Deaf children win battle for extra funding

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MORE deaf children in Dorset will receive much-needed speech and language therapy following a two-year battle for extra funding for the vital service.

Among those who will benefit are three-year-old Joe Charles from Wimborne who receives one-to-one help from speech and language therapist Erica Davies.

Joe’s mother Sarah said: “The extra funding is invaluable. Joe will be starting school next year; he gets so frustrated and this funding will help him communicate with others as well as provide extra support to our family.”

Tireless campaigners included charity worker Shirley Sorbie from West Parley whose sons Tom and Jamie are both deaf.

Shirley has been a trustee of Dorset Deaf Children’s Society for 20 years. She said: “Speech and language therapy is critical as it is such a vital part of any deaf child’s development.

“Lack of communication can impact on the whole of a children’s life, not just education, but social needs and self-esteem. Over the years I have listened to parents voicing their increasing concerns.”

On behalf of the DDCS, Shirley compiled a questionnaire for parents to give them a voice and enlisted the support of MPs, NHS Commissioners and children’s services.

Following a two-year campaign, the time allocated for the specialist speech and language therapist for deaf children in Dorset rose from seven hours a week to three days a week and two more therapists were trained to help deaf children.

The Speech and Language Therapy Service submitted a business plan to the PCT commissioners who have now approved £244,000 additional funding for Dorset children with special needs.

Shirley, 54, said: “At a time when the NHS is being drastically cut, to have been successful with this campaign is simply amazing. We would like to thank the speech and language therapy service for taking our concerns on board.”
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http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9980448.Deaf_children_win_battle_for_extra_funding/
 
Hhmmm, this could be an argument
Against oral only. Thing is, good quality speech therapy costs a lot of money, whether it be private pay or publicly funded. very few kids graduate from speech (and what I mean by graduate is that they have absolutely no spoken language or speech issues) Most dhh kids will never have perfect speech.
 
And the thing is, it's not deaf children....I'm sure if you asked the kids they would say that speech therapy is boring and they hate it..it's parents of dhh kids who think if their kid can go boo be bah really well they'll somehow have more oppertunties
 
deafdyke said:
And the thing is, it's not deaf children....I'm sure if you asked the kids they would say that speech therapy is boring and they hate it..it's parents of dhh kids who think if their kid can go boo be bah really well they'll somehow have more oppertunties
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My parents thought this and they were right. Speech therapy can open doors for children. I had it through grade school and I never complained, according to my parents. I saw it as necessary and just went along with it, and my sessions were paid via the school. I hardly think schools would hire low quality speech therapist although I'm not sure how you define quality yourself. I had speech therapy during the week and also through Mass General Hospital and my parents worked with me as well. If you want to learn something well, you need to be exposed to it. "Good quality" speech therapy alone is of no benefit if the parents are behind it doing their part as well.

Laura
 
deafdyke said:
And the thing is, it's not deaf children....I'm sure if you asked the kids they would say that speech therapy is boring and they hate it..it's parents of dhh kids who think if their kid can go boo be bah really well they'll somehow have more oppertunties
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I enjoyed it. Most people are for a full toolbox for deaf children. Or at least pay lip service. There is nothing wrong with speech therapy, and it is helpful to many children. As a person who didn't speak until age five, I appreciate everything my parents did for my well being.
 
Bottesini said:
I enjoyed it. Most people are for a full toolbox for deaf children. Or at least pay lip service. There is nothing wrong with speech therapy, and it is helpful to many children. As a person who didn't speak until age five, I appreciate everything my parents did for my well being.
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your parents teach support oral speech and

I knew people have parents, people have speech have oral if really good


you are right, whom know lip reading know how skills on study on speech many times know CI/Hearing Aid many times support to education!
 
I know, and I'm all for a full toolbox. but the thing is speech therapy can be super boring. Like I will admit that spoken language therapy can be fun, especially if done by a talented speech therapist....it is a good tool to have, but the thing is, that its very often done under a My Fair Lady"mentality rather then a "here's a good tool for you It's ok if you can t pronounce the words absolutely correctly"
 
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