4b. Emotional and mental health
Deaf Children and Young People (DCYP) and their families
- are supported to have a positive view of their/their child’s deafness
- develop an awareness of accessibility within different contexts resulting in isolation or exclusion
- are given opportunities to be in contact with other families and DCYP and their families
- know about the range of support groups available
- know about local and national resources for DCYP and their families
- develop their sense of self and deafness as part of who they are
- are supported to develop their awareness of what good mental health looks like and some potential difficulties associated with deafness
- are supported to explore feelings around successes and perceived failures
- are supported to explore potential areas of difficulty, eg transition and how to approach these
- develop appropriate vocabulary for expressing feelings
- are signposted to the relevant sources of support and organisations regarding mental health.
Suggested resources
- Books with deaf characters – BATOD website
- NDCS – What are you feeling?
- National Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (NDCAMHS) Deaf Children and Mental Health Services
- The Hanen Centre – “Tuning In” to Others: How Young Children Develop Theory of Mind
- smiLE therapy
- NDCS Healthy Minds workshop links
- NDCS Maintaining young people’s deaf identity
- Hearing Like Me – How I discovered my deaf identity
- Deaf Unity – Deaf Identity: Finding yourself
- Molly Watt Trust – Raising Awareness of Usher Syndrome
- NDCS – Talking to teenagers about feelings
- NDCS – Connecting families
- Deaf studies curriculum examples – BATOD website
- ELSA (emotional literacy support assistant)
- PATHS (Promoting alternative thinking strategies)
- Barnardo’s Education Community (BEC)
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4a. Social health
Next pages
4c. Physical health
4d. Technology and staying safe
Previous sections
Section 1 Deaf identity
Section 2 Communication, language, and literacy
Section 3 Understand access to sound
Next sections
Section 5 Manage change
Section 6 Preparation for adulthood
Section 7 Specialist assessment and monitoring