I liked all aspects of the course – how it was simply laid out. It gives the pupils the skills needed to function in everyday life

In the context of a fast-paced secondary curriculum delivered in the bustle of an inner-city academy, sessions provide a rare opportunity to slow down and, through role play, dissect and explore the minutiae of social interactions in a way that is not usually possible in a normal school day […] particularly valuable as the development of ‘Theory of Mind’ is a known area of risk for deaf adolescents

I liked everything! Its great and I can’t wait to use it – the structure it’s following, what it’s going to provide our pupils. So, so much

This has empowered them to be assertive and take responsibility for explaining their communication needs, but on a much deeper level, I think this is helping them to construct an identity as a deaf young person, incorporating hearing loss in a positive way […] and develops a more confident sense of self for future interactions.”

This pupil has to deal with unforeseen situations or people who do not know her, she can face many additional hurdles to overcome with her dual sensory impairment. She can also experience anxiety in wondering ‘will she be understood’ and ‘will she understand the response’, and ‘will she be able to find assistance’. Practising these scenarios in a safe and supported environment, such as smiLE Therapy, has enabled her to prepare for the real world and the challenges she will overcome as an independent adult.

"Should be introduced to all Deaf Schools and to adults in the Deaf community, e.g. my brother who’s finished FE (Further Education) and has had an implant for 12 years: learning how the structure is in an interview and how to present yourself would be great."

"Video footage really demonstrated positive outcomes. Encouraging mutual respect amongst pupils would be invaluable here."

"Fantastic idea of allowing the student to actually observe their progress using video."

"Made me think how important it is to put life skills before some curriculum lessons."

"Excellent presentation – really deaf aware!"

We can use this with all ages of our students, all abilities, and with both deaf and hearing

I loved the structure & outcome measures - really important in today’s commissioning world. So really useful to be able to demonstrate this so easily.

It’s all about functional communication and children achieving really positive outcomes. Bridges the gap between education settings, family and the real world.

Its like watching your own children at sports day! The pride within them is amazing!

Sometimes we share before and after therapy videos at Education, Health, Care Plan meetings to bring success tangibly to the meeting in a lively way.

"Feel there’s potential to use format of smiLE across the curriculum."

"Excellent day! Allows us to put a case forward for this to be timetabled for our students."

"Empowering for both students and staff."

“Hope to use also with AAC (Alternative & Augmentative Communication) users and across our other departments – ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and SLI (Specific Language Impairment)."

"I learned how to talk confident and not panic."

For me, smiLE Therapy was the best way to help build my confidence and communication skills. Watching the before and after videos, I could enlarge the image on the iPad and see the difference in my own video. Which skills had stayed, and which things improved and what the difference was in the final video – to realise what we had just learned. Practising a lot in role play made me feel more confident that I could do this in real situations.”

I’m just very glad I had the opportunity to attend and I will make sure this is implemented in our school

My lightbulb moment was seeing the confidence in pupils, even those with severe difficulties.

I’m so glad we’re doing this!

"Great to see video clips of real children! which served to illustrate your teaching points very well. Lots of ideas for application here at RSD."

"Can really relate using this approach to each student’s needs in our current cohort."

"Resources/assessment very practical for students/staff/assessors/feedback purposes, e.g. to parents/LEAs (Local Education Authorities)."

"I liked the idea of exploring cultural norms."

"It’s a very good idea to encourage him to be confident and independent. I believe 100% its important to have this therapy."

"I feel this approach will be so useful for all of our pupils."