Cochlear Implants Boost Childrens’ Early Learning
Monday, November 2nd, 2009The development of deaf children fitted with a cochlear implant is being profiled in a study at Malaga University, headed by Ignacio Moreno-Torres.
Three months after receiving an implant, all children profiled could recognise sounds in their immediate environment. Social and family factors were also analysed in the study for a more in-depth result.
Children become used [...]
IDK Celebrates National Volunteer Day At Libraries
Monday, September 28th, 2009To celebrate National Volunteer Day in association with Volunteer Centres Ireland, the first readings of the IDK childrens’ book, “A Birthday for Ben“, took place at two libraries in Dublin on Friday, September 25th.
In the morning the story’s creators gathered with volunteers and friends at Pearse Street Library to celebrate the release of the book, [...]
TranscribePod Make Podcasts Fully Accessible
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009Accessibility is a primary focus in modern education. Recent years have brought the introduction of new tools like CaptionTube (a captioning tool for YouTube videos), interactive whiteboards and now podcast transcripts.
Teachers and lecturers can face challenges in preparing for a class where a student has hearing issues. If a teacher is showing a video in [...]
Introducing Babies & Toddlers To Books & Reading
Saturday, June 13th, 2009Babies and toddlers need to become familiar with books before reaching school age, otherwise they will tend to associate books only with school.
Infants at home will be attracted to simple pictures in books, which can prompt their first item-and-word link, the initial step in language-learning.
Toddlers exposed to image-rich books and flash cards early on may [...]
Gaps In UK Support Services Identified By NDCS
Thursday, December 11th, 2008The NDCS’ Must Do Better! report cover (June 2008) shows a child holding a cat and saying, “When I grow up, I want to be a vet. Will you let me?”
Deafness is not a learning disability, as this report on UK services attests.
Instead, a collaborative approach by parents & teachers is the best response to any [...]
Parent Question: How Early To Teach Lip-reading
Monday, October 13th, 2008Lip-reading can be an imprecise science at times, but certain children and individuals find it’s a lifeline to understanding what’s said around them.
Babies naturally look at peoples’ faces when their attention is attracted, or they are spoken to. It’s never too early to teach lipreading, regardless of how a baby is going to communicate eventually.
Lipreading ability is known in babies [...]
Teaching Hearing Pupils About Deafness
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008Many school teachers would like how to teach their hearing pupils about deafness but are unsure how to proceed. Children with a classmate who’s deaf can be equally curious about what exactly is involved.
Depending on the age of the children in a school class, the concept of deafness can be taught in a few ways.
Children aged [...]
Deaf People Don’t Always ‘Fit The Box’
Sunday, July 27th, 2008Any deaf person will tell you they’re often ‘pigeon-holed’ by others who don’t understand deafness, or can’t see the abilities of the person they meet.
Deaf people can do most things - even if they don’t hear. They just communicate in different ways and encounter issues other people don’t.
Kellie Moody, a deaf competitor in the UK reality TV [...]
Natural Child-Family Language Development
Friday, July 18th, 2008With modern hearing-aids and cochlear implants, many deaf kids soak up language without any obvious reinforcement.
Some with cochlear implants even learn by overhearing incidentally.
Others need natural language practice with their families, at home or out and about. Simple interaction with your kids is what’s required.
The key points are:
Parents who understand their child’s deafness
Good amplification worn [...]
NDCS ‘Change Your World’ Survey Results
Sunday, May 4th, 2008The first-ever National Deaf Children’s Society ‘Change Your World’ survey, mentioned on IDK in January 2008, had some interesting results.
A total of 1,468 responses were received from deaf UK youngsters aged 9 to 18, with 255 responses from parents and 188 from professionals.
Key findings:
Levels of deafness had a strong impact on the responses
Deaf children and youngsters [...]