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Deaf children deserve better
• ONE year on from the official roll-out of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) and every child in England is now screened for deafness as soon as they are born.
The test ensures hearing loss and impairment are identified on average two years earlier than previous methods and, as early intervention is known to be vitally important for the development of deaf children, this test in itself is a cause for celebration.
Twelve months on, however, and the question of what happens after a child is identified as deaf still looms large.
The reality of the situation is far from ideal. Too many parents are discovering that, while their child might well be identified as deaf as soon as they are born, the support they then need is sorely lacking.
As arguments with local authorities about entitlements persist, deaf children’s communication development is put on hold and vital time is lost.
Having invested in NHSP, the government must ensure the full range of essential support services are available to every family. The Government’s National Action Plan on Audiology, launched last month, does not contain a single section on children’s services. This is a gaping hole in the so-called national action plan.
For the futures of the 35,000 deaf children in the UK, the government must commit to deliver a more supportive service where the need for information by parents is first priority immediately after the identification of deafness. The screening programme is a fantastic service but it is only the start.
SUSAN DANIELS
Chief executive, The National Deaf Children’s Society
Dufferin Street, ECI |
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