The National Deaf Children’s Society has partnered with mental health charity Anna Freud to produce a free toolkit for early years practitioners.

Deafness and Me aims to help early years practitioners to support the mental health and wellbeing of deaf children. It aims to builf understanding of the barriers that deaf children may experience and provide information and activities that can build positive mental health.   

Abi Miranda, head of early years and prevention at Anna Freud, said:   “Early intervention and access to language, including sign language, are key to giving a deaf child a firm sense of belonging and deaf identity. This is achieved by involving other children too.”   

She added: “These resources are a crucial resource for early years practitioners, for promoting development opportunities and learning between deaf babies and children and their hearing peers.” 

Emma Fraser, in-house teacher of the deaf at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:   “Deaf babies and children face a unique set of barriers in accessing communication and language and this toolkit aims to help promote understanding of those challenges.”  

The toolkit is aimed at supporting children with all types of hearing loss from mild to profound. This includes deafness in one ear or temporary hearing loss such as glue ear.