Deaf education

Target Setting with Deaf Pupils

Presented in November, 2002

Priority 5 Citizenship

R is a profoundly deaf, 13 year old boy, who attends a School for the Deaf outwith his local authority.
He has a Record of Needs.
He is a sign language user.
He travels to and from home daily: a round trip 0f 40 miles per day.
The composition of his S2 class is made up of 4 girls and 1 boy with whom he is not particularly friendly.
His father is deaf and his mother is hearing. They have recently separated. His siblings are hearing and he is the second eldest. The most fluent signer within the family is his father.
He has recently been causing concern to school staffand his family due to outbursts of inappropriate behaviour.
He has refused to wear hearing aids for some time now.
During the.latter part of his Primary Schooling he was observed to be withdrawn and unco-operative.
His levels of attainment, across the curriculum, are well below those of his peer group.

N is a severely/profoundly deaf, 15 year old girl, who attends her local mainstream Secondary School.
She is an S4 pupil and is curremly undertaking course work in 8 Standard Grades, across the breadth of the curriculum.
She wears two post aural hearing aids and is fitted with a Radio Aid for use in school. She does not use sign language, but a lipspeaker for use during examinations is provided as required.
Her family, mother, father and 2 younger brothers are all hearing.
She is a popular girl with many friends.
Recently a diagnosis of the onset of the visual aspect of Usher's Syndrome has been made.
She participates in several of the school's sporting activities/clubs.
She is a "buddy" to a severely deaf girl who has recemly transferred to S1 in the school.

L is an 8 year old girl, whose current educational provision is a shared placement between her local primary school (where she is the only deaf pupil on the roll) and a primary resourced base for deaf pupils (which is outwith her local area).
68% of her school week is spent 'mainstreaming', with support.
She has had a cochlear implant for 3 years.
She is working within Level B across the 5-14 curricular areas.
At the most recent meeting held to review her educational needs and provision, it was agreed that she would transfer to full-time attendance at her local mainstream school in August, 2003.
She has a friendly outgoing personality, and has notable skills in the aesthetic subjects, particularly Drama.
She continues to require some signed support to access new vocabulary, concepts, etc.
She receives regular Speech and Language Therapy within the resourced base.

M is an 11 year old, severely deaf boy, with additional needs, who currently attends a resourced base for deaf pupils, outwith his catchment area.
He has a Record of Needs.
The resourced base offers Total Communication policy.
He is currently working within Level A across the 5-14 curriculum.
Recent diagnostic testing has noted that M may be on the Autistic spectrum with additional ADHD characteristics.
His span of concentration is minimal, and he finds it extremely difficult to remain on task.
His family are in receipt of respite support as M does not sleep, and 'wanders' away from home.
Plans are currently being implemented for M to attend the DSE within his local secondary school.

August, 2003.