Fears that majority of deaf-blind pupils are missing out on vital support

And even when a child is identified as being deaf-blind and given an assessment, seven out of 10 still do not get the support they need.

The findings come from a survey of local authority services for deaf-blind and multi-sensory impaired children by charity Sense.

Sense is now calling for the government to ensure deaf-blind children get the support they need in the form of what it terms an “intervenor” – a highly trained professional who works one-to-one with a deaf-blind child to help them play, learn and develop communication while they are growing up.

The research found that local authorities on average are identifying three deaf-blind children per 100,000 head of population, but Sense says that this figure should be more in the region of 31 per 100,000. The Centre for Disability Research has estimated that there are a minimum of 4,000 deaf-blind children in the UK.