<p>SUSS Scripture Union Special Support </p><p>Hearing Impaired A person who is deaf is unable to recognize sound. Hearing loss can be anywhere from mild (i.e., when the person only has difficulty hearing faint or distant speech) to severe (i.e., when the person only can feel vibrations). Strategies:  Spend time with children to find out their strengths and weaknesses. Smile! Use positive body language and gentle touch to connect.  It is important that a child who is hearing impaired can see your face. Be sure that it is well lit and do not cover your mouth or turn away in the middle of a sentence. </p><p> Arrange groups of children so that everyone is visible. </p><p> Enunciate clearly. It is not necessary to exaggerate or shout. </p><p> Watch the child carefully for facial expressions and body language to help you determine the success of your communication</p><p> The child may have speech that is difficult, initially, to understand. Give plenty of time for yourself to understand. Reassure that you will ‘keep listening’ until the child has expressed themselves. A child that is prevented from communicating their thoughts may feel unvalued and show frustration by withdrawing or behaving in unhelpful ways  Do not expect children with hearing impairment, to sit still for long periods. They use sight, touch, and smell to relate to people and things around them. </p><p> Wearing a hearing aid does not necessarily indicate that the person can hear normally or understand the spoken word. The hearing aid may be for amplification of sound and not necessarily for clarifying.</p><p>Ways to Communicate </p><p> Pad and Pencil. This could be a fairly simple way of communicating</p><p> Lip Reading. This is a difficult skill. Only about 30 to 40 percent of the English language is even visible on the lips. </p><p> Finger spelling. This is a manual form of communication. The hand and fingers spell out letters of the alphabet to form words. </p><p> Sign Language. This is the language that children who are hearing impaired perform with the hands. There are several different sign languages; British Sign Language, (BSL) and Signed English. There are also simplified versions of BSL that pick out key words; Makaton and Signalong. Pray regularly for each child that you serve alongside </p>