Nursery World - A Unique Child: Inclusion

New quality standards for supporting deaf children have been published, writes Annette Rawstrone

For many families, finding out that their child is deaf is a huge shock. More than 90 per cent of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have no experience of deafness, which can make the diagnosis and subsequent choices overwhelming and worrying.

With more than 45,000 deaf children in the UK – the term ‘deaf’ is used to refer to all levels of hearing loss in children, including a partial or total loss of hearing – the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) has stressed that early years settings have an important role in guiding parents who are adjusting to their children living with deafness and in helping children reach their potential. The care deaf children receive at nursery can affect their later development and ability to lead independent lives.

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