Childlife

Two thirds of deaf children start school without expected levels of development, compared with a third of all children, highlighting a crucial need to reach families in those early years, with information and support.

With the parents of newly-identified deaf children expressing a clear preference for an app as a source of information and advice, the National Deaf Children’s Society began a period of research and development. The resulting app ‘My NDCS’, launched to parents in March, and already has over 1,000 parents using it regularly.

Features include a journal function, enabling parents to jot down feelings, milestones and appointments, as well as being able to book onto NDCS events and workshops and read the real-life experiences of other families. Mum Kyla, says:

“Finding out my daughter was profoundly deaf at three weeks was a complete shock. My NDCS has helped me understand her diagnosis and reassured me that she’ll still live a normal life. It will continue to benefit me as we start the cochlear implant assessment and as my daughter gets older, I hope to attend some of the events too.”

Individually tailored convenience

Although the focus is on supporting the youngest generation of deaf children, My NDCS is already providing support to all age groups. A key aspect is that the app can be configured by parents to give them only the information that is specific and relevant to them, such as their childs age and where they live.

The National Deaf Children’s Society wants to make sure that deaf children receive the support they need from the moment their deafness is identified. Thank you for sharing that vision.

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