Specialist Teaching Service

The Hearing Impairment Team accepts that the majority of children in Leicestershire are educated using an auditory oral means of communication. In order that the hearing-impaired child achieves his/her full potential the Team recognises the role of parents as fundamental to the development of the child. When working with parents the Specialist Teaching Service, Hearing Impairment Team aims to:

• Establish an effective partnership with parents which will foster positive image and attitudes towards their child, his/her development and education.
   
• Provide information and advice about the nature and degree of their child's hearing loss in order that parents may gain increasing knowledge and understanding of the implications of hearing loss, growth of language and communication skills, normal child development and the fundamental necessity of good hearing aid use.
   
• Explore the Hearing Impairment Team's policies and practices with parents in such a way that they understand the importance of their role in their child's current and future provision and learning outcomes.
   
• Help parents to understand and actively participate in their child's pre-school and later education, including their role in supporting language and listening through the approach to language which is deemed most appropriate.
   
• Encourage parents to create in the home and community an environment which promotes the child's development in communication and language.
   
• Promote the aims of the Hearing Impairment Team in order to help parents of hearing-impaired children understand and actively participate in the education of their child.
   
• Provide information about other agencies in the public and voluntary sector which operate to meet the needs of deaf children and their families.
   
• Provide a source of expert knowledge and long-term support for parents from diagnosis and to continue throughout their child's education.
   
• Listen to parental concerns and respect their child and his/her needs, then respond to the individual needs of parents and their child, to enable the family to provide for their child in the context of their family culture.
   
• Enable parents to manage and maintain their child's hearing equipment in the early years but to encourage the child to take on this responsibility for himself/herself.
   
• Provide information about statutory procedures involved in the provision of a Statement of Special Educational Needs, its Review and Individual Education Plan.
   
• Inform parents of the child's progress linguistically, educationally and socially to encourage them to offer opportunities which will facilitate continued development throughout the child's educational career in order that the child may realise his/her full potential.
   
• Liaise with schools and parents so they may set realistic goals of the hearing-impaired child and help them encourage the child to make choices for their own independent development