Rumi Kamiya, Infant Education Counselor
Yuuki Kuroda, Special Needs Education Coordinator
Tokyo Metropolitan Otsuka School for the Deaf

Introduction

Otsuka School for the Deaf is a school for special needs education for children with hearing impairments located in Toshima-ku, Tokyo, which has a history of over 90 years since its establishment.  We have the kindergarten department and the elementary school department.  In addition to the Otsuka Main Campus, we have three branches at Joto (Koto Ward), Jonan (Ota Ward), and Eifuku (Suginami Ward).  About 200 infants and children are enrolled.

The “Hearing and Speech Consultation and Support Center” has been established to play a role as a regional support center in our school.  We are engaged in (1) the dissemination of information on the education of those with hearing impairments; (2) the enhancement of understanding and training on the education of those with hearing impairments; (3) Support for infants with hearing impairments and their parents; and (4) Consultation and implementation of projects related to school activities and guidance for the future.

1. Consultation Program on Infant Education

The Consultation Program on Infant Education offers continuous support for children aged 0 to pre-school age and their families in collaboration with concerned organizations. Consultations increase in number every year, and as of last year we had 231 cases.

Being close to the parents who are worried that their babies have or may have hearing impairments, we receive consultations on child-rearing in general, while focusing on information dissemination on hearing impairments, hearing management, support for parent-child communication, and support for when the children’s speech begins.  As for the types of support, in addition to individual consultation, we have parent-child activities, parental learning, and cooperation with concerned parties both in and out of school as follows:

A. Parent-Child Activities

① Group activities (for toddlers aged 0–2):

Through fun experiences with your children, you can learn how to interact with them and particularly how to develop their speech.  Other important activities we also set up were get-togethers and other opportunities for interaction among parents.

Photo1: Birthday party. Parent-child group activity for 2-year-old children

② Individual support activities (for children aged 0–5):

The parent, child and person in charge together play under a given task, and also play the child’s favorite games.  We provide personalized support for each child, such as hearing management and guidance for the future.

Photo 2: Audibility test: Individual support for 0-year-old children

B. Parental Learning

We offer lectures on various topics such as “Hearing aids and cochlear implants,” “Simulated experience of hearing impairments,” “Sign language workshop,” “Talk by experienced parents,” and “Talk by persons with hearing impairments.”

C. Collaboration with Concerned Parties Both in and out of School

【Collaboration with medical/health institutions】

In addition to referring children, we share information at case meetings and consider better ways of providing support.  We also invite doctors and speech therapists as instructors for parental courses and workshops.

<Notable Activities ①: Seminars for Related Organizations>

It is held every year for public health nurses and people related to medical and health care.  The themes of “Newborn screening for hearing” and “Hearing tests for 1-year-and-6-month-old and 3-year-old children” are handled alternately every other year.  In addition to lectures, school tours and counseling are held.  By letting them know the importance of early intervention and how the children receive support at our school, we are able to obtain early referrals and start providing intervention at an early stage.

【Collaboration with educational / childcare / nursing institutions】

We endeavor to collaborate with teachers of kindergartens and nursery schools who oversee children with hearing impairments.  We conduct case consultations at our school or over the phone; and infant education counselors visit kindergartens and nursery schools to hold case meetings so that the adults concerned with the hearing-impaired children can get involved and acquire a common understanding about the appropriate and proper sensitivity towards these children.” 

<Notable Activities ②: Community Support Seminars>

Every year we hold “Community Support Seminars” for teachers in kindergarten and nursery schools and give lectures, school tours and information exchange meetings.  It is an opportunity for practicing teachers to learn about specific ways of giving support to children with hearing impairments and to exchange information on common issues.

2. Consultation for School-age Children -- Collaboration with the school the children are enrolled in

In Tokyo, there are classes which offer special support for children with hearing impairments / speech impediments enrolled in regular classes in 80 elementary schools and 14 junior high schools in 45 municipalities.  However, there are children and pupils with hearing impairments in special support classes/schools in elementary and junior high schools and many of them are wearing hearing aids and cochlear implants; thus, specialized support for the hearing impaired is necessary.

Each of the children/pupils who cannot hear or are hard of hearing need understanding and comprehensive support from people around them at school.  When we receive a request for consultation, we mainly provide educational and itinerant consultation in collaboration with the home school the children belong to.

A. Educational Consultation on Hearing and Speech

At our school, we receive about 20 requests a year for educational consultation from parents and counselors from the Board of Education.  We provide consultation both at our school and over the phone.  During long holidays, we hold “Educational Consultation Sessions on Hearing and Speech.”  We post invitations through our website and other media.

These consultation sessions in local elementary, junior and senior high schools in Tokyo provide advice on the challenges of communication, hearing aids, and the audibility test for children/pupils with hearing impairments.  Many pupils who use these consultation services have other disabilities as well, such as physical and intellectual disabilities.

We accept applications through the schools the pupils belong to, and provide support in collaboration with their local schools.  We believe that counseling sessions provide good opportunities for the homeroom teachers, as it is a four-part session with the pupils, parents, concerned persons from the home schools and the school for children with hearing impairments wherein they can share specific matters of concern at home and at school.  Through such consultation sessions, the participants were able to, for example, reconsider the pupils’ seating position in the classroom, devise better daily teaching materials and communication methods.

B. Itinerant Consultation

We also visit elementary schools and schools for special needs education to observe their classes and other activities at school and provide support and advice. We check the sound environment of schools and classrooms using a sound level meter, and observe the communication between pupils with hearing impairments and their teachers and friends.  We also let the teachers try on the children’s hearing aids, or have them explain about the mechanism of hearing by using an audiogram.  There was one teacher who thought his pupil with a moderate hearing impairment might not need a hearing aid.  After listening to our explanation, he got to appreciate the role and necessity of hearing aids.

Conclusion:

Through our daily work of consultation on infant education, we, as counselors, are keenly aware of the importance of giving close support to the parents and their babies who underwent a re-examination of the newborn hearing test, especially during the period of anxiety until a definitive diagnosis is made. Therefore, to build a support system immediately after birth, the challenge is to collaborate with related organizations such as maternity hospitals and otolaryngology specialists to further make a significant contribution as a counseling institution open to the community.

In school-age consultation, we have learned that there are cases where pupils were provided special support services during their elementary and junior high school years, but those services were cut off after entering senior high school.  It is important to call on senior high schools and let them know about the need to support students with hearing impairments.  We will continue to strive to function as a regional support center for special needs education for children with hearing impairments.