How to Support Your Student with Hearing Loss or Impairment

2-3 children per 1000 are born with hearing loss each year. Illness, injuries, certain type of medicine, and loud noise level can contribute to hearing loss. Genetic factors contribute to 50% of hearing loss in babies.
Understanding Hearing Disability:
Q: What is hearing disability? Is the world of a child with hearing disability silent? 

A: 
According to Massachusetts Dept of Education: 
Hearing - The capacity to hear, with amplification, is limited, impaired, or absent and results in one or more of the following: reduced performance in hearing acuity tasks; difficulty with oral communication; and/or difficulty in understanding auditorally-presented information in the education environment. The term includes students who are deaf and students who are hard-of -hearing.

​The extent of damage to your hearing caused by noise depends on:
  1. Decibel level: How loud the sound is.
  2. Distance: How close you are to the source of the sound.
  3. Time: The length of time you are exposed to the sound.​
IEP/ 504 Plan
Q: Which students with hearing disability need IEP and which students need 504 Plan?

​A: IEP is for students who require specialized instruction like learning sign language and the 504 plan is for students who only require accommodations like hearing aid and amplification system.

Q: What considerations do teachers need to make in IEP for a child who is deaf?
 
​A:
  1. Communication needs and the child's and family's preferred mode of communication;
  2. Linguistic needs;
  3. Severity of hearing loss and potential for using residual hearing;
  4. Academic level; and
  5. Social, emotional, and cultural needs including opportunities for peer interactions and communication.
School Environment
Classroom Set Up
Q:What do teachers need to consider when setting up classroom?
​A:
1) sound echo in the classroom 
2) arrange desk in U shape so everyone can see each other
3) tune out unwanted noise (windows, doors)
​4) visual cues in the environment
Social and Emotional Support 
Q: How to create a safe school environment for children with hearing disability?
A:
1) Promote deaf awareness and positive attitudes to deafness
2) Have safe and quiet zones
3) Make sure students know what is bullying
4) Make sure there is system for reporting and monitoring bullying behaviors.

​How to help your student with hearing disability socially and emotionally?
1)Teaching social skills and developing peer relationship.
2) Help develop student's language skills.
​3) Provide opportunities to develop confidence and self-esteem.
​4) Help develop student's understanding of social norms and bullying.
​
Guidelines for Curriculum:
Strategies for Teacher When Lecturing:
  • Teacher avoids standing in front of a window so that his/her face can be seen without glare from the sun or outside distractions.
  • All new directions, concepts and information should be presented from the front of the room, not when the teacher is moving between desks or during noisy classroom transition times.
  • Adhere to a classroom routine; if a student misses something they will be better able to predict what they should be doing or what will happen next.
  • During classroom discussions ask students to speak one at a time.
  • Summarize key points made by students’ answers or comments during class discussion.
  • Write all assignments on the board, including textbook page numbers the class will be turning to in each lesson period.
  • If a visual is used, like a map, graph or a projected image, allow students a chance to look at the visual, describe what they are seeing, and provide short silences so they can process the meaning of both the visual and what is being said.
  • Make sure the child’s hearing aids or cochlear implants are functioning each day. A school staff member should be responsible for checking the devices daily and/or for working with the student as they gain responsibility for performing daily checks of their own devices.
  • The student and teacher can work out a signal that can be used when the student is having a hard time understanding. For example, cupping a hand behind one ear, putting a finger on the side of the nose or hanging a hand over the front of the desk and wiggling the fingers could all be confidential signals between the student and the teacher. With this reminder, the teacher can control the noise, distance or summarize what has recently been presented. 
  • All videos need to be captioned for the student to access the same information as other students.
  • Voice-to-text adaptations can be explored for students who are unable to access verbal instruction auditorilly (or via sign language or cued speech) at a rate similar to students without hearing loss.
Accommodations to Consider to Address the Access and Learning Needs of Students with Hearing Loss: 
Amplification Options:
___Personal hearing device (hearing aid, cochlear implant, tactile device)
___Personal FM system (hearing aid + FM)
___FM system/auditory trainer (without personal hearing aid)
___Walkman-style FM system
___Sound-field FM system
Assistive Devices:
___TDD
___TV captioned
Curricular Modifications:
___Modify reading assignments (shorten length, adapt or eliminate phonics assignments)
___Modify written assignments (shorten length, adjust evaluation criteria)
___Pre-tutor vocabulary
___Provide supplemental materials to reinforce concepts
___Provide extra practice
___Alternative curriculum
Evaluation Modifications:
___Reduce quantity of tests or test items
___Use alternative tests
___Provide reading assistance with tests
___Allow extra time
Other Considerations:
___Supplemental instruction (speech, language, pragmatic skills, auditory, speech reading
skills)
___Counseling
___Sign language instruction
___Transition / Vocational services
___Family support
___Deaf/Hard of Hearing role models
___Recreational/Social opportunities
___Financial assistance
___Monitor progress periodically by a specialist in Deaf/Hard of Hearing
How Your Student Might Feel at School:
Massachusetts Resources For Deaf or Hard of Hearing Students 
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