Dear Editor,
Every Moment Counts
Did your readers know that deaf children often fall behind in their development, because they’re not getting the right support in their early years? It’s an especially critical time for deaf children, because of the impact their deafness can have on language development, communication and social skills.
Without good communication skills learned early on, a deaf child could face lifelong challenges. For instance, when they start school they may come up against many barriers, like struggling to understand instructions in the classroom and conversations with their peers, all leading to feelings of isolation and a sense of ‘missing out’.
To make matters worse, Teachers of the Deaf, who provide specialist support and make such a difference to a deaf child’s life, are in decline in Scotland. Their numbers have fallen by 40% in a decade – twice that of other parts of the UK. It’s a scandal.
Here at the National Deaf Children’s Society, we’re determined to do something about it. That’s why we’ve just launched our new five-year plan, Every Moment Counts, which calls for more support, more quickly, for deaf children during those vital early years. We won’t rest until every deaf child receives the right support as early as possible.
For more information about Every Moment counts, visit:
www.ndcs.org.uk/everymomentcounts
The National Deaf Children’s Society supports the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and young people. For anyone needing advice, support or information about deafness, please call our free Helpline on 0808 800 8880 or visit our website, www.ndcs.org.uk
Debbie Talbot,
Chief Strategy Officer, the National Deaf Children’s Society
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