Chapter 9 Deafness and Hearing Loss William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Definitions of Hearing Loss Medical perspective –Continuum of hearing loss from mild to profound Educational perspective (IDEA definition) –A hearing loss that 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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Prevalence According to ASHA, 95 of every 1,000 people have a chronic hearing loss The large majority of persons with hearing loss are adults The U.S. Public Health Service estimates 83 out of 1000 children have an educationally significant hearing loss About 25% of students who are deaf or hard of hearing have another disabling condition William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Types and Causes of Hearing Loss Age of onset is important for determining educational needs 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 –Prelingual hearing loss before speech develops –Postlingual hearing loss after speech develops –Causes of acquired hearing loss Otitis Media Meningitis Ménière’s Disease Noise Exposure William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Students with Hearing Loss Students with hearing loss have different characteristics –Levels of functioning influenced by: Degree of hearing loss Attitudes of parents and siblings Opportunities to acquire a first language The presence of other disabilities Academic achievement –Most children with hearing loss have difficulty with all areas of academic achievement –Deafness itself imposes no limitations on the cognitive capabilities of the individual Social functioning –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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Technologies and Supports That Amplify, Provide, Supplement, or Replace 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 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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Supports and Technologies Interpreters –Interpreters have increased the ability of students to perform well in school Speech-to-text translation –Computer devices that translate speech to text Television captioning –Captioning helps students comprehend more Text telephones –Helps teachers communicate with deaf students Alerting devices William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Educational Approaches Oral/Aural Approaches –Training in producing and understanding speech is incorporated into virtually all aspects of the child’s education 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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Educational Placement Alternatives Approximately 84% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing attend local public schools –All of the professional and parent organizations involved with educating students who are deaf have issued position statements strongly in favor of maintaining a continuum of placement options William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Current Issues and Future Trends The keys to improving the future for people who are deaf or hard of hearing –Access to the language and communication modality best suited to their individual needs –Effective instruction with meaningful curriculum –Self-advocacy William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.