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| Page | Article | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Focus articles | ||
| 4 | Difficult conversations | In our fascinating lead article, Amy McConkey Robbins, a speech-language pathologist in Indianapolis, USA, examines three factors that she believes have a role to play in a deaf child�s underachievement:
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| 7 | SEND � where are we now? | The Coalition Government made it clear from the beginning of its term of office that ministers wanted to see significant changes to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. After a consultation, which started in March 2011, the Government took over a year to formulate its response. A Next Steps document was produced laying out key proposals, which led in due course to some draft provisions for SEND reform within the framework of a new Children and Families Bill. BATOD�s National Executive Officer Paul Simpson provides an update on where we are now. |
| 8 | New to the UK | In Leicester City approximately 66% of children on the caseload for the Hearing Impairment Team are from homes where English is not the first language. Within these homes there may be an English-speaking parent or sibling so there may be some English spoken at home but it is certainly not the predominant or only language. In recent years there has been a rise in severely or profoundly deaf children and teenagers arriving in the UK from abroad having never been aided or having been aided inappropriately. ToD Jennifer Pick and Team Leader Bharti Solanki focus on how their service deals these new arrivals and they look at changing trends in this area over the last few years. |
| 10 | Question time | Over the years Jeremy Hine has worked in a variety of settings with deaf children and adults. One of the most interesting aspects that has been common to them all is the constant stream of questions that arise. Now working for the Ewing Foundation, he gives a flavour of the type of questions that continue to be asked. |
| 12 | Eliminating discrimination | The purpose of the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) is to improve the outcomes for children and young people with sensory impairment and its work to support this is through specific workstreams. It is hoped that these are all useful to Teachers of the Deaf and BATOD members and in this article Lindsey Rousseau and Judy Sanderson give you an overview from the work of the group that has been looking at the impact of the Equality Act in sensory impairment settings. |
| 14 | Thinking science | Although there is limited research on deaf children�s attainment in science, research in mainstream education identifies that children have difficulty in this subject, particularly in the areas of reasoning and argumentation. Deaf children often struggle to access the technological language used in science and therefore the textbooks approach can present a challenge to them. ToD Lindsey Jones suggests that a more creative method is needed to engage deaf students and allow them to see the relevance of science to real-life situations. |
| 16 | Success in Suffolk | An external review of education provision within Suffolk in 2007 saw the appointment of a County Manager for children and young people with sensory impairment and there then followed a period of reorganisation in the way the service was run. It was established practice for the Teachers of the Deaf within the service to work closely with social work colleagues and it was an apt opportunity to suggest that the children and young people�s element of the Sensory Team should be hosted within the Sensory and Communication Team rather than the specialist social workers being moved into the Disabled Children�s Team where there was a risk of the staff being deskilled as they became involved in more generic work. The County Manager Alison Berry describes how the changes came about and why the mix of education and social care teams seems to work so well for everyone involved. |
| 18 | Take a look at Sounding Board | Sounding Board was launched in 2008 to provide easy-to-access, quick-to-use, short-on-jargon information about cochlear implants, their accompanying technology like FM systems, and education issues all in one place. Five years on and the website is still going strong with nearly 3,000 users, and more being added each week. It can be accessed through The Ear Foundation website (www.earfoundation.org.uk), by following the link to Sounding Board. Diana Harbor from The Ear Foundation has the details. |
| 19 | Early exposure to BSL | Several studies with deaf adults have shown that acquiring sign language from an early age has significant benefits, including proficient sign language production, comprehension and processing skills. In a study recently published in the journal Cognition, Kearsy Cormier, David Vinson, Adam Schembri and Eleni Orfanidou examined the effects of age of sign language acquisition in grammatical judgement in deaf adults who use British Sign Language (BSL). Here they report on their findings from this study. |
| 20 | Exploring outcomes | The main purpose of the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) outcomes benchmarking workstream is to establish reliable, national benchmarking data on pupil outcomes that can be used by local authority sensory support services to evidence their impact and inform development needs. It forms one of the strands of NatSIP�s work which is currently being supported by the Department for Education (DfE) through its voluntary and community sector grant funding and it ties in with the recognised need for more reliable data about outcomes for pupils with sensory impairment. Bob Denman, a NatSIP consultant and co-leader of the workstream, reports on the 2012 survey. |
