Specialist Inclusion Team - Sensory Support Hearing
What do we do?
We are a team made up of Teachers of the Deaf and Specialist Learning Practitioners. We hold qualifications and/or have a lot of experience working with Children and Young People (CYP) who are deaf.
We offer support to any CYP who are deaf from birth to the time they leave school and beyond. The range of deafness experienced by the CYP may be mild, moderate, severe or profound in degree and some may have additional needs that are sometimes complex.
What services and support can we offer?
The service provides a range of services tailored to the needs individual deaf CYP. These are:
- We support families right from the point their baby or child is diagnosed with a hearing loss, helping them to understand their child’s hearing levels and the implications for their development.
- We run ‘Fieldmice’, a support group for pre-school children and their families.
- Offer Family Sign language classes in the home or virtually.
- Advice and/or train teachers and support staff in a range of educational settings on deaf awareness strategies for the classroom and any changes needed to the curriculum.
- Communicate with health services, including Ear Nose Throat (ENT) surgeons, Audiology, Midlands Hearing Implant Programme and Speech and Language Therapy.
- Ensure CYP have optimally working hearing aids.
- Conduct observations and functional hearing tests to track impact of deafness.
- Provide advice on the need for and functioning of extra listening devices such as radio aids.
- Teach deaf CYP.
- Communicate with other specialist teams (e.g. vision, early years, EHC Assessment Team), settings and parents.
- Support social and emotional development/skills for good mental health and self-esteem.
- Track progress and attend annual review meetings and target setting meetings.
Who to speak to
To get in touch then please contact:
- Heather Brindley: Heather.Brindley@walsall.gov.uk
- Heena Chauhan: Heena.Chauhan@walsall.gov.uk
- Ruth Thomas: Ruth.Thomas@walsall.gov.uk
