Getting their attention
To get a deaf child’s attention you can call their name, wave, knock a table, or tap their shoulder lightly.
Make sure they can see you when you are talking
Try to get down to their level so that they can see your face clearly. Don’t move around while you’re talking as this will make it impossible for the child to hear your voice and lip read.
Speak clearly and naturally
Deaf children will try to lip read, so they need you to say words as you normally would. Speaking slowly or too loudly makes lip reading much more difficult.
Help with lip-reading
Covering your mouth with your hands (scratching your nose!), eating or having some facial hair, can make lip-reading very difficult. Any coving will muffle what you are saying.
Reduce background noise
Hearing aids and cochlear implants amplify a child’s hearing, which means they have to concentrate very hard on your voice to hear it over everything else. Background noises such as students chatting loudly can make it difficult for a child to listen. Block out unnecessary noise as much as possible by closing windows, doors and turning machines off.
Use visual clues where possible
Point to what you’re talking about, and don’t be shy about using gestures to support your communication. For example, if you’re telling a group of children dinner is ready, you can do a knife and fork action and point to the dinner table.
Make it clear what the topic of conversation is
The child will find it easier to guess your words if they know what you are talking about. Make sure that the deaf child knows when the topic changes.
Speak one at a time
Group conversations can be difficult for a deaf child to follow. Make it easier by asking everyone to take their turn talking and to make a sign if they want to talk next. Passing round an object and only being able to talk when you have it can help
Stand with your face to the light
Standing in front of the windows, in poor lighting or where there is lots of other visual clutter, can make it very difficult to lip-read.
Never give up or say ‘I’ll tell you later’
Deaf children have told us someone saying “I’ll tell you later” is their absolute pet hate. They want to be involved just like their friends, so if one method doesn’t work, don’t be scared to improvise. You can try texting on your phone, emailing, or good old fashioned pen and paper.