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http://services.press.net/pressnet/...5403&setStyle=mlStory&returnStyle=heading.cnw
Deaf children's charities were celebrating today after the launch of a pioneering study that will look at how to best support the development of youngsters who are born unable to hear.
Researchers will work with education services to recruit families with deaf children from across England for the £500,000 Lottery-funded project.
The three-year study is a collaboration between the University of Manchester and University College London in partnership with the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) and Deafness Research UK.
It aims to explore how the development of deaf children can be helped by different types of support, such as the provision of hearing aids, the role of the family and education and health services.
Permanent deafness from birth can often lead to problems with language, communication and literacy which, in turn, can affect a child's behaviour, quality of life, achievement at school and family relationships.
NDCS's deputy chief executive Gwen Carr said: "When we find out what leads to the best benefit for these young children we will then be able to establish this in practice all over the UK.
"This work will mean that we can provide evidence of how support services can really benefit the development of deaf children and lead to them reaching their full potential in life."
The project's head of research John Bamford said the study could help bring about policy changes and ultimately offer a better quality of life to the 35,000 deaf children in the UK and their families.
He said: "One of our hopes for this project is to involve and represent all families of deaf children which will include those from ethnic minority communities and families using British Sign Language."
Around three babies are born deaf every day in the UK while 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents with little experience of deafness.
However, since the introduction of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme the average age a child's deafness is diagnosed has fallen from up to three years to around eight weeks.
Deafness Research UK's chief executive Vivienne Michael said: "Recent advances in the field of childhood deafness such as the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, the Early Support programme and the introduction of digital hearing aids means this is the perfect time to examine what best supports the development of individual deaf children."
Regular updates on the project can be found at www.positivesupport.info
Deaf children's charities were celebrating today after the launch of a pioneering study that will look at how to best support the development of youngsters who are born unable to hear.
Researchers will work with education services to recruit families with deaf children from across England for the £500,000 Lottery-funded project.
The three-year study is a collaboration between the University of Manchester and University College London in partnership with the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) and Deafness Research UK.
It aims to explore how the development of deaf children can be helped by different types of support, such as the provision of hearing aids, the role of the family and education and health services.
Permanent deafness from birth can often lead to problems with language, communication and literacy which, in turn, can affect a child's behaviour, quality of life, achievement at school and family relationships.
NDCS's deputy chief executive Gwen Carr said: "When we find out what leads to the best benefit for these young children we will then be able to establish this in practice all over the UK.
"This work will mean that we can provide evidence of how support services can really benefit the development of deaf children and lead to them reaching their full potential in life."
The project's head of research John Bamford said the study could help bring about policy changes and ultimately offer a better quality of life to the 35,000 deaf children in the UK and their families.
He said: "One of our hopes for this project is to involve and represent all families of deaf children which will include those from ethnic minority communities and families using British Sign Language."
Around three babies are born deaf every day in the UK while 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents with little experience of deafness.
However, since the introduction of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme the average age a child's deafness is diagnosed has fallen from up to three years to around eight weeks.
Deafness Research UK's chief executive Vivienne Michael said: "Recent advances in the field of childhood deafness such as the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, the Early Support programme and the introduction of digital hearing aids means this is the perfect time to examine what best supports the development of individual deaf children."
Regular updates on the project can be found at www.positivesupport.info