With the help of a professional who uses Cued Speech deaf children can use many of the same resources as hearing children. However new resources created especially for deaf children by THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) are expected to revolutionise the way deaf children learn to read.

Synthetic Phonics, THRASS and Cued Speech

The THRASS synthetic phonics programme, pioneered by British Educational Psychologist Alan Davies consists of extensive picture-based training for schools and parents with access to a wide range of resources and support materials. THRASS also run Professional Development Courses.

Because both Cued Speech and THRASS are based on the 44 sounds of the English language they work perfectly together.

THRASS UK publishes the English Phonics Chart Programme resources and is also responsible for training teachers in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Central America (and the Cayman and Caribbean Islands), the USA, Central Asia and Africa. Training is provided through a one-day workshop, or a two-day ‘THRASS Accredited Certificate’ workshop, held in nurseries, primary and secondary schools, professional teacher centres, colleges and universities.

The resources are for learners of all ages and abilities, including young children (and their parents!) and those learning English as an additional language. They are used to develop speaking and listening skills, vocabulary, general knowledge and time awareness. They are also used to teach learners to read words by sight and to focus on the meaning, and to work out the right sounds when they cannot read a word, and visualise and name the right letters when they cannot spell a word (through using a thorough knowledge of the keyspellings and non-keyspellings of English). The resources are used in nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and adult centres with individuals, groups and classes (including deaf and blind learners, those with dyslexia, learning or speech difficulties, and those recovering from memory loss as a result of brain injury).

(Taken from the THRASS website).