1. Chapter 9 Deafness and Hearing Loss

2. Definitions of Hearing Loss
Medical perspective
Continuum of hearing loss from mild to profound
IDEA definition
A hearing impairment that is so severe that the child has difficulty processing linguistic information and it adversely affects educational performance
Difference between deafness and hard of hearing
Deaf: The student is not able to hear even with a hearing aid
Hard of hearing: Significant hearing loss that makes special adaptations necessary
Many persons who are deaf do not view hearing loss as a disability

3. How We Hear
Audition, the sense of hearing, is a complex and not completely understood process
The auricle funnels sound waves into the auditory canal
Variations in sound pressure cause the eardrum to move in and out
The vibrations of the bones of the middle ear transmit energy to the inner ear
The inner ear is the most critical and complex part of the hearing apparatus

4. Characteristics of Students with Hearing Loss
Students who receive special education because of hearing loss are a homogeneous group
Levels of functioning influenced by:
Degree of hearing loss
Age of onset
Attitudes of parents and siblings
Opportunities to acquire a first language
The presence of other disabilities
The extent to which a child successfully interacts depends largely on others’ attitudes and the child’s ability to communicate in some mutually accepted way

5. Prevalence According to ASHA, 10% have a chronic hearing loss
The large majority of persons with hearing loss are adults
About 1.2% of school age children receive special education services for hearing loss
About one-third of students who are deaf or hard of hearing have another disabling condition

6. Types of Hearing Loss
Age of onset is important for determining educational needs
Conductive Hearing Loss
Results from abnormalities or complications of the outer or middle ear
Sensorineural hearing loss
Damage to the auditory nerve fibers or other sensitive mechanisms in the inner ear

7. Types and Causes of Hearing Loss
Congenital hearing loss is present at birth
Causes of congenital hearing loss
Genetic Factors
Maternal Rubella
Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Premature birth
Acquired hearing loss appears after birth
Pre-lingual hearing loss before speech develops
Post-lingual hearing loss after speech develops
Causes of acquired hearing loss
Otitis Media
Meningitis
Ménière’s Disease
Noise-induced hearing loss

8. Technologies That Amplify or Provide Sound
Hearing aids
Hearing aids make sounds louder but not necessarily clearer
The earlier in life a child is fitted the more effectively he will learn to use hearing
Hearing aids offer minimal benefit in noisy and reverberant classrooms
Group Assistive listening devices
A radio link established between the teacher and the child can solve problems caused by distance and noise
Cochlear implants
A cochlear implant bypasses damaged hair cells and stimulates the auditory nerve directly
Tremendous controversy surrounds cochlear implants in the deaf community

9. Supports and Technologies that Supplement or Replace Sound Interpreters
Interpreting
Signing the speech of a teacher of other speaker for a person who is deaf
Speech-to-text translation
Computer devices that translate speech to text
Television captioning
Printed text that appears at the bottom of the screen
Text telephones
Allows the user to send a typed message over telephone lines
Alerting devices

10. Educational Approaches
Oral/Aural Approaches
Auditory Learning
Speechreading
Cued Speech
Visual Phonics
Total Communication
Simultaneous presentation of language by speech and manual communication
American Sign Language (ASL) and the Bilingual-Bicultural Approach
ASL is a legitimate language in its own right
The goal of the bilingual-bicultural approach is to help deaf students become bilingual adults who can read and write with competence in their second language

11. Educational Placement Alternatives
Approximately 86% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing attend local public schools
49% receive most of their education in general education classroom
18% attend resource rooms
19% are served in special classrooms
7% attend special schools

12. Postsecondary Education
About 40% of all students with hearing loss go on to college education