IBM’s KidSmart program was recently displayed at the Young Scientists’ Exhibition in the RDS. This program aims to integrate interactive teaching and learning activities into pre-schools and is aimed at 3-7 year olds.

The program is currently used with over 2 million children in 60 countries. The focus is on underprivileged areas as well as educating children from other countries who are starting off in the Irish Education system.

“Special needs is always our priority”, says Deirdre Kennedy, spokesperson for IBM Ireland. The KidSmart Young Explorer computer, which is given to qualifying schools, is brightly coloured to attract kids and provides early learning concepts to explore maths, science and languages.

Internationally the KidSmart programme has been very successful with deaf and hard of hearing children.

In one case study the Young Explorer computer was given to The Hammerfestweg Kindergarten in Austria. Here, teachers use KidSmart to respond to each child’s personal needs and goals. Children with hearing issues have particularly benefited from the in-built audio software, Audiolog, which supports them through each activity.

This software shows the lip movements for different words so the children can learn how to lip-read. This also develops pronunciation skills. The teachers tell of the positive effects of this programme. Teacher Eva Potz says, “Before using KidSmart, two-thirds of the children had never used a computer. Now most of them feel comfortable”.

At the “Käpt’n Browser Integrationkita” kindergarten in Berlin, Germany, the KidSmart Centre is used to teach sign language to one deaf student, and to his classmates. Visual learning is core to all KidSmart learning programs.

In Cape Town, South Africa, the KidSmart is used to supplement classes and to devevlop language in deaf children. Because the children regard time at the KidSmart as fun time, these sessions are highly popular and are something the kids look forward to.  Staff also find the units useful as an assessment tool for tracking each child’s individual progress.

“KidSmart units have opened the window to technology for these young learners,” says Inge Karitzinger, a teacher at the centre. “They remove the child’s fear of the unknown and let them access the world of information.”

The units both enable the children to become computer literate and to improve social skills. Because more than one child can sit at the KidSmart unit, the children can collaborate to complete the different exercises.

Each year IBM works with The National Centre for Technology in Education to decide on a focus for that year. While the focus for 2010 applications is still to be decided, all enquiries can be emailed to Deirdre Kennedy,  kennedyd<at>ie.ibm.com .

Further Reading:

KidSmart Case Studies (pdf file)

KidSmart Information for parents and teachers

(compiled by Miriam Walsh)

A conference on The Future of Deaf Education in Ireland will take place at The Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin, on March 4th.

The conference will see the launch of a new policy document compiled by DeafHear.ie, The Catholic Institute of Deaf People and The Irish Deaf Society. This policy sets out a new future for deaf education in Ireland.

It looks at the right of the parent to determine what is best for their child as well as having access to all information regarding the education and communication options available. It also suggests that children at a later age should be able to have their own input into decisions made regarding their education.

By the end of 2010 the policy aims to enable parents of deaf and hard of hearing children to know and understand within 6 months of the childs birth the options available developmentally and educationally.

The conference will also feature a presentation by Marc Marschark PhD, co-author of “Educating Deaf Students: From Research to Practice” and author of the 2009 advice paper on best practice in Deaf education for the National Council for Special Education.

When it comes to education support services Marc Marsharck looks at how decisions are often based on tradition, intuition and administrative convenience rather than being based on research evidence.

He looks at what research has to say about cochlear implants, newborn hearing screening and early intervention. Marschark last visited Ireland in 2008 when he visited the Mid-West School for the deaf. The purpose of this visit was to discuss the Irish system and get a sense of the issues here in Ireland to aid his findings on best practice models and outcomes in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children.

These findings contributed to his paper, “Evidence of Best Pratice Models and Outcomes in the Education of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: An International Review.”

Featured speakers will be both deaf and hearing and interpreters will be present on the day.

Additional speakers will be announced in the near future.

For further information, contact Liam O’Dwyer at lodwyer@cidp.ie or phone / text 087-6753475.

Further reading:

The Catholic Institute of Deaf People’s Education Policy

Marc Marschark’s material

• Seminar Presentation
• Seminar Abstract

Irish company, Off We Go Publishing, has released a set of books for children to learn about different first-time experiences in early life.

These books benefit those with special needs and any young child experiencing these outings for the first time.

Twelve different titles are in the series, including “Going on a Plane’, “Going to the Optician” and  “Going to the Doctor”.

Events that may at first be a scary experience for any young child are covered, together with fun titles such as “Going to the Cinema”.

These books both introduce young children to new experiences and to early vocabulary associated with these different outings.

Early language and communication skills are developed, which builds the child’s confidence and self esteem. Children learn about a new experience in their daily routine, which can prepare them for a new experience.

Instead of being scared they can think back to the characters in the books and remember how much fun they had.

