Deafness no barrier to mainstream schooling

Young children with hearing problems are thriving in mainstream schools at rates never previously imagined following the remarkable success of auditory-verbal therapy at Sydney's Shepherd Centre.

Over 90% of hearing impaired children who participate in auditory-verbal therapy programs at The Shepherd Centre now go on to attend mainstream schools.

This is a success rate undreamed of in previous decades, says the CEO Anthea Green.

"The programs and the hearing technology for children have just come so far and we love watching our young graduates' progress and thrive at their new schools. We even have fluent bilingual graduates, of whom we are particularly proud," said Green.

Seven in ten children who attend the Shepherd Centre are diagnosed through the State Wide Infant Screening - Hearing (SWISH) program. Many of these young children with hearing problems would have "slipped through the net" in previous decades.

"Developing the spoken communication skills of children with hearing loss so they can attend mainstream education has always been the philosophy of The Shepherd Centre. And considering that hearing impairment costs Australians around $11.75 billion a year, it's evident that children making the transition into mainstream schools rather than into relatively expensive disability schools or special education is great for the community as well," said Green.

"All parents feel an emotional mix of pride and anxiety when their children start kindergarten. You can imagine how strong these emotions are for families who have young hearing-impaired children starting school after attending the Shepherd Centre," said Green.

A new project is being launched which documents the success and progress of hearing impaired graduates of the Shepherd Centre.