Diversity Hearing Loss

Diversity Hearing Loss

Kayley Pak
Education 2020
9/19/17
Diversity Hearing Loss

I believe hearing loss, a total or significant loss of hearing, is sometimes abandoned in the
words "disability" and "diversity." I remember having a student in my elementary school class
that was deaf. Funny thing is, I never knew he was deaf until I saw his hearing aids. Although
quiet, he talked just fine and looked just like you and I. I never had any classes with him but I
remember always been curious on how he was taught. I don't have any connections with him
today but I'm sure he is doing wonderful things. I know all of us today take our ability to hear for
granted. I know I do. I couldn't imagine not hearing sirens while driving, music, or simply just
listening to another voice. As read earlier, I feel as if students who are hearing impaired are
looked past, which is appalling. My biggest take away from reading many articles and studies is
that early intervention with the hearing impaired is the best possible action you can take for them
to succeed in life.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
(2016), 77,000 students were diagnosed with a hearing impairment. That being said, only 0.2
percent of students of total enrollment had a hearing impairment. Although not the most common
disability, students with hearing impairments are all around us.
There are three types of hearing loss: conductive, sensorineural, and mixed hearing.
Conductive hearing loss are the problems in the ear canal, ear drum, or middle ear. Sensorineural
hearing loss is due to problems of the inner ear. Mixed hearing is where there may be damage in
the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear or auditory nerve. (Centers of Disease Control and
Prevention).
Hearing loss causes includes exposure to loud noise, head trauma, virus or diseases,
aging, impacted earwax, or hereditary. Signs in babies include not being startled at loud noises,
not turning to the source of a sound after 6 months, does not say single words by age 1, and
seems to hear some sounds but not others. Signs in elementary school children includes speech
delay, not clear, does not pay attention (however, this is sometimes mistaken for not paying
attention or just ignoring), and turns the TV volume up too high. About 1 out of 2 cases of
hearing loss in babies is due to genetic causes. About 1 out of 3 babies with genetic hearing loss
have a "syndrome," meaning they have other conditions in addition to the hearing loss, such as
Down syndrome or Usher syndrome.
Hearing screenings are easy, not painful, and take only a few minutes. Most babies have
their hearing screened while still in the hospital. That being said, say a baby does not pass a
hearing screening, it's very important to get a full hearing test as soon as possible, but no later
than 3 months old. Children should have their hearing tested before they enter school or if there
is a concern about the child's hearing. A full hearing test, also called an audiology evaluation,
will be done if the child does not pass the hearing screening. An audiologist will do the full test
followed up by questions about birth history, ear infections and hearing loss in the family.
The Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences of the University of
Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, Colorado compared the language abilities of 72 deaf or hard-of-
hearing children whose hearing losses were identified by 6 months of age with 78 children
whose hearing losses were identified after the age of 6 months. All of the children received early
Diversity Hearing Loss

intervention services within an average of 2 months after identification. Results showed that
there was significantly better language development due to early identification of hearing loss
and early intervention.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, children who have
mild to moderate hearing loss but do not get early intervention services are very likely to be
behind their hearing peers from one to four grade levels. And for those with more severe hearing
loss that don't receive intervention usually don't go beyond the third-grade level.
A new study told by Healthy Hearing shows that children with severe-profound hearing
loss performed in the average or above average range less frequently than their hearing peers.
Those children that had greater parental involvement, earlier intervention and that spent more
time reading scored higher on the tests than others.
In conclusion of these studies, early intervention of hearing loss is key and just because a
child has a hearing loss doesn't mean they are less capable of doing well in school than hearing
peers. Studies have shown that early intervention is the key to fostering peer level academic
performance as well as healthy social interactions in kids with hearing loss. Signs teachers can
watch for in the classroom include inattentiveness, inappropriate responses to questions,
daydreaming, trouble with following directions, and speech problems. A teachers list is never
short and always tends to be on going. A busy teacher has many students to tend to, but what if a
teacher has a poor understanding of hearing loss and is often unable to alter the teaching style or
keep a student's hearing loss in mind while teaching? What if the teacher has an unfamiliar
accent, talks too rapidly, or talks towards the board? All of these examples would hinder the
learning progress of a student with hearing loss. As a teacher, you would have to make
modifications to your teaching. Seating arrangements would have to be made, teaching routines,
comfortableness, and extra time would have to be given to the student.
Diversity Hearing Loss

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