Taking place from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on December 7, the webinar will see practitioners discuss how vision and hearing problems often go undetected, what more can be done to help identify them and offer greater support to reduce social and educational barriers for children affected.
This webinar is aimed at professionals working in primary or secondary settings, including senior leadership team members, SENDCOs and wider special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) team as well as inclusion and welfare leads.
Vision problems are common among children, with studies suggesting that as many as one in five have some form visual deficit with the potential to affect their educational development, including colour vision impairment.
There have been “significant increases” in short-sightedness (myopia) linked to increases in screentime which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
These problems can lead to difficulties seeing longer distances in classrooms or when reading, which in turn can disadvantage a child in the school environment.
Once discovered, these issues can be corrected by glasses or other forms of intervention in most cases.
Hearing loss in childhood can affect almost one in five children and young people – with the majority developing problems during childhood.
Minimal, mild, and moderate hearing loss can have an impact on cognitive and auditory skills, impacting children’s speech, language, developmental and educational outcomes.
The webinar
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During the one-hour discussion, an expert panel, featuring clinicians and educators, will consider:
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The importance of vision and hearing in learning and behavioural development and the implications of even mild vision and hearing loss for educational and social development, including inclusion, pupil welfare, academic progress, and pastoral care.
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How prevalent these difficulties are and what form they can take – from mild problems to more severe cases – including how children’s vision and hearing can change over time.
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How the behaviour of children with undetected vision and/or hearing deficits can present as challenging in the school environment.
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The impact of Covid and increasing screentime on pupils’ speech and language development and myopia (short-sightedness).
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The implications for schools of patchy NHS screening provision.
The webinar will also feature advice and guidance from professionals working with hearing and visually impaired students in mainstream primary and secondary school settings.
Panel members Professor David Thomson and Dr Sebastian Hendricks have been involved with the development of Thomson Screening’s SchoolScreener, which is used by non-clinical NHS staff, and which has clocked up more than 1.2 million screenings in more than 5,000 schools. Its sister technology, SchoolScreener for Schools can be used by school support staff at key stages 2, 3 and 4.
Thomson and Hendricks will discuss their “lessons learned” and advice for schools based on their experience in screening and supporting children’s learning and development.
It is being organised by SecEd, Headteacher Update and Children and Young People Now in partnership with Thomson Screening and its SchoolScreener for Schools service.
The line-up
Pete Henshaw (chair): Pete has been a journalist for more than 25 years and has specialised in education for 18 years. He has been the editor of SecEd since 2006 and Headteacher Update since 2012. He is co-host of the SecEd Podcast, SecEd and Headteacher update webinars, and writes regularly for the magazines.
Professor David Thomson: David has spent most of his professional life at City, University of London. He lectured in Clinical Optometry and Visual Perception before becoming Head of Department. In the 1990s, he recognised the potential of emerging computer and display technology for vision assessment and screening. He started to develop software and the first programme was launched in 1992. Today, his software is used in thousands of clinics and schools worldwide. He started developing software for vision screening in schools more than 10 years ago. He continues to lead product development while lecturing widely in the UK and overseas. In 2016 Prof Thomson was elected a Life Fellow of the College of Optometrists for his outstanding contribution to the profession.
Dr Sebastian Hendricks: Sebastian is a consultant in paediatric audiovestibular medicine at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Sebastian has an MSc in audiovestibular medicine and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians as well as the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health. He has worked with Thomson Screening for more than a decade developing SchoolScreener Hearing to enable non-clinical staff to identify children with undetected hearing problems affecting educational and social development and healthcare issues in children.
Further guests to be confirmed will include professionals working with hearing and visually impaired students in mainstream primary and secondary school settings.
Register for the webinar here.
