Deaf young people and their families have called for investment in vital early support which will enable deaf children to have the same opportunities as their hearing peers.
It is estimated that £800,000 is needed over the next 10 years to enable all deaf children under the age of five in Northern Ireland to access an auditory-verbal (AV) therapy programme close to where they live.
There are approximately 200 deaf children aged five and under in Northern Ireland, but currently there are no certified auditory-verbal therapists in the country working in local services, with just one certified AV therapist currently working in private practice.
The calls for funding were delivered during a meeting with DUP Junior Minister Pam Cameron and Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Chris Quinn.
The families joined charity Auditory Verbal UK, which supports deaf babies and children to learn to listen and speak via auditory-verbal therapy, to call for urgent investment to provide early and effective support for more deaf tots and youngsters.
Vital early support can help young people achieve their full potential and prevent lower academic achievement, lower employment, poor mental health and social exclusion.
Noah (seven), together with his parents Pamela and Michael, from Co Antrim, shared their experiences of having access to early and effective support for language and communication development.
Pamela said the progress her son has made “is proof that anything is possible”.
“We never thought that Noah would come into a room and communicate like this,” she said.
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Aurora (12), from Co Down, also joined the meeting, accompanied by her parents Catriona and Peter, who shared that their daughter, who is deaf, has been supported to listen and speak with AV therapy.
Abbie McKenna and daughter Katie (13) also joined the meeting. Abbie previously shared how Katie graduated from Auditory Verbal UK’s family-centred auditory-verbal therapy programme aged five, with spoken language skills, ahead of a hearing child her age and that she has always attended mainstream school.
She is now at a high-performing grammar school in Belfast where she has many friends and interests.
Mr Quinn said: “It was inspirational to hear first-hand how auditory-verbal therapy has benefited these children and the impact it has had on their lives. It is evident that lives have been transformed by specialist auditory-verbal therapy, which has supported them to learn to listen and speak.”
Recent public research revealed that just under half (41%) of adults in Northern Ireland believe it is not possible for a child born profoundly deaf today to learn to speak as well as a child without hearing loss.
However, international evidence shows that around 80% of deaf children who spend at least two years on an auditory-verbal therapy programme graduate with age-appropriate spoken language and the majority are attaining educational outcomes on a par with hearing children.
The Commissioner added: “This meeting also allowed my team and I to discuss what we can do to enable more deaf children to have the same opportunities in life as their hearing peers.
“These children rarely get an audience with politicians, but their lives and futures matter. We want those in power to know what action they need to take so their rights are being respected and they can thrive.”