The Monitoring Protocol
Supporting and Monitoring in the early years post identification of hearing loss:
After the identification of hearing loss it is vital that the baby and child’s developmental progress is tracked and supported. The professional can offer support to the family when they have a full understanding of the sequential nature of language and listening development. The strategies of support that enable hearing children to develop a rich foundation of language and understanding are just what the hearing impaired child needs at the same stage of development.
For a later identified hearing impaired child the stages are still sequential, the strategies are similar, however the interactions must relate to the age, interest and experiences of the child.
For the hearing impaired child their listening will rely on the continuity of well set up and managed ‘hearing aids’( including all audiological support devices) that are used within their waking hours.
Families and Teachers of the deaf often refer to the language and listening development of the child as old as consistent and appropriate ‘hearing aid’ wearing’. Given that also the child is engaged in interactions that are meaningful and appropriate to their needs in the home and educational setting.
The Monitoring Protocol documents help support the tracking of the baby/child’s all round development and offer support to develop the next steps. These guidance documents will help develop an understanding of the needs of the individual hearing impaired child and used together with families and shared with professionals in Health and Education encourage ‘a CAN DO’ and family centered approach.
The Monitoring Protocol for deaf babies and children
- Should be held by families and supported in its use by professionals working with the family.
The Monitoring Protocol
How to use this protocol
Early Support Monitoring
Monitoring Protocol Developmental Cards
There are 3 cards for each stage. They give key pointers of how you can recognise the child is at this stage and what you can do to support the next steps at this stage. Communication; Attending, Listening and Vocalisations; Play.
Monitoring Protocol Developmental Cards
Monitoring Protocol Summative Record
There is a fold out sheet for each stage and on one sheet you can see across all areas of development at each stage. It is a good overview and helps families realise that their child can be at an earlier stage for example in listening and talking but may be age appropriate in other milestones.
Professionals may use this Summative record to keep track of development without having the whole document which is held by families. Some families find this is enough and is a simpler way to keep track. (It doesn’t however have the detail of support ideas the full Monitoring protocol has.)
The Teacher of the deaf after sharing the Monitoring Protocol with families will have a good idea of the stage the child is at and working in the home will understand the needs of the family and want to support the next step to the next stage. Within the Monitoring Protocol there are check stages at B5 , B9 and B11. If you are finding that a child and family are needing support to move the child on, visit the Level 2 materials below.
Monitoring Protocol Summative Record
Monitoring Protocol Glossary
Level 2 Materials
The Level 2 materials will offer ideas and also opportunities for discussion and how you can personalise the practical advice that will support the next step. Teachers of the deaf have often used the Level 2 materials to check also what needs following up, reviewing or checking or the involvement of another professional. This section has also opened up an opportunity to celebrate the developments made and help families feel secure about what they are doing and the professional advice they have been given. It also clarifies the stage the child is at.
Level 2 Materials
Level 2
Monitoring Protocol for deaf babies and children Level 2: In brief
Parent/child Interaction
- Helps identify personalised family focused real situations as to how development can be facilitated.
- Provides the reason why specific interactions are so supportive.
- Allows for individual circumstances and what the family feels comfortable with.
- Highlights positive outcomes
- Useful to copy and discuss at Family support groups when you have families together.
- Great as it works for all children.
Attending listening and Vocalisations
- Helps parents and practitioners identify the order of sound development
- Helps to monitor the capabilities of the’ hearing aid ‘ and inform tuning
- Enables parents and practitioners to track development
- Helps keep expectations realistic, not asking child to make sounds it is not ready for developmentally ( or can’t hear)
- Provides practical advice to parents and settings, who want to know what they can do to encourage listening behaviours and sound awareness
Early words and meaning
- Provides guidance on when to use
- Helps parents and practitioners to recognise the development of real words comes after a great deal of listening time ;
- That there is a process that evolves through contingent experiences
- Helps practitioners understand that ‘teaching speech’ or therapy sessions do not speed up the development of language.
- Helps practitioners to explain to parents how invaluable are the language and interaction opportunities of the home .
Early grammar development
- Helps parents and practitioners identify and confirm development and readiness to move on.
- Ensures that goals are realistic and that expectations are sequential
- Provides the detail that we practitioners are after and the detail that some families need to track.
- Helps practitioners ask the questions and understand how and how much the family are doing to support their child.
- Ensures that families have structure to track and understand what to look at without structuring the approach and support
- Recognising the order of language development .
- Provides practitioners with the detail and how to record the evidence, thus helping with reports that share the information