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11. THE ADPS PROJECT: UNEXPLORED AREAS

The Achievements of Deaf Pupils in Scotland ( ADPS) project was set up in 2000 by the late Dr Mary Brennan as a response to concerns about educational under-achievements among deaf pupils. From October 2000 to March 2005 the project was funded by the Scottish Government (then the Scottish Executive) and was located within the Scottish Sensory Centre at the University of Edinburgh. Its main aim was to collect detailed information about deaf pupils in Scotland and their achievements.

A national database was established, which enabled the development and storage of a detailed record for each deaf preschool and school child. Information was gathered from teachers of deaf children and was entered on a yearly basis.

During the lifetime of the project, specific findings were made available in the following ways:

• On the project website at: http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/adps/survey/index.shtml ;
• Through presentations and reports to individual local authority deaf education/ HI services, Deaf Children's Societies etc, including the distribution of individually-tailored selections of data to local services in CD format;
• Through conference presentations;
• Through articles in relevant journals and magazines.

It was hoped that further finance would be found for the continuation of the project after March 2005 and for analysis of remaining data. Although various sources were explored, it did not prove possible; data collection ceased in 2005 and large amounts of data from 2000/2005 remain unexplored.

The wide range of types of information, and the fact that groups can be tracked over the five years, makes the resource uniquely valuable to further research relating to linguistic access of preschool children and school pupils. Categories of information include:

RECOMMENDATION

• It is suggested that further consideration is given to the exploitation of unexplored ADPS data, from 2000/2005, as a resource for future research studies relating to linguistic access of preschool children and school pupils.

CASE EXAMPLE

The mother of an implanted lower primary school child, 'P', was in contact during the research period of this study (a 'happenstance' contact, previously unknown to the researcher). Her description of her experience is included, as it illustrates so many of the complex issues raised in the preschool and school sections of the report, and the way parents need to navigate their way through these complexities.

P was diagnosed at three and a half years and implant 'switch on' was two years later. There were indications that P had had at least some hearing at birth, which had declined significantly. Mum generally found great support from the local ToD and SaLT post-diagnosis. She appreciated their observations on social interaction as well as on educational access. P uses a combination of cochlear implant and hearing aid.

Both parents felt that P was already an 'oral' child at diagnosis, and were not keen to explore use of BSL, thinking that it might interfere with language development (mum and dad have continued to provide a lot of spoken language development work with P at home). The SaLT originally suggested the use of some signs to support English. This was very quickly dropped, as it was felt that it was confusing. P is currently achieving above age-appropriate results in school tests, and integrates well with hearing pupils in 1:1 and small group situations, where the FM system is particularly beneficial. P sometimes struggles in other group situations (especially outside of school) and can become bored and disruptive if feeling excluded. Any parental interest in learning BSL has been difficult because of practicalities. Mum feels BSL might possibly be useful in the future, for noisy situations and for situations where P cannot use hearing equipment. She also feels that it could be useful socially, should P choose to mix with other BSL-users.

Mum feels there is a need for P to meet other deaf children and they join in organised events whenever possible. It has proved hard to organise contact with other deaf children within school - again because of practicalities.

Mum and dad had to take responsibility for persuading the local authority to provide a radio aid at nursery (borrowed one from NDCS) and, later, for helping to manage the equipment on a daily basis before the school day and when problems arise within school. There is no local educational audiologist and they have had to build up their own knowledge to ensure that adequate assistance is provided.

Mum observes that P uses lipreading if it's noisy, using mostly audition when it's quiet. However, P is 'not very competent lipreader' and lipreading only seems to help when P is struggling to hear.

A ToD currently visits three times a week, taking P and one or two others to a quiet area for small group language/listening games. She has also assisted with school assembly sessions focused around deaf issues. P was recently discharged from the local authority SaLT service, but still receives occasional monitoring from the Cochlear Implant Centre SaLT. There is a learning support assistant within P's class, but she is not specifically assigned to P. Mum expressed some frustration that the only specialised training the assistant has received is on the basics of the implant and on radio aid technology. If any other issues arise, the school usually phones mum. Therefore, while the school has made various efforts related to the NDCS 'Deaf Friendly Pledge', she feels there is a still need for staff training.

P had a Record of Needs, but they have been told that P will not now qualify for a Co-ordinated Support Plan. They are worried about the implications of services having been so reduced because P is meeting/exceeding educational targets and are concerned that the reduced services may lead to a slippage in P's progress in the future - particularly thinking ahead to secondary school.

The parents feel that they have had to become contentious in order to maintain adequate levels of access and support for the present and for the future.

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