Mission of the service
This service is trying to help and overcome a challenging situation in which the families can find themselves, in case there is at least one member with hearing disability. We are supporting the development of communication and social skills through edifying and educational activities so the family is able to live their life in the most common way possible.
Goals of the service
Main goals of the services focus on setting up a proper means of communication (not only within the family but also in the society), the family should be able to handle its situation on its own and according to its interests the family should be able to join any common activity in society.
Target group of the service
A client of the service can be any family with child or children at the age of 0 to 18 years, in which one or more than one member has a hearing disability or multiple disabilities (whereas one of those disabilities is hearing disability). Families should be living in the area of Capital City of Prague, Central Bohemian Region, Ústí nad Labem region, Pardubice region, Hradec Králové region or Moravian-Silesian region). Specifically, these families should meet these criteria:
- families with children with hearing disability from 0 to 18 years of age
- families with children with multiple disabilities (whereas one of those disabilities is hearing disability)
- families with children from 0 to 18 years of age, in which one or more than one member has a hearing disability (e. g. parents with hearing impairment with hearing children)
Activities and work of the service
- Socio-therapeutic groups for parents and children (focus on reciprocal interaction between parent and child, development and strengthening of social skills, development of communication between parent and child and on creating of natural attachment between children and parents and also on broadening of sign language vocabulary and vocabulary in general)
- Development of communication skills towards and with the deaf member of the family (learning of a specific communication with hearing-impaired children, basic areas of sign language, broadening of sign language vocabulary)
- Individual consults (ambulatory and filed consults, helping the family in coping with challenging situation, supporting the family while enforcing law and interests, help in the family communication, support during handling and solving social-economic situations, etc.)
- Individual practices of parenting skills and advancement of the child (individual development of social skills, communication skills, development of psychomotor functions of the child, support of positive relations between parents and children, broadening of sign language vocabulary and vocabulary in general)
- Individual canistherapy that focuses on a healing contact between dog and children, it helps to cultivate fine motor skills as well as gross motor function, it enhances verbal and nonverbal communication, orientation in space, it also improves interaction with other children (it can be provided at a branch office in Prague)
- Counseling (in the area of rehabilitation or compensation of hearing disability)
- Provision of the contact with other families
- Provision of the contact with professionals (speech therapy, psychology, special education)
- Parent support group for clients of Social Activation Services (sharing of experiences, searching for answers)
- Educational activities (lectures, meetings with professionals, with adults with hearing disabilities, with parents of children with hearing disabilities)
All of these activities happen under the supervision of professional workers and counsellors of Center of Children´s Hearing Tamtam. When needed also we cooperate with professionals from other areas.
Hearing siblings of children with hearing impairment are also welcome in socio-therapeutic groups, they can visit them together with their sibling.
Clients who regularly visit our socio-therapeutic groups for parents and children or who cooperate with us in form of individual consults can also visit our Parent support group.
Those who apply for the service can use it also only one time (as a one time consult) or regularly. If using only one time consult there is no need for singing the contract, but the record of the consult must be kept.