips to support all children with a hearing loss.

  • Try and reduce or remove background noise when talking at home or teaching in the classroom.
  • Make sure your face is visible and in the light, try to avoid standing infront of windows with the light behind you which makes face watching harder.
  • Speak clearly, you don’t need to shout or slow down.
  • Sign clearly or use natural gestures and facial expressions.

Consistent use and wearing of audiological equipment (hearing aids, cochlear implant processors) throughout the day will support listening, speech and language development.

Working with other services

The Speech and Language Therapy team work closely with Qualified Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People (QTOD) and Audiology Services.

The shared care pathway for children with a hearing loss diagnosis and for those who are considering cochlear implantation is available to view.

You can watch a BSL translation of the pathway for children with a hearing loss diagnosis: 

You can watch a BSL translation of the pathway for children who are considering cochlear implantation:

For pre-school aged children with any kind of hearing loss diagnosis, the Deaf and Hearing Support Service in Hertfordshire run a pre school group specifically for deaf children called CHICKS.

This group is run by a QTOD and by attending this group you will meet other parents with deaf children and can get advice or help. A speech and language therapist also visits the groups half termly to support families with any questions they may have about their child’s speech and language development.

Please email the service directly to find out more about CHICKS on dhssenquiries@hertfordshire.gov.uk  

Useful websites

National Deaf Children Society has lots of useful information on their including language and communication approaches:

BBC tiny happy people has a short video advice on helping your deaf baby or child to develop language

The Phoenix Group is a charity in Hertfordshire supporting deaf children and their families

Local Offer – Deaf and Hearing Support Service are a team of qualified specialists and teachers in Hertfordshire who support deaf children and young people aged 0-25.

How can we help you?

  1. Work with us
  2. Our services
  3. Children's services
  4. Adult services
  5. Make a referral