Sing and Sign promotes inclusivity and belonging in early childhood settings 

William is three years old, and has severe hearing loss. He has hearing aids which he wears in both ears, has Auslan as his first language, and has begun to say some words. 

He attends his early childhood service two days a week, and also has individual and group oral language instruction at a specialist speech and hearing centre. His mother, Jillian, grew up with family members who used Auslan (Australian Sign Language), and she has been communicating with William using sign since he was very young. 

Since William was diagnosed with hearing loss, his father, sister, and extended family who don’t sign have learnt Auslan, to support in his communication and development. 

Arabella is four years old, and will soon be attending William’s service. She has normal hearing in one ear, and moderate to severe hearing loss in the other, wearing a hearing aid on one side. 

Her father, Samuel, is having a hard time accepting Arabella’s diagnosis. He’s worried that she won’t be able to experience a ‘normal’ childhood, and is quite keen to ensure that she isn’t viewed as ‘different’ by her peers. If he had his way, Arabella would be able to learn oral language easily, be educated in general classroom settings, and would be fully integrated with the hearing world. 

Both Arabella and William are representative of the experience of many Australian children, families and educators when it comes to experiencing and managing hearing loss. 

Equally, both Arabella and William have the right to experience a sense of belonging in their early childhood education and care (ECEC) setting, acknowledging their interdependence with others, and to have the opportunity to build trusting relationships through affirming experiences.

Thankfully both children are attending a service which works with hey dee ho educational services, who have recently created a program which will significantly enhance their experience. 

Sing and Sign 

Fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion was the impetus for the development of Sing and Sign, a new program for hey de ho. 

Sing and Sign is designed to enhance early childhood education through the integration of Auslan. Through a combination of music and key word signing, the program supports children to acquire both language and motor skills. 

The sessions incorporate a variety of engaging topics, including colours, family members, food and drink, transport, emotions, and farm and jungle animals.

Children consolidate their learning through the incorporation of gross motor elements and multisensory experiences, building on the research which shows a strong relationship between motor skills and language acquisition.

Highlights of Sing and Sign include: 

• Suitable for children aged from birth – preschool
• Inclusive and creative options to refresh and extend existing curriculum
• Supported by a suite of resources guide their reflections and quality improvement journey
• Information available for families to boost community engagement
• Promotes awareness and inclusion of the death and hearing impaired communities 
• Offers an alternative means of communication for children. 

“We believe that Sing and Sign will elevate early childhood education by merging the joy of music with the communicative power of Auslan,” hey dee ho educational services Director Jenny Wilkinson said. 

“Our goal is to create an inclusive learning environment that not only supports language development but also celebrates diversity and inclusivity.”

Would you like to learn more about Sing and Sign? Visit www.heydeeho.com.au or phone 1300 139 63.