Published on: 4th October 2024
Deaf Connect Teachers of the Deaf are teachers with postgraduate qualifications in deaf education who:
- Have specialised knowledge in the language, communication, and social-emotional development of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children
- Understand the impact of deafness on development
- Provide opportunities for language development (e.g. through activities or games)
“An example is if we are focusing on describing words or describing signs, we may play a game where I pretend I’m a dragon and I describe the features of this dragon such as the fire coming out of the mouth. And then I hand over to the client to also describe the dragon… And we take turns in in describing this dragon and developing language.”
- Recommend age-appropriate resources to support language and communication development
“Families sometimes feel overwhelmed…And so I also like to provide information regarding local events, resources they can access and different videos to show how deaf people interact with deaf children.”
- And more!
“…I do enjoy advocating for children, especially where children start school or are about to start school, and I can provide support and tips and write a report so that school is aware of what that child’s needs are.”
The importance of early intervention:
“Children need special support during a particular age range where language acquisition becomes very important, and I provide that support for language acquisition. I also support the families in developing their foundation for language in both English and Auslan.”
Deaf Connect’s approach to supporting children’s language:
Teachers of the Deaf have knowledge of and support many different communication opportunities, including Auditory-oral (speech and verbal), Auslan signs, spoken language in combination with Auslan, visual communication, pictures, gesturing etc.
Please note that our Teacher of the Deaf service is currently available face-to-face in Brisbane and online via telehealth (immediate availability).
Download our Teacher of the Deaf information sheet: https://deafconnect.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/DIGITAL-Teacher-of-the-Deaf.pdf
Want to know more about Deaf Connect’s Teacher of the Deaf services? Contact our team at [email protected]
