• Each Information Sheets is setup to print on A4, double-side (on the short side), in either colour or black & white.
  • Each Information sheets includes useful links to organisations based in Australia, America and the United Kingdom. We note that while some of the information on these websites will be relevant to a particular country, there is a lot of content that is universally experienced by parents of a Deaf or Hard of Hearing child.

Communication and Hearing

This Information Sheet is the beginners’ guide the topics of technology, hearing tests, Audiology and understanding the audiogram.

Tips for Parents

Life Stages

As your child grows so do their needs and challenges, we’ve categorised the Life Stages Information Sheets into age and schooling levels from diagnosis to Secondary school.

After Diagnosis

When you’ve been told your baby has a hearing loss you will have lots of questions. You will probably experience a range of emotions and feelings about your child’s diagnosis, from shock to relief that your suspicions have been confirmed.

You are not alone. There are other parents and their whānau who have been in your place, there is support and help available.

Babies & Toddlers

The first 3 years of a child’s life are the most important stage in terms of building strong relationships through communication. Good communication at home between you and your child is the foundation of language development.

Developing language, recommended resources, sign language for babies and NZSL nursery rhymes.

For Teachers

As a teacher, having a child with hearing loss in your classroom can initially seem challenging. However, with some very minor changes to classroom management, deaf and hard of hearing children can be fully contributing members of your class, and can provide a unique new perspective for both teachers and other students alike.

This Information sheets provides teachers with a number of links to Ministry of Education resources, such as Inclusive Education guides, the starting school checklist, assistive technology, plus tips from a Deaf student.

This powerpoint presentation is useful for that first meeting with a new teacher, or if the school/teacher have not had previous experience teaching a Deaf or Hard of Hearing child.

Preschool

Participating in early childhood education is a key component to educational success for all children and particularly important for your child to learn key social skills and routines for school life.

This Information sheets has recommended resources and tips for parents.

Primary & Intermediate School

Choosing a school for your child where they will be happy and supported to have the best chance to learn is important to every parent. In this information sheet there are tips and resources about the transition process (moving from school to school and year to year), Individual Education Plans (known as IEPs), and recommended readings.

IEP tips for parents

This resource was written by NZ parents sharing their experiences and advice around IEPs.

NZSL@School Project

The purpose of the NZSL@School is to support schools so that deaf children, who need New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) achieve educationally and socially at the same level as their hearing peers. See the Download document below for more information.

Secondary School

Transitioning from a primary or intermediate environment can be challenging for students who are deaf or hard of hearing as it means they will encounter a number of different teachers and physical environments more often during their day.

In this Information sheet here are tips from a Deaf secondary school student, some fo the financial assistance available from DCNZ, IEPs in secondary, NZSL@School, and Youth Hui videos.