Resources for professionals
Welcome to our professionals’ resource page
The Resource hub on the Let’s Listen and Talk website provides evidence-based resources that will help the wide range of professionals involved in supporting deaf children during their preschool years.
In particular, these resources offer information and advice on helping children with all degrees of deafness learn to listen, speak and communication during their early years, from birth until they start primary school.
These resources have been created by specialists at The Elizabeth Foundation, drawing on our many years of experience providing preschool nursery services for deaf children.
About our resource hub
Professionals across the education, health and social care sectors will find useful information and advice in our Resource hub, in particular:
- our Foundations for Communication articles
- our Guidance papers
- our Video library
- our Glossary
- our British Sign Language (BSL) library
Foundations for communication
‘Foundations for communication’ is a new series of in-depth resources from The Elizabeth Foundation providing tips, advice and guidance.
Each of our ‘Foundations for communication’ articles looks in detail at specific topics and will enable professionals to support deaf children in developing their listening, speech and language skills.
These resources are under a process of continuous development, and we will publish new resources on our website as they become available.
Nurturing reading
Reading plays a vital role in the development of language
Inspiring imagination
Imaginative or pretend play is a vital tool in the “creative tool box”
Launchpad for language
All children are keen to communicate from birth
Music matters
Music is an effective way to help children develop listening and talking skills.
Starting school
Help your preschool deaf child make a smooth transition into school
Information resources
These articles provide guidance and advice on helping preschool deaf children learn to listen, talk and communicate. You can use the buttons to filter these resources by age/topic.
How to use music with your child
Singing and all types of musical activities with babies, toddlers and preschoolers can be great fun – and also can make a significant impact on their natural language skills. They can also be an excellent way for the family to relax together, to bond together and simply enjoy being together. Here are some tips to help you focus on different areas of listening and speech with your child.
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Why music is important
Music and songs can have a positive impact on children’s development – particularly on their listening, language and social skills. For deaf children, the rhythm, repetitions and pitch of music and songs can also help them develop more natural-sounding language.
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Caring for your child’s hearing aids
Now your child has been given their hearing aids, how do you fit them, keep them in and maintain them? This page will provide you with the answers!
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Understanding audiograms
After your child’s hearing tests, your audiologist will provide you with an audiogram – this is a graph which shows your baby’s level of deafness measured in that particular test. Over time, your child’s audiograms from a range of tests will help you and your audiologist get a full picture of your child’s deafness. This page helps to explain how to make sense of an audiogram – again we have kept all of his information on a single page so it is easier for you to bookmark and find at a later date.
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Hearing tests and your child
Audiologists use many different hearing tests. The ones they use will depend on the age of your child, what they are trying to find out, and the nature of their deafness. We will now explain the different types of hearing tests used and the terms you might hear. We have kept all of this information on one page so it is easier for you to refer back to whenever you need.
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How we hear
As a parent of a deaf child, you might find it helpful to understand in a little more detail how the ear works and the process of hearing.
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Selecting a school to meet your child’s needs
There are many factors you need to consider when selecting your child’s first school – in this lesson we will take you through some of them.
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Collecting and analysing a language sample
In order to know more about your child’s current language level you may want to begin collecting a language sample. The information it provides will give you direction as you help your child develop and expand their language. Some parents may find it helpful to do a formal language sample, as we explain on this page. Even if you decide not to collect a language sample, please read the information and take note of the types of phrases your child uses, the intention your child expresses, and the information your child knows. You can do this formally or informally, but it will provide very useful information for ways to move forward.
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How reading helps speech and language development
Now your child is reaching the age when they can participate in reading and telling stories, reading books together will help them develop their vocabulary and language skills. But you can also looks for words to read during your everyday activities such as shopping.
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