Deafness and Hearing Loss Candice Stribling January 14, 2012

What is the difference?  Deafness- a hearing loss so severe that the individual cannot process spoken language even with amplification devices.  Hearing Loss/Hard of Hearing- a lesser hearing loss but still has an effect on social, cognitive, and language development  Pre-Lingual Deafness: describes hearing loss occurring before the child has acquired speech  Post-Lingual Deafness: describes hearing loss occurring after the child has acquired speech

What are the types of hearing loss?  Conductive Hearing Loss- refers to problems in the mechanical transmission of sounds through the outer, middle, or inner ear  Sensorineural Hearing Loss- malfunctioning of the cochlea or auditory nerve  Higher Auditory Cortex- that section of the gray matter of the brain that processes sound  Combined Loss- refers to two or more types of hearing loss together

Warning signs to be aware of!  Does not respond when spoken to  Does not understand, or looks puzzled, when addressed directly with a simple question or request  Cocks his or her head to one side, studies the speaker’s face, or watches the speaker’s mouth  Asks for frequent repetitions… huh or what  Turns one ear to the source of sound or speech  Seems shy: avoids other children/teachers  Inattentive  Makes irrelevant responses  Complains of ringing or buzzing in ears  Speaks too loud or soft

Effects Language Development  A child who cannot hear sounds and verbal stimulation at certain points in development may never fully master language  A child’s language skills can become even more delayed Social Development  Hearing loss itself does not cause abnormal social development. It is the poor communication that develops between the child and others that leads to social adjustment difficulties

How to communicate  Speech Reading- understanding what one is saying by watching the speaker’s face, mouth, tongue and throat movements  Cued Speech- a system that uses eight hand shapes in four different placements near the face in combination with the mouth. This makes the sounds of spoken language look different from each other  American Sign Language- signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body  Total Communication- system for teaching children with deafness that combines speech reading and a sign system

Modification in teaching  Seating in front of classroom and facing the teacher.  Face the student when using visuals (such as blackboards/white boards). This allows for reading of lips for some students.  Use visual aids as much as possible.  Provide outline/summery when showing slides/videos.  Repeat questions and answers from students in classroom.  Make sure all instructions are provided in writing, not just verbal.  Include students in all classroom experiences and encourage other to include them as well.  Remember each student is different and may need different assistance. Taylor your classroom and procedures to their own personal needs.

References Allen, Eileen K. & Cowdery, Glynnis E. The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education. 7 th Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning Chotiner-Solano, B. (n.d.). The itinerant connection. Retrieved from