Early Diagnosis: Supporting Parents to Support their Child
Presented on Thursday 9 November 2006
The Early Support Team How this works in Fife
Susan Martin
Prior to UNHS Implementation
- multi-disciplinary meetings
- location of screen
- who would carry out the screen
- type of test to be used
- demonstrations of equipment
- appointment of co-ordinator
- training of screeners/health visitors
- care pathways drawn up
Since UNHS Implementation
- Early Support Team
- Care Pathways
- Changes to practices/procedures
- Children diagnosed with a hearing loss
- Resources used/Early Support Materials
- Issues for the future
Early Support Team
- Associate Specialist – Child Health/Audiology
- Head of Audiology Department
- UNHS Co-ordinator
- Educational Audiologist
- Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
- Teacher of the Deaf
Early Support Team
- on-going discussions
- diagnostic assessments
- breaking the news – where, when, by whom?
- information given to families
- weekly meetings
Care Pathways
Changes to practice/procedures
- liaison with pilot site teams
- referral procedures
- paperwork – files, records and reports
- purpose/frequency of visits to families
Children diagnosed with a hearing loss
2 profoundly deaf
4 moderate/severe
1 unilateral loss
Support is being provided to these families by the Educational Audiologist/Teacher
of the Deaf
Support is also being provided to the families of two children diagnosed
outwith Fife
1 unilateral loss
1 auditory neuropathy
Issues for the Future
- On-going Teacher of the Deaf support - 0-2yrs/0-3yrs?
- Ensuring all Teachers of the Deaf have the appropriate skills
- Cochlear implants
Early Support Materials
DfES Publications
www.earlysupport.org.uk
Early Support Materials
- Professional Guidance
- Information for Parents booklets
- Family File
- Background Information File
- Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Babies and Children (How to use this protocol)
- Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Babies and Children : Level 2 Materials
- Development cards for parents
- Service Audit Tool
Information for Parents booklets
- Autistic spectrum disorders
- Cerebral palsy
- Deafness
- Down’s syndrome
- Learning disabilities
- If your child has a rare condition
- Multi-sensory impairment
- Speech and language difficulties
- Visual impairment
- When your child has no diagnosis
Information for Parents Deafness
- Early days
- Who will you meet?
- Your child’s deafness : audiology
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants
- Communication and language choices
- Parenting and childcare
- Education and your deaf child
- Benefits and financial support
- Equipment for home and school
- Useful organisations
Family File
- Introducing ourselves
- List of professionals working with us
- Record of professional contacts
- Family Service Plan
- What our child can do now
- Current records
- Local organisations and contacts
Background Information File
- Introduction
- People you may meet
- Childcare
- Financial Help
- Education
- Health services
- Social services
- Statutory Assessment – Education
- Glossary
- Useful contacts and organisations
Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Babies and Children
- tracks development and progress over first three years or so after identification of a hearing loss
- recognises the important information that families have to share about their child
- enables professionals and families to share their observations
- provides a record for families of their child’s achievements, progress and development
- helps everyone to be clear about the significance of what a child is now able to do, what the child will go on to do next and how this can be supported
Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Babies and Children
- Communication
- Attending, listening and vocalisation
- Social-emotional development
- Other development milestones
- Play