Speech and Language Therapy Advice
COMMUNICATING WITH A CHILD WITH A HEARING IMPAIRMENT
DO……

Say the child’s name when you want them to listen to you. If they do not
respond get their attention visually or give them a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Make sure the child can hear you and see you. Try to stand so that any light
shines on your face. If you stand in front of a light source, e.g. a window, your
face is in shadow and harder to see. Turn off background noise.

Use facial expressions to help show your meaning.

Keep your speech clear and simple.

If the child does not seem to have understood, repeat what you have said
using the same words (but only once).

If the child still does not understand:
- Rephrase what you have asked/instructed
- Ask him/her “Do you understand?”

If the child acts inappropriately to an instruction say:
“(name) I didn’t say ………. I said ……….”

Set the context for your conversation, e.g. “We are talking about this book.”
“We are talking about what Josie did yesterday.”

Use gestures to help the child understand if they continue to find things hard.
THINGS TO AVOID:

Do not over-articulate your words. This may lead to the child using
inappropriate mouth postures for sounds, e.g. “l” with lots of tongue
movement.

Do not shout or speak too loudly. This will distort your mouth movements.

Do not use sign unless you know how to. You can use natural gestures to
support your message.

Do not overload the child with information
IN ADDITION
It might be helpful for you to consider taking courses to develop key skills.
Consider a British Sign Language, Cued Speech or Cued Articulation course.
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