Deafness and Hearing Loss (Early Years)

Deafness or hearing loss refers to all levels and types of deafness and can be permanent or temporary.

The information below is particularly relevant for practitioners working with children in the early years or those at a similar developmental stage. 

‘Practitioners need to decide what they want children in their setting to learn, and the most effective ways to teach it. Practitioners must stimulate children’s interests, responding to each child’s emerging needs and guiding their development through warm, positive interactions coupled with secure routines for play and learning.’ (Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS 1.16)

Many children with hearing loss will have their needs identified early through the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme and will be supported by the SENSS Deaf and Hearing Support (DHS) team. Children may have a temporary hearing loss that fluctuates or a hearing loss that is permanent. Some children benefit from a hearing aid(s) or other amplification devices.

Some younger children may have needs that go unrecognised until they reach a group setting or are expected to undertake tasks that require them to use hearing skills in a different context.  It is also possible for some children to acquire a hearing loss. This could be caused through illness or accident or might be because they have a progressive condition or a condition that has a late onset. The most common cause of temporary and fluctuating hearing loss in childhood is commonly known as ‘Glue Ear’. See:Glue Ear - Advice to settings (docx format, 200KB) or SENSS Deaf & Hearing Support Team.
 

Hearing loss can affect language acquisition and development in young children.

The SENSS (DHS) Team will not usually become involved with a child unless a paediatric audiologist has first made an assessment. This is because there can be many reasons why a child may not appear to hear well, and a formal hearing assessment is needed to ensure that the guidance offered to a setting is appropriate. 

If a child has not been seen by the community paediatric audiology team or a hospital audiology department, the first step is a GP referral to community paediatric audiology for further assessment. Parents should be asked to discuss this with their child’s GP.

Websites

Success from the Start: A developmental resource for deaf babies and children aged 0-3. A resource that can be used to help the families of deaf children and the people that support them to observe, monitor and record the progress that children make

The National Deaf Children's Society has information about Glue ear.

There are a range of charities and organisations who work to remove barriers and promote equal opportunities for people who are deaf or have hearing loss across the UK.

Self-help resources 

Training

If a child appears to have a hearing loss that has not been previously identified, the first step is a GP referral to community paediatric audiology for further assessment. Parents should be asked to discuss this with their child’s GP. Diagnosis of hearing loss by the community paediatric audiology team will trigger the involvement of the SENSS Deaf and Hearing Support team who will work alongside the school to support the child’s access to learning and any training needs.

The Oxfordshire Speech and Language Therapy Service has developed two instructional signing videos designed to assist parents, carers, and professionals with introducing and using signing to support communication in the Early Years:

Early Years SEND Advisory Team training offer The Early Years SEND Advisory Team provides a comprehensive range of training to assist settings in the identification and support of Early Years children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).  The training offer includes: Early Years SENDCO Core training, SEND training for Childminders, the Graduated Response, planning and reviewing SEN support and outcome plans, effective communication and partnership with parents and carers as well as specific sessions to address particular areas of learning need.

Specialist support in setting 

The SENSS Deaf and Hearing Support Team are a countywide Special Educational Needs (SEN) teaching and advisory support service.

Experienced mainstream teachers with a specialist qualification to work with babies, children and young people with hearing loss. We aim to enable children and young people with hearing loss to be effective learners and make exceptional progress. 

When a baby or young child has a confirmed hearing loss, they can be referred. A Teacher of Deaf Children and Young People contacts the family and arranges a visit, which is usually made to the family home.

A Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) is a multiagency form used to request support from various educational and health teams for children under 5 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For further information see the Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) Flowchart. 

Complete the SPORFI form to make a request. Services that can be requested include:

  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Speech and Language Therapy (feeding)
  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Early Years SEND team
  • SENSS – Physical Disability

Occupational Therapy service helps children participate in everyday life and become as independent as practically possible at school and at home. The service provides assessments, advice, activity programmes and therapy for children with a range of physical or developmental conditions that affect their daily life.

Health Visiting Services offer support to families at home and in the community from pre-birth until the child turns 8 years old. See information on how Health Visiting and early years settings working together.

Early Help Children’s Services Early help refers to the collaborative approach taken by all services working with children and families to provide support for a family before problems escalate. Accessing early help can address potential issues and improve outcomes for children, young people, and families. More information can be found here.