Specialist Teaching Service

Reading is essentially an act of communication, and acquiring literacy is about learning to use language in a new way, a transference from one language to another.

The interactive, conversational approach to language acquisition extends to the development of reading whereby the mature language user supports the efforts of the child.

• Reading is a secondary linguistic skill which maps onto existing oral skills. Reading development for hearing impaired children is a key aspect of their special educational needs.
   
• Children need to be literate in order to have access to a broad and balanced curriculum and to be prepared for their future life. Supporting the achievement of reading competence is a priority for the Team.
   
• Hearing impaired children's reading experiences must be of a language they can understand. The experience should be appropriate, relevant and rewarding.
   
• For hearing impaired children with immature language there is a need for teachers of the hearing impaired to advise on the careful selection of reading materials, ensuring that materials fall within a child's linguistic level.
   
• The decoding skills a child needs to develop may be pursued through a school's own reading programme, but adapted to meet an individual child's need. The hearing impaired teacher gives advice and support to mainstream teachers in order to advise any strategies appropriate for a hearing impaired child.
   
• The Team monitors and assesses hearing impaired children's reading development.
   
• The Team supports parents to contribute positively to their children's reading experiences.
   
• The Team promotes the individual and collective knowledge of its members about the broad issues surrounding children's reading.