National Deaf Children's Society

Advice from education experts and the experience of parents of deaf children come together in a new practical guide, Helping your deaf child to learn, produced by the National Deaf Children's Society. It covers a range of topics including playtime, toys, reading and sharing books, television, video and subtitles, writing, numbers and maths. It suggests that such everyday events as bath time, mealtimes and shopping trips can help to develop deaf children's vocabulary, use of language and understanding of the world around them. Activities such as making jigsaw puzzles, dressing up, and measuring and labelling objects in the home are also useful vehicles to introduce size, shape and concepts such as big and small. Gwen Carr, director of NDCS UK services, said, 'Language is the key to learning not just at school but also in life generally. Friendships and social situations also depend on children knowing what to say and how to say it. This handbook gives valuable tips on how to encourage and nurture those vital language skills.'