Hearing Impairment Educating Students who suffer from hearing loss

About 10% of the American population suffers from some type of hearing loss. Sound is one of the first senses that babies experience

that exposes them to the world around them. For children who cannot hear, it makes receptive and expressive communication very

difficult. Language deficits can also result in lower academic achievement and social isolation.

Tips for speaking to a person with hearing loss:

Watch for the person’s expressions and body language, as they are meaningful components of communication.

Speak Slowly This allows for the person to be able to read your lips.

Enunciate Make sure that each word is spoken clearly.

Raise your voice

Increase the volume of your voice, but do not shout.

Watch for gestures

Using your hands to demonstrate meaning can be effective.

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

-Mark Twain

Teaching Strategies and Accommodations - When working with students with hearing aids and Cochlear implants, be sure to not

address the student from behind. You should make sure that you have the students’ attention before addressing them.

- It is important to speak directly to the child, and not to always ask the interpreter to translate. Speak at a normal rate, and make sure that the student can clearly see your face.

- The student should be placed toward the front of the classroom, but should have good visibility of what is going on behind him/her.

- Manipulative objects can be very useful for deaf students to make connections between academic content and real life experiences.

- Collaboration with Special Education teachers is important. It would be beneficial to share lesson plans ahead of time so they can pre-teach some of the information prior to the lesson if necessary.

- Use visual prompts with a few words in large font

- Avoid unnecessary background noise in the classroom.

For more information on hearing impairments check out these resources:

- The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: http://nichcy.org/

- The Special Ed Wiki: http://sped.wikidot.com/the-benefits-and-risks-of-inclusion-for-deaf-students

Eye Contact

A hearing impairment is a hearing loss that prevents a person from totally receiving sounds through the ear, and has and adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Deafness is defined as “a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.” ( http://nichcy.org/)