There are 35,000 children in the UK who are either deaf or have some form of hearing impairment. For them, even the simple act of looking at a book can be a challenge.
Sharing a book with a child usually involves reading aloud, discussing the story, making animal sounds and using different voices, asking and answering questions. If the child cannot perceive sound, then the whole experience has to be tackled from a different perspective.
A deaf child is just as curious and eager to learn as any other, but can easily feel isolated or left out. Capturing their attention and maintaining concentration levels may prove more difficult than usual, so it is important to give one-to-one individual attention, allow plenty of time, and always sit with the child facing you to see your face and lips.
They may have difficulty with more complicated vocabulary and grammar, so stories should be stimulating and interesting but always chosen to match the individual child's own stage of development and understanding.
Books with clear, colourful pictures and plenty of visual or textural interest are a good place to start. Lift-the-flaps, mirrors, pop-up and touchy-feely books can help to give deaf children access to the same sense of magic and wonder that comes easily to the hearing child.
As they start to show an interest in the story itself, deaf children need to see images of characters like themselves portrayed in as natural a way as possible. Positive images of disability in all its forms help to build confidence and self-esteem, and contribute to a general awareness and acceptance among all children, so those with disabilities are less likely to be treated differently.
Many deaf children and their parents and siblings learn to sign. British Sign Language can help the child to develop communication skills and confidence, and there are many books and resources available which can assist.
The national Bookstart scheme's Booktouch pack is already widely available to blind and partially sighted children and it will be launching its newest pack, Bookshine, for under-fives in 2008. It is now under development, in liaison with the National Deaf Children's Society and parents, and will contain two carefully selected early years books, advice on how to share books with a deaf child, a recommended booklist and a nursery rhyme placemat, all with images of children and BSL signs.
- Viv Hampshire is library and outreach worker at Barra Hall Children's Centre in Hayes, Middlesex.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
- Usborne Touchy Feely series (EDC Publishing, £5) Lovely chunky books for the very young, relying on touch and textures rather than words or sound.
- My First Animal Signs by Anthony Lewis (Child's Play, £4.99) A colourful board book to help children learn simple signs. Positive images include a child wearing a hearing aid. Other books by the same author highlight mealtime and playtime signs.
- Baby Signs Feelings (Wow Babies, Forest Books £4.99). A simple board book showing the facial expressions and signs that tell us when someone is happy, hungry and so on.
- Little Space Explorers illustrated by Anthony Lewis (Child's Play, £4.99). With the bonus of a double-sided figure who can slip into pockets throughout the book, this includes a character who wears a hearing aid.
- Lucy Loud and Clear by Laila Lavan and Beatriz Iglesias (Topka, £10) The story of a deaf child who is responding spiritedly to being teased. Dual-lingual (English-Spanish) and available from www.topkabooks.com.
- Moonbird by Joyce Dunbar (Doubleday, £10.33). A fairy tale about a young prince who is deaf. The Moonbird teaches him how to use his hands and eyes to communicate.
- Let's Sign series (British Sign Language, £13.99) A range of books, flashcards and other resources to help build signing vocabulary.
LINKS TO EYFS GUIDANCE
- UC 1.2 Inclusive Practice
- UC 1.1 Child Development
- UC 1.4 Health and Wellbeing
- EE 3.2 Supporting Every Child
USEFUL WEBSITES
- www.ndcs.org.uk The National Deaf Children's Society provides helpful advice and resources to parents and professionals.
- www.bookstart.co.uk Bookstart gives free books to all children under the age of five and provides useful advice on book-sharing and choosing inclusive books to meet different needs.
- www.childreninthepicture.org.uk This project aims to encourage writers, illustrators and publishers to embrace diversity and include images of children with disabilities in stories for young readers.
- www.britishsignlanguage.com With the help of moving images, learn how to sign simple everyday words and phrases, including colours, numbers, feelings, weather and days of the week.
