€11m needed to help deaf children

An extra €11 million in Government funding is needed to ensure deaf children can match the education achievements of other pupils, according to a report to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

Research from the US has shown that 17-year-olds who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) have the reading ability of a hearing nine-year-old. But the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) says the goal must be to allow them reach the same levels as their peers.

The NCSE says that the initial emphasis should be on awareness for parents of DHH children on early supports after diagnosis.

The most important of these, which many parents said they did not know about, was assistance in early communication with their children and deciding whether to use spoken or sign language. The NCSE consultations found wide variations in waiting times for speech and language therapy in different parts of the country.

While interventions in speech and language therapy and pre-school assistance — requiring an investment of €4m a year — are vital, the NCSE also notes the importance of in-school supports.

Around three-quarters of the country’s 3,000 DHH children are taught in ordinary classrooms and get support from resource teachers, visiting teachers and special needs assistants. The others are educated at schools for the deaf and in special classes.

In its advice to Mr Quinn, the NCSE points to evidence that effective early intervention and skilled teaching can enable DHH children to attain language and early reading skills similar to hearing children.

“Another focus must be that when DHH children come to school, teachers are equipped with skills to understand how they think and how they learn,” said NCSE head of special education Mary Byrne. “They should also know the most effective approaches to use, which can be very different to teaching hearing children.”

The report suggests spending €2.6m on training and in-service for teachers. Training teachers to use sign language is also recommended, as well as grants to teach sign language to classmates.

While there are several special classes in primary schools, the NCSE recommends increasing their number, which would cost around €2.1m a year.

A Department of Education spokesperson said the implementation group recommended in the NCSE advice will be set up to consider and implement its recommendations.

“The group will be tasked with developing an implementation plan and with addressing cost implications of the plan,” she said.