Talking Sense, Volume 46, No 3, Autumn/Winter 2000
Advisory Teacher Lucy Naish describes how an effective partnership between the family of a young deafblind girl, and the various professionals who work with her, has been very beneficial.
My work as an advisory teacher in special schools, supporting children who are deafblind, or children with a sensory impairment and additional difficulties, has been significantly influenced by two major elements of the DfEE Programme of Action - partnership and inclusion (1998).
Partnerships with children, their families and other professionals enable me to offer specialist support and advice that facilitate a child’s genuine inclusion in learning and social activities. Inclusion is an important value in a society committed to equal opportunities, and this will require provision for individual need. It is about schools adapting to the needs of all their pupils - rather than putting pupils with specific special educational needs in a learning environment which have not been designed for them.
Children who are deafblind in Staffordshire schools are also supported by intervenors. Intervenors are specially trained to understand the effect of sensory impairment on child development, and in approaches which allow the child to have access to learning activities provided by the class teacher.
We also use the ‘support partnership’ approach which means that the family, intervenor, class teacher, advisory teacher and associated professionals work together with the deafblind child.
Helping Vikki to learn
Vikki is seven years old and is deafblind, with some available hearing and vision. She attends Crown Special School in Staffordshire, where her `support partnership’ is made up of the following people:
Rose Prince – Vikki’s mum
Chris Kelly – her class teacher
Karen Arnold – her intervenor
Lucy Naish – advisory teacher
When Vikki joined Chris’s class in September 1999, her initial targets included:
- transfer of prior achievements - use of hearing aids and consistent use of meaningful gesture to a new environment;
- getting to know her new staff and developing a mental map of her new room.
She had achieved these by half way through the spring term.
Creative approaches to hearing
The way that Vikki has learned to use her hearing aids illustrates the collaborative approach very well. The partnership agreed that use of hearing aids would increase Vikki’s quality of learning in activities such as communication, language and literacy. She had always enjoyed amplified sound, yet dislikes the invasive aspect of an earmould. Eventually she began to accept the use of an auditory trainer but could not resist removing it to examine the leads. So we gave her her own length of (false) lead, which meant that she could listen and still enjoy exploring the lead.
The partnership approach also bore fruit when Chris, Karen and I decided that Vikki should have a smaller hearing aid. I suggested she use a bone conduction aid (which does not involve an earmould) and that we give her another one (not working) to explore. During the 12 month period she has been using hearing aids consistently, Vikki’s communication has improved from a 6-12 month to a 12-24 month level.
Developing Vikki’s mobility
Chris and Karen were also keen to develop Vikki’s mobility - from pulling up and standing; to side-stepping by using furniture for support; to supported walking. I suggested that Vikki needed to feel secure and to be motivated in this activity, preferably by using her vision. I had noticed that she initially pulled up to standing position when she could explore things she found visually rewarding.
At first stimulation was provided by using objects Vikki enjoys, like the parachute and lights, but she was also motivated by looking at Karen. I suggested that Vikki might gain support by grasping a short colourful stick held by Karen, who could then move backwards on a wheeled stool. Vikki took to this approach and now often steers Karen with a red and white stick!
Wider horizons
Being able to walk not only helps Vikki move around, but also brings her pleasure. And increased mobility skills have significantly contributed to her learning at level P5 Maths (shape, space and measures); and level P 5/6 (personal & social development) – and so extended her inclusion in all learning activities.
Recently, the inclusive approach has been under close scrutiny and some people have questioned how useful it is. But as Vikki’s achievements have shown, there can be real benefits in partnership and inclusion.
