CEY1722

Supplementary written evidence submitted by National Deaf Children’s Society

Early years support to deaf children

National Deaf Children’s Society research briefing (April 2023)

This briefing summarises our key points from evidence on early years support for deaf children. It sets out how early identification, followed by high-quality family-centred early intervention provided by specialists in deafness, is key to deaf children’s development.

Introduction

Deafness is not in itself a learning disability. It follows that there is no reason why most deaf children should not achieve the same range of outcomes as other children, providing they receive the right support, right from the start.

However, deafness is a significant risk factor for the optimal development of language and communication. How children develop language and communication strongly influences how they do at school, the quality of friendships they form, their emotional wellbeing, their employment prospects and so on[1].

Whilst they can provide access to sound for many deaf children, it is important to remember that hearing aids, cochlear implants and other hearing devices do not ‘cure’ deafness or completely mitigate the impact of hearing loss.

In 2022, 34% of deaf children in England achieved a ‘good level of development’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage, compared to 65% of other children[2].

Importance of early years on deaf children’s development

We know that the period between the ages of 0 to 2 is particularly crucial for children’s later development[3].

During this time of rapid growth, babies’ brains are shaped by their experiences, particularly the interactions they have with their parents and other caregivers. The quality and quantity of these interactions, along with access to a rich and fluent language environment within the home, is critical to language development. Research has shown that the home learning environment plays the most important role in a child’s learning and development and is a key predictor of a child’s future success[4].

Newborn hearing screening has been instrumental in helping to ensure deaf children can achieve better outcomes because it means intervention can take place sooner during the critical periods for children’s development[5]. However, this is contingent on there being robust pathways and sufficient resourcing in place. This is why it’s important there are robust quality assurance programmes in place to make sure that deafness is identified as early and as accurately as possible across the UK.

There is sometimes a view that sign language interferes with the development of spoken language or vice versa[6]. This is not the case. What is important is deaf children have access to a rich language environment in the home that enables them to develop language, regardless of what approach is being used.

Spoken language outcomes are best when deaf children have optimal auditory access through the consistent use of appropriately fitted hearing devices and are exposed to a rich spoken language environment. However, some evidence suggests that some families are less confident in this area or underestimate the amount of time that hearing technology is being used in practice[7].

Importance of support to parents of deaf children

Parental engagement with intervention is a highly significant predictor of successful outcomes for deaf children[8]. However, more than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents[9]. There is often a significant gap in their knowledge of deafness and confidence. Evidence has found, for example, that parents may feel less confident or may ‘simplify’ their language with deaf children resulting in a poorer language environment[10].

More widely, the level of maternal education, the socio-economic status of families, and the mental state of the primary caregivers are all highly significant contributory factors to child outcomes[11].

Early year programmes should therefore aim to develop and promote self-efficacy and parental confidence. Programmes that are ‘family-centred’ and which secure the full engagement and involvement of families, based on their needs and strengths, have also been found to positively impact children’s language development and social skills development[12].

We believe that the specialist knowledge held by qualified and well-trained Teachers of the Deaf means that they are well-placed to provide this support to families with deaf children in the early years. For this reason, we believe that Teachers of the Deaf should be regarded as the key professionals in early years for deaf children in local areas. 

More information

Best practices in family-centred early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing: An international consensus statement[13]

June 2023