| 22 | The MOSAIC report | New research commissioned by national charity the Meningitis Trust has highlighted the long-term, often hidden, after-effects of meningitis in children. The Meningococcal Outcomes Study in Adolescents and in Children (MOSAIC) shows that one in three children who have experienced meningococcal group B disease (MenB), the most common type of bacterial meningitis in the UK, will be left with after-effects. Sue Davie, Chief Executive of the Meningitis Trust, discuss the findings from the study in more detail. |
| 23 | Student life | Kirsty Crombie-Smith, Operations Manager of Deafax, stresses the need for adequate funding to support deaf pupils through further education. |
| 24 | ICT news | Since September 2012, Ofsted has been inspecting e-safety provision as part of schools� safeguarding arrangements. Schools will need to prove that they are providing annual e-safety training for all school staff and that they have a whole organisational approach to e-safety, with shared responsibility. Sharon Pointeer highlights the e-safety message and takes a look at some of the websites offering top tips for teachers. |
| 26 | Deafness and EAL | Typically developing children who have English as an additional language (EAL) acquire spoken English in the same stages as monolingual English speakers. Therefore, if pupils with a hearing impairment are appropriately aided and appropriately supported for the hearing loss both at home and at school, there is evidence that they will follow the same stages of language development as monolingual hearing children, but at a slower rate. Nicky Povey runs through some guidelines produced for those working with deaf EAL pupils. |
| 33 | Understanding deaf equipment | The latest publication from Connevans � Deaf Equipment explained � is a free interactive guide to the world of assistive equipment. It can be found online at www.connevans.info/guide/ Written especially for people who may not know anything about deafness or assistive equipment, it aims to guide parents through the types of products that are available and how to choose between them. Laura Evans, a Director of Connevans Limited, provides more details. |
| General features | ||
| 35 | Improving listening conditions | Following the success of the study day last November the BATOD Foundation planned a similar event for the North in Manchester. The Ewing Foundation was celebrating its 60th birthday and as the study day encapsulated many of the principles of its work, the event was sponsored by the Ewing Foundation. Ann Underwood provides a summary of the day, which aimed to inform a range of professionals about improving listening in the classroom. |
| 36 | Armed with information | The National Deaf Children�s Society (NDCS) has used animation for the first time to inform deaf teenagers about the support that should be available to them at exam time to help raise their aspirations and to try and bridge the attainment gap between deaf and hearing young people. The charity worked with its award-winning Young People�s Advisory Board (YAB) to find out about the issues deaf young people worry about at exam time, such as missing the start of an exam or being unable to follow an interpreter or take notes. The YAB helped to develop the animations � giving advice on colours, language and music that should be used so that the NDCS could create a resource that appeals to deaf young people. Tyron Woolfe, Deputy Director of Children and Young People at NDCS, has the story. |
| 37 | Reel education | The British Deaf Association (BDA) is seeking partnerships from within the educational sector for its new heritage project. The BDA has secured initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and is now in the process of undertaking the research and finalising the plans for the full three-year project. In its possession, the BDA has a wealth of film footage, some dating back to the 1930s, that captures the use of British Sign Language in a variety of settings and environments throughout the 20th Century. The aim is to digitise these clips and make them available online, accompanied by testimonies and interviews from deaf community members, academics and historians. |
| 38 | In conversation with Ellen | Ellen, a young teenager from Norfolk, chats to her Teacher of the Deaf Liz Reed-Beadle about school life, what it means to be deaf and why 2012 will always be special to her. |
| 40 | Sierra Leone � the teaching challenge | The population of Sierra Leone is just below six million, and 43% of the people are under 15 years of age. It is estimated that 68% of primary school age children are in school, although in the rural areas this figure is lower, around 50%. Deafness in the country is often post-lingual, with malaria, measles, rubella and meningitis the most likely causes. It is estimated that one in 1,000 people is deaf in Sierra Leone, so at a conservative estimate there are at least 2,500 deaf school children. There are only two schools for the deaf, one in Freetown for day scholars, and one in Makeni, St Joseph�s School for the Hearing-Impaired, which is both boarding and day. As a frequent visitor to St Joseph�s, Catherine Healey, a retired ToD, is well qualified to throw some light on deaf education in Sierra Leone. |
| 43 | Audiology updates | This page of our Magazine features innovations and discussions of what is happening in real-world educational audiology and gives readers the opportunity to highlight issues that they encounter in the workplace. |
| Regulars | ||
| 51 | This and That | Items from the postbag and e-mail inbox that could be pinned on the noticeboard for you to read!
