Early Listening Skills for Children with a Hearing Loss (2^nd Ed.) A Resource for Professionals in Health and Education Early Skills Series

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Early Listening Skills is a practical manual for use with children and young people with underdeveloped listening skills related to hearing loss. Thirteen clear and easy to follow sections focus on skills such as auditory detection, discrimination, recognition, sequencing and memory. Each one is filled with a series of carefully designed activities to stimulate and develop auditory awareness and discrimination skills in children with a range of developmental levels and abilities.

Features include:

• A wide range of activities suited to both the early years and home settings
• Links to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and topics reflecting the EYFS and Key Stage 1 curriculum
• Photocopiable material designed to document the child?s development over time

As most of the activities are non-verbal, they are well suited for children with limited spoken language as well as children with special educational needs and disability and English as an additional language (EAL) learners. Whilst primarily designed for early years practitioners, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), specialist teachers, therapists and other professionals, the activity sheets and guidance also make it an invaluable tool for parents and caregivers looking to stimulate listening skills at home.

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Section 1: Discovering Sound

Section 2: Exploring Sound Makers

Section 3: Sound Detection

Section 4: Sound Recognition

Section 5: Finding Sound

Section 6: Volume and Pitch

Section 7: Rhythm and Sequencing

Section 8: Auditory Memory

Section 9: Listening to Spoken Language

Section 10: Listening Skills in the Curriculum

Section 11: Holiday Projects

Section 12: Listening Resources

Section 13: Sounds, Sound Makers and Musical Instruments

Appendix I: Record Sheet

Appendix II: Further Reading

Appendix III: Resources

Diana Williams qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 1983, and worked in schools and nurseries with children who have communication difficulties. She developed a specialist knowledge in the field of hearing loss, and completed an MSc in Speech Therapy with Deaf People at City University, London, in 1992. Her other publications include the companion volume Early Visual Skills and the popular Working with Children’s Language. In 2002, she authored a word finding and categorising game named ‘Find the Link’ for individuals and group work. In addition to her clinical roles, Diana held a number of lecturing posts in higher education institutions, teaching and supporting a diverse range of students. After gaining a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in 2004, she provided professional development activities for other lecturers and teachers as an Educational Developer. More recently she completed a BA(Hons) in Fine Art and a MA in Fine Art, and now focuses her time on arts education and arts practice.