Pre-School Support
Pre‑School
What happens when my baby or pre-schooler is diagnosed as having a hearing loss?
Our Offer
We provide specialist intervention and support to babies, children and young people who have a permanent or long-term hearing loss.
When your child receives a diagnosis of a hearing loss and is fitted with hearing aids, they will also be assigned a specialist Qualified Teacher of Deaf Children and Young People.
We provide guidance, advice and support that will allow you to make your own decisions for your child. We will signpost you to other services and charities which may be helpful to you and your child.
What can you expect?
Support
We work with Bolton families from the time of diagnosis of their child’s hearing loss, right through to when their child reaches the age of 25. We will involve you and your child as fully as we can in the support that we offer.
At pre-school, we work directly with babies and children in their homes, nurseries and childcare settings. Our specialist Qualified Teachers of the Deaf and Young People will visit and work with your family in your home, in your pre-school nursery setting and will also often accompany you to audiology clinic appointments at Breightmet Health Centre.
Thomasson Sensory Support Specialist teachers work closely and collaboratively with Paediatric Audiology to provide a comprehensive service for your child. We regularly meet with the Paediatric team for Teams Around the Child meetings, which bring together all the professionals working with your child in one place, giving you the opportunity to discuss your child’s needs and ask questions.
If your child is considered for a Cochlear Implant, we also work alongside the team at Manchester to provide support and guidance in between your appointments to the Implant Centre.
We will work with you to track the progress of your child’s communication and language development, using Success from the Start, a tracking tool created by the NDCS specifically to monitor the development of babies and pre-schoolers with a hearing need.
We will also be there to answer questions about your child’s hearing needs, advise you on use and maintenance of hearing aids, and provide support and training for the pre-school setting your child may attend.
Funding
You may be eligible for Disability Allowance from the UK Government. More information can be found here: DLA
We can also direct you to charities that may help with specialist equipment, travel costs, and funding for courses, such as:
Making connections – Pre-school group
We encourage families to connect with the families of other children with hearing needs, and we run a thriving, informal pre-school group for deaf children. You can meet other parents, Qualified Teachers of the Deaf and Young People, and special guests who may be helpful for you to meet. These may include:
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Paediatric Audiology staff
- Staff from Thomasson Memorial School for the Deaf
- Representatives from charities such as SignHealth and NDCS
- Older deaf pupils and their parents who can share their experiences
Sessions include free play, sensory play, group singing time to support listening and communication skills, and opportunities for informal conversations with other parents and professionals.
We also have an active parent support WhatsApp group, which you will have the opportunity to join.
Signing
Signing may help your child as they develop their communication skills. Studies show that signing does not inhibit speech but supports language development.
If you would like to learn BSL, free courses are available to our parents at Thomasson School for the Deaf from Level 1 through to Level 3.