When children know what’s happening, pressure is taken off parents who have the help of the book when explaining a certain event to a child.

The book also helps to create awareness about children with disabilities, which benefits social inclusion in classrooms and playgroups.

In the case of one book, “Off To Buy Shoes’, Limerick author Avril Webster tells how she finds the book useful with her 10 year old son Stephen who has a severe developmental disorder.

“I use it to help prepare him for the fact that he will need to choose which shoes he wants to try, to wait his turn, that a stranger will need to measure his feet, and that it is important the shoes feel comfortable as well as look nice. But most of all I use it to help him understand what is going to happen and so as to reduce his anxiety about this new experience for him”.

She also adds. “Just like you have a ramp for a person with a physical disability, my books have helped Stephen ‘access’ experiences and events that previously he had found very difficult”.

Clinical Psychologist, David Coleman recommends these books, saying, “we all need opportunities like these to build strong relationships with our children”.

The books can be found on http://offwego.ie and bought in many bookstores nationwide.

A pilot scheme in the UK which aims to improve service co-ordination for children with deafness, is expected to be underway by early 2010.

The Local Record of Deaf Children in the UK seeks to improve services and raise awareness of the numbers of young people living with hearing loss. Information will be shared by state agencies to maximise supports offered.

On a visit to Donaldson’s School, Linlithgow (Scotland), which teaches deaf students, Public Health Minister Shona Robison said:

“Early identification of hearing loss in children provides an opportunity for a range of agencies to be involved in their support, improved development and educational attainment.”

Hearing screening is already in place at designated hospitals in the UK and some families’ stories show how valuable early detection can be. Kate Cadman explains how her daughter Beatrice benefited from early detection.

Just days after birth, Beatrice was screened for hearing loss and her mother recalls the shock and fear she felt.

“For months I awoke with a boot-in-the-gut feeling as I relived the shock of being told. Would Beatrice ever hear my voice? Would she make friends and be happy? What about schooling? A feeling of isolation swept over me. I felt it was impossible to communicate with Beatrice: I could hug and cuddle her but I desperately needed to bond with her”.

At just 10 weeks old, Beatrice received her first set of hearing aids. Her parents were advised to start learning sign language and were told this would be the only way to communicate with her. However they decided against this, feeling it would benefit their daughter in the long run.

Before long Beatrice was getting frustrated as her hearing worsened. Kate was advised to contact a charity near Oxford that works with deaf preschoolers. Realising it might be the only option for Beatrice, she made a phone call and was told to get the best technology available and to start language lessons immediately.

Through this approach, Beatrice learnt to recognise her own name and it was all uphill from there.

Five-year-old Beatrice now communicates by speech and her diction is clear. She has started at a mainstream school where she has made friends and has even begun to learn French.

As Kate says “Now, instead of wanting to stamp on her hearing-aids, as I did at first, I love them. They open up Beatrice’s world. Her moulds have gold sparkles on them and we call them her magic ears. We always believed that deafness should not overshadow Beatrice’s character or preclude her from any opportunity in life. It hasn’t.”

Background Reading: News release from the Scottish government

Note: In Ireland, DeafHear has for some years campaigned to have UNHS (Universal Newborn Hearing Screening) introduced at hospitals. As an interim measure, DeafHear offers a UNHS service by appointment at its North Frederick Street premises in Dublin.

Early identification of deafness, hearing devices from an early age and language teaching are all essential to give a deaf child a positive head-start in life. UNHS facilitates this process by giving families time to plan the best approach for the child’s needs.

(compiled by Miriam Walsh)

Simply Signing is inviting members to join its new “Now I Can Sign Programme” (NICSP), which is geared to parents and teachers.

The NICSP gives the skills to learn basic vocabulary in Irish sign language (ISL) such as “more” and “all gone”. These signs can be easily introduced to babies and children from as young as six months.

Self-expression and understanding between adult and child is encouraged, which contributes to the child’s own happiness and confidence. Research shows that early literacy skills benefit when movement is added to verbal and written communication.

The Simply Signing NICSP initiates signing in educational settings to support child development and benefit children learning signs as a second language.

Signing in the early years can support literacy skills and ease a toddler’s transition into speaking. Signs can be built into fun activities in classrooms, including music time. Above all, this programme helps to ensure social inclusion and support diversity in classrooms.

Members receive a 25% discount on Simply Signing products, a “start signing” package, a website listing for their childcare facility and more.

The crèche/school package includes reference guides of signs, posters, books and printable material. There is also the option of purchasing an individual package, for parents and individuals working with small groups.

For more details, contact Simply Signing by mailing info@simplysigning.ie or calling 01-8971254.

(compiled by Miriam Walsh)