Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Chapter 8

What are the Terms used to Describe Hearing Problems? Deaf - refers to members of the Deaf community and Deaf culture Deaf with a small “d” - refers to people who have significant hearing loss, but are not identified as members of the Deaf community and culture Hard of Hearing - refers to those with mild to severe hearing losses who probably use speech for communication, will need educational and technological support, and may or may not identify with the Deaf culture Hearing Impairment - a medical condition which leads to hearing loss – also term used in IDEA 04 Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What is the History of Hearing Impairments? Denied legal and human rights as well as education and social interaction 1500-1600’s - Spanish began teaching deaf individuals to communicate. 1700s - First free public schools for deaf individuals began in France. 1864 - A. Lincoln authorizes the National Deaf-Mutes College to grant degrees; the institution later becomes Gallaudet University. Late 1800s - Oralist movement 20th Century – Advocacy for protection of individual rights and access to inclusion in schools and communities Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are the Clinical Definitions of Deaf and Hard of Hearing? Based on type and degree of hearing loss Decibels (dB) - measures intensity or loudness of sounds Frequency (Hz) - measures the cycle of sounds per second Human hearing is between 20 - 20,000 Hz Most speech occurs between 300-6000 Hz Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

The Outer, Middle, and Inner Ear (Figure 8.1) Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

Hearing Loss Expressed in Decibels (Table 8.1) Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are the Types of Hearing Loss? Sensorineural Caused by auditory nerve damage Conductive Caused with transmission of sounds Mixed hearing loss Both conductive and sensorineural Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are the Degrees of Hearing Loss? Mild to moderate hearing loss = 26 dB -70 dB loss is considered hard of hearing. Severe to Profound Hearing Loss = loss greater than 70 dB. Separation of deaf individuals from those who are hard of hearing = 90 dB or greater loss. How one is able to use residual hearing is important in addition to degree of hearing loss. Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are the Terms used to Described Age of Onset? Congenital: Hearing loss at birth Adventitious: Hearing loss acquired after birth Pre-lingual: Hearing loss prior to development of speech and language Post-lingual: Hearing loss after the development of speech and language Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What is the IDEA 04 Definition? Deafness means a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Hearing impairment means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness. Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What is the Prevalence of Deafness and Hard of Hearing? .11% of all school-age children in special education Just over 1 in every 1,000, ages 6-21 years Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are Some Possible Causes of Deafness and Hard of Hearing? Not always identifiable Excessive noise Conductive hearing loss Abnormality in the pinna or bones in the ear drum Blockage Perforated eardrum Otitis media Sensorineural Hearing Loss Genetic causes including Usher Syndrome, Pendred Syndrome, Waardenburg Syndrome Environmental causes including rubella, viruses Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are Some Possible Characteristics of Deaf Students or those Who are Hard of Hearing? (continued on the next slide) Cultural Characteristics The Deaf community is a distinct culture. Uses ASL as a primary means of communication Identify themselves as part of the Deaf community Intellectual Characteristics No significant differences in perception , learning, and memory between hearing children and those who are deaf Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are Some Possible Characteristics of Deaf Students or those Who are Hard of Hearing? (continued on the next slide) Academic Characteristics Achievement scores are lower than for hearing peers, but assessment issues may affect these scores. Reading comprehension Written language Mathematics Speech and language Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are Some Possible Characteristics of Deaf Students or those Who are Hard of Hearing? (continued) Speech and Language Characteristics Spoken language may be delayed. Can attain intelligible and age-appropriate speech May have language delays ASL may be the child’s natural language and may best prepare child for later learning of English language skills Social/Emotional Characteristics Social-emotional skill development Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

How are Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Identified? Typically identified by medical professionals Audiometric evaluation Speech reception Speech discrimination Hearing loss must adversely affect educational performance for IDEA 04 services. Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What Do I Teach Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing? Focus on effective communication Social interaction Literacy Provide authentic experiences Read aloud or do signed reading Teach vocabulary and comprehension Use miscue analysis Science Math Deaf Studies Transition preparation Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

How Do I Teach Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing? Oralism Speech or lip-reading Bilingual-biculturalism ASL Fingerspelling Signed Exact English Cued Speech Total Communication Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What are Considerations for the Instructional Environment? Identify LRE for each student Based on communication, language, academic and social needs General education classroom Special classes or schools Use visuals and large-size materials. Post transition times, rules, and menus Use graphic organizers Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What Types of Instructional Technology Can Be Used? Hearing aids FM (or Loop) systems Cochlear implants Closed Captioning Telecommunication Relay System Fax machines Instant messaging and email Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students

What Are Some Special Considerations for the General Education Teacher? Utilize early intervention Utilize parent/family involvement Teach self-determination and self-advocacy Promote socialization through extracurricular activities and social skills Collaborate Teach strategies Set realistic expectations Taylor/Smiley/Richards, Exceptional Students