The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) defines hearing loss as a fluctuating or permanent impairment in hearing that adversely affects a child’s ability to learn in school. However, not all children who suffer from hearing loss will experience this disability in the same way. There are many causes of hearing impairment in children, just as there are many hearing loss categories and degrees of severity that require different types of academic intervention.
There are some very important facts that teachers can learn about their students with hearing loss, including what type of hearing impairment a child might have, what caused it, whether or not it is permanent and/or consistent, and the degree of its severity for the student. These and other important points will help a teacher to work more effectively with the student and also with the paraprofessional assigned to support the child with partial deafness.
Causes and Types of Hearing Loss in Children
There are several reasons why a child might be experiencing either a permanent or temporary hearing loss. One of the more common causes of hearing impairment in children is a middle ear infection. Other diseases that may cause hearing loss in children are rubella, meningitis or cytomegalovirus (CMV).
A child might have sustained an injury to the ear, resulting in hearing loss or tinnitus. Or, the child might have been born with a hearing loss due to complications arising due to premature birth. Hearing problems can also be hereditary. Regardless of the cause, types of hearing loss in students can range from issues of loudness, clarity (muffled), pitch, and noise interference (ringing or static in the ear, as with tinnitus).
Severity of Hearing Impairment in Students
Once a hearing loss is identified in a young child, the next step will be to have the student tested for hearing loss severity. Usually, most hearing impairments in children are identified by the time they reach the age of three. Hearing loss severity is categorized into several groups, based on the measurement of decibels (db) a child can detect. The lower the decibels the child can hear, the milder the hearing loss.
The db scale ranges from mild to profound hearing loss, with the mild category ranging from 15-40 db, moderate loss is 40-65 db, severe loss is 65-90 db, and profound loss is 90+ db.
Other Important Facts to Know About Students With Hearing Impairment
Some other useful information about children with hearing loss will come in handy for teachers of these students. It is very important to understand that a hearing loss does not signal a deficiency in a child’s intelligence or ability to learn if the proper supports and/or assistive devices are in place. However, in many cases kids with hearing impairment will also have other physical or mental disabilities.
Important to note, also, is that hearing implants and hearing aids will not help a student with clarity, and will not filter out background noise that might interfere with a child’s hearing in the classroom. These assistive devices will only increase the volume of the noise. So children who use hearing aids or cochlear implants will still need to have other classroom accommodations in order to perform at their best.
Finally, children who learn sign language at an early age are better equipped to do well in school. Sign language is an important tool for children with hearing loss, and can help them communicate, socialize, learn to read, and adopt better study and behavior habits. Sign language interpreters are often assigned to a student with hearing impairment in the classroom.
Teachers should be encouraged to get the facts about their individual students with hearing loss, in order to work more effectively with them and support them in the classroom. Knowing the severity and type of hearing loss that a student has will allow the teacher to make the right adjustments and accommodations in the classroom so that she can achieve academic and social success.
Karen Plumley - Karen Plumley is a writer specializing in parenting and education. She works for Parenting NH and the Hippo, NH's most widely read ...
