144 working together to help children who are deaf
Then everyone can talk about what they can do to communicate better
with children who really do have difficulty hearing.
What could I do
to help Moshe
understand the
story?
Draw pictures that
help tell the story.
Speak
clearly.
Make sure he can
see your face when
you talk.
Ask him to
sit near you.
Act out
the story.
How to help children communicate without speech
Children who have difficulty hearing usually have difficulty speaking.
Their speech sounds strange to people who can hear. This is because people
who cannot hear have no way to know how speech is supposed to sound.
It is very hard for them to speak like hearing people do. As a result, many
deaf people choose not to speak, and communicate only with gestures, or
signs or sign language. People with different hearing abilities may feel shy
and only talk to the people they know well.
Ask a group of children if they know other children in the community who
are deaf or cannot hear well. You can all discuss ways to communicate with
children who have different hearing abilities.
Game: Talking without words
This game will help children understand
how difficult it can be for a child who
cannot speak, or who cannot speak
well, to communicate. Everyone takes
turns trying to say something to the
group without using words. Begin
with easy ideas, like ‘I am sleepy’, or
‘give me the ball’. Then try harder
ones, like ‘I’m lost and can’t find my
house’, or ‘I had a bad dream’.
He’s saying
he’s sad.
No, he’s tired.
No, he
hurt
his
arm!
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)