Published on: 11th April 2024
Our Therapy and Family Services team always put a lot of thought, research, care and Deaf expertise into our programs and services for children who are Deaf and hard of hearing.
One example is our Lego Learners Program, facilitated by our team in Brisbane, which is not just about building Lego creations…
“I’ve had some lovely feedback about children going home and teaching their friends and family as well about some of the Auslan signs they’ve learned…it’s just a really nice way to teach children about the benefits of sign language too.
it’s a nice group program that is evidence based for social skills development and works really closely on communication through Lego which is always really, really fun for kids.”
Ashlee, Speech Language Pathologist
In the 3-day program, Deaf and hard of hearing children take on the role of:
- 👷Builder
- 💡Engineer, or
- 🔧Part Supplier
and work in teams of six to build Lego structures, while also:
- Fostering friendships and connections
- Learning Auslan signs
- Learning how to regulate emotions
- Communicating across different language preferences (Auslan signs, visual communication, pictures, gesturing, speech and verbal etc.)
“When children come to see us, it’s very rare that they’re only seeing a speech pathologist, usually they’re seeing an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist or a psychologist as well…so we have a really nice opportunity to provide wrap around supports for children”
Children in the program also learn how to use interpreters, as well as some Auslan signs to support. While the children are taught a few Auslan signs, a large part of their learning comes from their interactions with one another.
“I had a lovely little boy who was using spoken language as his communication pathway, paired with a little boy who was an Auslan focus…and while they were playing together, they started to use signs, they started to teach each other signs, and they started to develop their own little way to communicate, not only using Auslan, but using visuals, using depicting signs and gestures.”
Our Approach to Supporting Deaf Children
Our approach in the Therapy and Family Services team is to respect and value all communication options and all languages, where children who have Auslan as their first and primary language are just as welcome in our services and programs as children who predominantly use spoken language.
The Lego Learners program is run in Brisbane to provide extra support in developing social skills outside regular one-on-one therapy sessions and to bring all of the disciplines together and structure an opportunity for children to communicate.
Click here to learn more about the Lego Learners program.
Download the program flyer here.
If you’re interested in getting involved with our allied health services and family programs click here: https://deafconnect.org.au/services/therapy-and-family-services or email our friendly team at [email protected] with questions.
Additional Resources
Check out our Resources for Parents of Deaf kids including our ‘Discovering Deafness’ blogs here.
