Deaf children can learn to talk

Most deaf children can now learn to talk readily, including many who are profoundly deaf. They need the right help, encouragement and equipment.

Learning to talk can be fun

Children who can hear learn a lot through listening and playing. Deaf children can learn the same way, if they have the right hearing aids and plenty of opportunities to play and listen to sounds and speech.

All babies enjoy using their voices

They babble and make noises to themselves. They respond by using their voices when anyone talks to them. Deaf babies with the right hearing aids will do this too. Show a deaf baby that you are happy when she makes sounds or babbles to you - this will encourage her.

Making sense of sounds

Children who can hear gradually learn to make sense of the different sounds they hear. They learn to pick out the sound of voices and know that they are different from the sound of the washing machine or the vacuum cleaner. With the right hearing aids, deaf children can do this too. Help the deaf child by helping her to hear lots of different sounds. Involve her in making noises as you would a hearing child - banging drums, making music, shaking boxes with things inside them. There are many ways of drawing a child's attention to everyday sounds around the house and in ordinary daily life so that she can begin to recognize them and sort them out.

Talking together

Babies 'talk' to their Mum and Dad. At first Mum and Dad do most of the work and they, and other adults, tend naturally to talk in a rhythmic, 'up and down' sort of way to babies. We emphasise the intonation and the flow of our words, sounding more 'musical' than we do normally. This is very helpful to all babies; it attracts their attention and the 'music' of the words helps them to enjoy communicating. Soon baby joins in with coos and gurgles. These are the baby's first "words". It is important to talk to deaf babies in the same way. Help them to take their turn at making noises and 'talking' right from the start. This is how we all talk to each other - a conversation is people taking turns.

Copying the sounds

All children learn to talk by copying the voices that they hear. Their voices start to go up and down as adults' do and, although there are no words as such, it is quite clearly an effort to communicate. Gradually the words come, and phrases and sentences follow as the babies and toddlers get better and better at listening to what they are saying themselves and comparing it with what they hear from others.

Give a deaf child the chance to have her say. If you talk too much she won't get the chance. At first she may only say one or two "words". Her first words may not be very clear. This doesn't matter. As she talks more and hears other people speak, her words will become clearer.

Playing games and talking with the child will encourage her. Follow her interest, because if she is enjoying herself, she will want to talk about it.

When will she talk?

Children who can hear just listen to the world for many months before they say their first words. It takes time to make sense out of all the sounds around them. A deaf child will need at least the same amount of time and maybe more to learn to listen and to understand. Trying to make her speak will not help; it could put her off talking altogether. Help her to enjoy sounds; encourage her when she tries to communicate and go on talking naturally with her.

Don't....

• exaggerate mouth movements or slow down when you talk to your child. This will make it harder for her and she will copy the exaggerations when she starts to talk.
• panic if she does not always understand you. Remember young children with normal hearing do not understand everything that is said to them.
• try to force her to talk or repeat everything. Like other children, she will talk when she is ready and her first attempts at words will probably not be clear.

Do...

• help your child to enjoy sound, play games with noises, sing nursery rhymes, use everyday activities to draw her attention to sounds.
• listen and respond to your child when she tries to talk with you even when she's just babbling.
• talk naturally with her about the things she shows interest in.
• Many deaf children make quite rapid progress in learning to talk once they have the right hearing aids. Some take longer - but the main thing is not to give up, even if you feel disheartened sometimes. Remember - most hearing children say their first word at around their first birthday - that's after a year's listening!

'Deaf Children Talking - the Parents' Guide to the Natural Aural Approach' provides more information about how to help your deaf child learn to listen and talk.