The Silent Child

[PurpleDaisies]

This will be shown on the BBC on Friday at 7.40pm. Well worth watching (with a tissue).

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p062342v?intc_type=singletheme&intc_location=bbcone&intc_campaign=bigonbbcone&intc_linkname=vidclip_thesilentchild_contentcard2

It’s on iPlayer if you missed it

This film is beautiful and utterly heartbreaking. I was expecting a Hollywood ending where the parents realized that BSL was allowing Libby to communicate and making her much happier and more connected with the world.

I guess the 78% of Deaf children who do not get the support they need do not get a Hollywood ending though.

Petalflowera That is so lovely to hear how Mandy influenced your career. It was always one of mine & my sister's favourite films when we growing up. It's on Amazon video at the moment. It was about £3 to rent and there's lots of dvds on Ebay. I'm an emotional mess every time I've ever watched it. I really recommend it to everyone who interested in the Silent Child.

swings that wasn't the statistic.

78% of deaf children are in mainstream schools but that does not mean that they do not have support. Many have specific help. I have never known a deaf child with no communication in a situation like that child.

We have never experienced any issues or had to fight for his additional needs at all.
@MadreDeDios I would personally say that you were lucky.

We have had to fight tooth and nail for everything. We have had nursery out and out lie about the provision they were meant to be providing, we have had schools ask whether to prioritise the hearing loss or the subsequent behaviour, we have had a School place the only LSA they had that knew BSL into a different class to my Deaf child.
we have had to fight for 5 years to get a Local Authority to write the words "British Sign Language" into a statement/EHCP, we fought for over a year to get a LA to specify the words "qualified in BSL level 3 or above" in the provision.

So I would say that yes, a child starting a school with absolutely zero support in place does happen. And it happens a lot more than people think. It is only when things totally fall apart for that child that things begin to happen, and they don't happen quickly.

I’ve known children start school without support due to support not being available. It’s very difficult in some areas to find staff qualified to work with a BSL using child.
Plus often those who are qualified will go for the colleges who tend to pay more than schools ime.

I want to catch this but just wanted to say that i loved Mandy - really worth watching, a hugely emotional and educational film - though possibly outdated now.

I remember seeing the bbc coverage in the build up to the oscars.
Watching on catch up now bawling.
Dd2 was born with moderate deafness and is doing amazingly with hearing aids from very early on & speaks incredibly well in comfortable situations and also picks up peripheral speech in quieter environments.
I still worry about her going into school and getting the support she needs. I can't even begin to imagine how isolating it is to have so little opportunity to communicate.
We have great support from nursery, and local authority sensory impairment team but the latter are massively overstretched.
I hope this raises awareness being prime time bank holiday viewing.

I just watched this on iplayer. Was really moving - a powerful 20 mins.

As a parent of a hearing impaired child it still brought home the reality of being deaf and the impact. We have met lots of deaf families and kids since and they are all amazing

swings that wasn't the statistic.
78% of deaf children are in mainstream schools but that does not mean that they do not have support. Many have specific help.

Where are you getting your info from, System? The statistic said that the 78% had no specialist support, which I find shocking.

Interesting too that the family had money, loved the house.. Would the film have been viewed differently with more day to day parents?

Low income family would be considered be neglectful I’m sure. I’m not sure who was supposed to be looking after her? She hadn’t taken her to the park since she was a baby but there was no hint she had been at a childminders or had a nanny either. Maybe parents used work for home and just ignore her?

Our primary school does sign language in lessons and assemblies. We haven’t got any deaf children there but I think it’s lovely that they normalise the sign language.