Chapter 15: Hearing Loss

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Chapter 15 Hearing Loss
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Hearing

• Degree of hearing loss is categorized as slight,
  mild, moderate, moderate-severe, severe, and
  profound.
• Conductive loss is caused by a problem in the
  outer or middle ear. Sensorineural loss is
  caused by a problem in the inner ear or along the
  nerve pathway to the brain stem.

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Hearing Disability Definition

• IDEA definition of hearing impairment a loss
  that is severe enough to adversely affect
  educational performance
• Educational definitions focus on the relationship
  between hearing and the need for special
  education services
• Medical definitions focus on the loss of hearing
  (slight to profound)
• Cultural definitions focus on the shared cultural
  identity of individuals who are deaf or hard of
  hearing

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Hearing Loss Characteristics

• Language and communication
• Oral/ aural
• American Sign Language
• Simultaneous communication
• Psychosocial Dimensions- focus is now on how
  deafness impacts childs interactions
• Education- emphasis on academic achievement

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Degrees of Hearing Loss
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Amalas Audiogram
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Chart of the Manual Alphabet
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Causes and Prevalence

• Prelingual Causes- loss occurs prior to child
  learning language
• Premature birth or complications- brain
  hemorrhages, low birth weight or reduced oxygen
• Heredity- 10 of children who are deaf have a
  parent who is deaf.
• Maternal Rubella- fetus is vulnerable to German
  measles
• Congenital Cytomegalovirus- a virus passed
  through childbirth or breast feeding

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Causes and Prevalence

• Postlingual Causes- hearing loss that occurs
  after the child has developed spoken language
• Meningitis- a bacterial or viral infection of the
  central nervous system
• Otitis Media- inflammation of the middle ear

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• Prevalence
• 1.3 percent of children under the age of 18
• 1.1 percent of all children ages 6-21 who
  received special education services during
  1996-1997
• 95 are have prelingual hearing loss while only
  5 have postlingual hearing loss

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Assessment Procedures

• Determining the presence
• Screening services
• Sources of information- observations,
  recollections, tests, artifacts, extant
  information, and professional judgment
• Infant screening- diagnostic auditory brain stem
  response test, otoacoustic immittance test, and
  behavioral audiological evaluation

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• Extent of Services
• Factors to consider- communication, achievement
  socialization, motivation, parent expectations
• Assistive technology devices- hearing aids,
  cochlear implants, assistive listening devices

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Progress through the General Curriculum

• Curricular Goals
• Utilize specific instructional strategies to
  address language, reading, and writing
• Develop an understanding of Deaf culture
• Teach skills involved in producing spoken
  language and improving speech
• Teach children how to use residual hearing (aural
  habilitation)
• Implement Instruction
• Use conversational discourse (instructional
  conversation)
• Communication methodology

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Encouraging Participation

• Practice Inclusion- the least restrictive
  environment is the setting in which the child can
  receive an appropriate program and make
  satisfactory educational progress
• Foster Collaboration
• Professional- specialists provide crucial
  support to classroom teachers
• Student and family- student involvement and
  parent advocacy are important
• Community- educational interpreters facilitate
  communication and equal learning opportunities

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Programs and Practice

• Early Childhood Years- Dallas Regional Day
  School Program- utilizes parent advisors who
  make home visits to encourage language
  development
• Elementary Years- Northwest Regional Program-
  itinerant teachers provide individualization of
  language instruction
• Middle and Secondary Years- Utah Extension
  Consultant Division- provides a lifelong family
  support system

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• Transitional and Postsecondary Years-
  universities conduct needs assessments, then
  design accommodations to enhance student success