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| 58 | Abbreviations in this issue | A lifesaver � the page that every ToD turns to when confronted with a set of meaningful uppercase letters! |
| Reviews | ||
| 53 | Auditory Communication for Deaf Children | ToD Corinda M Carnelley considers this book promoting a practical approach to the development of auditory communication skills. |
| 53 | Diverse Perspectives on Inclusive School Communities | This book offering an insight into differing views of inclusion is warmly received by Corinda M Carnelley. |
| 54 | The effective teacher's guide to autism and communication difficulties � practical strategies (2nd edition) | Helen Maiden, an advisory teacher for hearing impairment in Surrey, gets to grips with this book of practical ideas for working with pupils with autism and communication disorders. |
| 55 | If you see a crocodile� don�t forget to scream! | Helen Maiden tried out this game from Orchard Toys with young deaf children and had a fun, action-packed time! |
| 55 | Totable (portable) personal Soundfield system | Ten year old Ezra Arhin gives an honest account of her experiences of this new Soundfield system from PC Werth. |
| 56 | Rhyme Robber | Designed for four players, the aim of this fun game from Orchard Toys is to �win� or steal as many rhyming words as possible. Alison Wagner, ToD, explains how it was received by some of her pupils. |
| 56 | Let�s Sign � Early Years, Second Edition BSL Building Blocks Child and Carer Guide | The second and colour edition of this popular resource is described as an essential part of the ToD toolkit by Corinda M Carnelley. |
| 57 | Teddy Bear Game | Corinda M Carnelley explores another colourful game from Orchard Toys. |
| 57 | Educating Children and Young People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders | Corinda M Carnelley explores this in-depth look at how alcohol consumption in pregnant women affects a foetus at different stages of its development. |
| Association Business | ||
| 3 | Achieving potential | BATOD President Karen Taylor had a busy end to 2012, visiting the nations and regions and gaining an insight into the many changes to service provision that are evolving. She also reflects on the recent Ofsted report, Communication is the key, and the good practice it highlights for all Teachers of the Deaf, striving to improve the lives of deaf children and young people. |
| 9 | Have you moved? Change of address form | Reading a colleague's Magazine? Wondering what has happened to your copy? If you are not receiving your BATOD Magazine and Journal perhaps it is because we have no record of your current address. Put this right by completing the form and returning it to the BATOD Membership Secretary, or simply email from here. |
| 39 | BATOD was there representing you | Between the NEC meetings, members of BATOD attend various meetings that are of particular interest to Teachers of the Deaf. This list is not exhaustive as some reports have not yet been received or meetings reported on, some are meetings booked for the near future. This list also appears on the website in the Calendar folder. |
| 44 | FEAPDA news | On 22 October 2012 the FEAPDA Council met once again in Luxembourg. FEAPDA is the organisation that brings together professional associations of Teachers of the Deaf from across Europe. Each country affiliated to FEAPDA has a place on the council, which sits once a year. This year ten countries were in attendance. BATOD representative Alison Weaver gives an account of the proceedings. |
| 45 | Can you contribute? | A new area of the BATOD website is now dedicated to bringing Teachers of the Deaf useful resources and would benefit from your contributions. |
| 46 | Representing you � The Communication Trust | Ann Underwood highlights the key points for BATOD from a meeting of The Communication Trust at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations in London on 19 September 2012. |
| 47 | Representing you � DfE | Derek Heppenstall made notes on the SEN Forum meeting on the test for grammar, punctuation and spelling at the Department for Education, 1 October 2012 |
| 48 | Representing you � Consortium for Research into Deaf Education | Paul Simpson writes up the minutes from the Consortium for Research into Deaf Education (CRIDE) survey meeting held on 21 September 2012 at Frank Barnes School. |
| 50 | Representing you � Federation of Leaders in Special Education | Paul Simpson files his report on a meeting of the Special Education Conference of the Federation of Leaders in Special Education held in London on 26 September 2012. |
| 59 | Subscription Rates | Annual Membership subscription rates apply from 1st August. |
| inside back cover | Officers of Regions and Nations | Contact addresses of officers of BATOD Regions and Nations |
| Calendar | ||
| 60 | Meetings to know about | Advertised courses and meetings which are of interest to BATOD members.
Contact the Website Manager to add a one line entry to this valuable page and/or pay for a small advert in the Magazine. |