Getting Started Understanding Hearing Loss
Module 1: Introduction
Module 2: Tip of the Iceberg Module 3: Physical, Psycho-Emotional & Social Module 4: The Mainstream Classroom Module 5
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Hearing loss is different for everyone. The causes of hearing loss are numerous and there are many types and degrees of hearing loss, rendering the level of hearing different for each individual. The impact of hearing loss as well as the perception of hearing loss varies widely from individual to individual and depends on numerous factors including the person’s culture and community. Some people are culturally Deaf while others are not. While some people use technology(ies) to help them hear, others do not. Whether technology(ies) are used, the languages leveraged (spoken and/or signed), in addition to other individual considerations, will impact how to approach a child. Be open to individual considerations, and do not hesitate to remind children to self-advocate for their needs.
The following are links to web sites providing important contextualizing information about Hearing Loss and related subjects. Each link will open a new window to an third-party web site.
Click for more links to scholarly articles from field experts as well as deaf adults. |
The child with hearing loss in the mainstream classroom
Why Isn't the Child with Hearing Loss in a Specialized Program?
You might ask yourself why the child with hearing loss is in your mainstream classroom. The key reason why is because with the more widespread availability of high-powered hearing aids, cochlear implants, and bone-anchored hearing devices, the average family with children with hearing loss are encouraged from early on to make mainstream education a goal for their child. In many cities, specialized schools for the deaf are falling away because the landscape of what it means to be deaf is changing in today's world of high tech hearing devices. The majority of schools for the deaf are for those who are culturally Deaf or choose sign language as their primary mode of communication. Many deaf children, however, are born to hearing parents and families and choose for their child to attend spoken-language schools. Both are good choices, given they provide the child with access to communication and education, but not all school types make sense for all family choices.
In some cities, there are spoken-language programs for deaf and hard of hearing kids within a mainstream school. These programs are important and designed to help the child with hearing loss progress toward a communication standard congruent with their chronological age (not their hearing age, which might be much younger). Some children with hearing loss may be behind their hearing peers with regard to communication abilities. This might be due to a myriad of reasons, including late identification of the hearing loss, late access to appropriate technology, or a reluctance on the part of the family to support their child by using their technology at home. In rare cases, as in the case with my son, you may see a child with hearing loss attend mainstream class at a school that also has a specialized program for the deaf and hard of hearing. So why is he in the mainstream classroom instead of in the specialized program for the deaf and hard of hearing? The reason is because in his case, as with many other deaf children that are: 1. identified early; 2. given early access to appropriate hearing technology; and, 3. are well supported at home, he has communication abilities (receptive and expressive) far beyond his chronological age. With the example of my son, at the beginning of grade one, his communication tested as that a 9.5 year old child. This is very impressive particularly because he was 6 years old at the time of testing and his hearing age is actually 5 years old (he missed hearing for a solid one year of his life before being given access to sound via his cochlear implants). In the case of a child like this, specialized programs for the deaf are not appropriate as they would actually hold him back given their focus on spoken communication concerns. That however, does not lessen or eliminate any of the other possible implications of a hearing loss to any particular individual. Every person presents differently with their condition. The key is to be open and understand the possible implications a child may be struggling with due to their hearing loss and to be open and willing enough to work closely with the parents to ensure that the child is offered the correct accommodations and supports in order to have the opportunity to perform the best that they possibly can.
Unique Challenges of the Mainstream Classroom
The mainstream classroom does present unique challenges to the child with hearing loss. The classroom teacher and school administrator(s) should be willing to work closely with the child's itinerant teacher for the deaf/hard of hearing as well as the parents to be able to understand the environmental factors, teaching style considerations, appropriate accommodations, and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) considerations that will benefit the child to learn more fairly (and teacher to have more ease in accessing the child in the classroom).
Some of the common concerns of the mainstream classroom:
The following resources to help you get started making appropriate considerations for the child with hearing loss in your mainstream classroom. Please always consider your location and any localized agencies, organizations, or education norms in your area that might affect your decisions, or help you to develop an appropriate plan for your needs.
You might ask yourself why the child with hearing loss is in your mainstream classroom. The key reason why is because with the more widespread availability of high-powered hearing aids, cochlear implants, and bone-anchored hearing devices, the average family with children with hearing loss are encouraged from early on to make mainstream education a goal for their child. In many cities, specialized schools for the deaf are falling away because the landscape of what it means to be deaf is changing in today's world of high tech hearing devices. The majority of schools for the deaf are for those who are culturally Deaf or choose sign language as their primary mode of communication. Many deaf children, however, are born to hearing parents and families and choose for their child to attend spoken-language schools. Both are good choices, given they provide the child with access to communication and education, but not all school types make sense for all family choices.
In some cities, there are spoken-language programs for deaf and hard of hearing kids within a mainstream school. These programs are important and designed to help the child with hearing loss progress toward a communication standard congruent with their chronological age (not their hearing age, which might be much younger). Some children with hearing loss may be behind their hearing peers with regard to communication abilities. This might be due to a myriad of reasons, including late identification of the hearing loss, late access to appropriate technology, or a reluctance on the part of the family to support their child by using their technology at home. In rare cases, as in the case with my son, you may see a child with hearing loss attend mainstream class at a school that also has a specialized program for the deaf and hard of hearing. So why is he in the mainstream classroom instead of in the specialized program for the deaf and hard of hearing? The reason is because in his case, as with many other deaf children that are: 1. identified early; 2. given early access to appropriate hearing technology; and, 3. are well supported at home, he has communication abilities (receptive and expressive) far beyond his chronological age. With the example of my son, at the beginning of grade one, his communication tested as that a 9.5 year old child. This is very impressive particularly because he was 6 years old at the time of testing and his hearing age is actually 5 years old (he missed hearing for a solid one year of his life before being given access to sound via his cochlear implants). In the case of a child like this, specialized programs for the deaf are not appropriate as they would actually hold him back given their focus on spoken communication concerns. That however, does not lessen or eliminate any of the other possible implications of a hearing loss to any particular individual. Every person presents differently with their condition. The key is to be open and understand the possible implications a child may be struggling with due to their hearing loss and to be open and willing enough to work closely with the parents to ensure that the child is offered the correct accommodations and supports in order to have the opportunity to perform the best that they possibly can.
Unique Challenges of the Mainstream Classroom
The mainstream classroom does present unique challenges to the child with hearing loss. The classroom teacher and school administrator(s) should be willing to work closely with the child's itinerant teacher for the deaf/hard of hearing as well as the parents to be able to understand the environmental factors, teaching style considerations, appropriate accommodations, and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) considerations that will benefit the child to learn more fairly (and teacher to have more ease in accessing the child in the classroom).
Some of the common concerns of the mainstream classroom:
- Environmental factors: room location, ambient noise, seating arrangement, lighting,
- Human factors: classroom management techniques, teaching style considerations, social dynamics
The following resources to help you get started making appropriate considerations for the child with hearing loss in your mainstream classroom. Please always consider your location and any localized agencies, organizations, or education norms in your area that might affect your decisions, or help you to develop an appropriate plan for your needs.
resources to prepare the mainstream classroom
environmental factors
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school life running smoothly
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dear teacher...
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Please, don't take my word for it: There are more links to scholarly articles from field experts as well as deaf adults here.