School support for children with hearing impairments and deafness
If your child has no hearing or only limited hearing, school requires a great deal of extra effort: following lessons aurally, picking up on conversations, and feeling part of the class. A school support worker ensures that communication is successful and that your child can truly participate. We are guided by the principle: as much support as necessary, as little as possible.
How hearing impairment and deafness manifest in everyday school life
Listening is a constant challenge in the classroom – and particularly exhausting for children with hearing impairments.
- Following lessons aurally: background noise, reverberation in the room and several people speaking at once make it difficult to understand what is being said reliably.
- Communicating with classmates: Quick conversations during breaks or in groups are almost impossible to follow, which can lead to misunderstandings and a sense of being left out.
- Sign language and technology: FM systems, cochlear implants or hearing aids must be used correctly in everyday life, monitored and integrated into lessons.
- Participation in conversations and group work: Those who cannot hear what is being said find it difficult to contribute and can easily miss agreements and steps in the work.
- Fatigue: Concentrating on watching and listening for hours on end is very tiring and often leads to exhaustion and a decline in attention.
How our support helps
We step in where communication and participation would otherwise be lost.
- Ensuring communication: Through sign language, visual aids and clear repetition, we ensure that messages get across → Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- Social participation and peer contact: We help make conversations and group situations accessible so that your child feels included → Social interaction
- Coordination with the school and technology: We liaise with teachers to coordinate the use of FM systems and hearing aids, and ensure conditions are suitable for hearing → Cooperation with the school
- Relief from fatigue: We monitor concentration levels, introduce breaks and thereby reduce the strain caused by constant visual and auditory focus.
- Independence as a goal: We withdraw our support as soon as your child no longer needs it.
Legal basis & application
A hearing impairment or deafness is classified as a sensory disability. As a rule, integration support is applicable here, which is applied for at the social services office (Section 112 of Book IX of the Social Code). The relevant funding body decides whether a school support worker is suitable and eligible for approval in each individual case – we will guide you through the entire process.
Qualifications of our support workers
Our school support workers undergo a multi-stage selection process and receive ongoing training at our own Splash Academy. When supporting children with hearing impairments and deaf children, we pay particular attention to communication skills and the confident use of sign language, visual aids and hearing technology. This ensures your child receives supportive and professionally appropriate assistance.
Frequently asked questions
Do school support workers need to be proficient in sign language?
That depends on your child’s needs. If sign language is essential, we specifically look for the relevant skills during the selection process. In many cases, visual aids and assisted communication are also helpful ways of ensuring effective communication.
Does the support worker operate the hearing technology?
We provide support with the day-to-day use of FM systems and hearing aids, monitor their functioning and liaise with the school. Medical and technical adjustments to cochlear implants or hearing aids are the responsibility of specialist centres and audiologists, not the school support worker.
Does this also work in mainstream schools?
Yes. We provide support at mainstream and special schools and adapt our support to the specific learning environment and the acoustic conditions on site.
How do you ensure my child isn’t isolated?
One of our key focuses is on social inclusion: we make conversations and group situations accessible and encourage contact with classmates, rather than creating a special role for the child.
How much does a consultation cost?
The initial consultation is free of charge and without obligation. Together, we’ll clarify your child’s needs, the application process and the next steps.
Let’s talk about your child
In a free initial consultation, we’ll discuss your child’s needs, the application process and the next steps – with no obligation.
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Our own Splash Academy · Multi-stage selection process · Support at mainstream and special schools
This page is for information purposes only and does not replace medical or legal advice. The decision as to whether school support is appropriate and eligible for funding is made by the relevant funding body on a case-by-case basis.