Deafness

“a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information
through hearing, with or without amplification.”

Hearing impairment

An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s

educational performance.”

Hearing Loss in Children

Needs immediate attention

Why?

May cause developmental delay

Language

Communication skills

Parts of the Human Ear

Types of Hearing Loss

Generally described as slight, mild, moderate, severe or profound depending on how well a person
can hear the intensities or frequencies most strongly associated with speech

Intensity (loudness)– measured in units called decibels

Frequency (pitch)- measured in units called hertz

Children with hearing loss greater than 90dB are the once considered as deaf

Four Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

Caused by diseases or obstruction in the outer or middle ear

Usually affects all frequencies of hearing

Able to use a hearing aid well

Can be helped medically or surgically

Types continued

Sensorial Hearing
 Result from damage to the delicate sensory hair cells of the inner ear or the nerves that
supply it

A person may hear other frequencies in different qualities

Will not benefit from hearing aid

Types continued

Mixed Hearing Loss

Combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

Central Hearing Loss

Result from damage or impairment to the nerves or the nuclei of CNS either in the
pathway or in the brain itself

Prevalence of Hearing Impairment

Each year, 12000 births with hearing loss (US)

50% cases are genetic in nature

Through Universal Newborn Hearing Screening program

Newborns can be screened within hours

Signs of Hearing Loss/ Deafness

Does not respond consistently to sounds

Ask for things to be repeated

Delayed in developing speech

Turns the volume up loud

Causes of Hearing Loss and Deafness

Can either be

Acquired or congenital

Most common cause of ACQUIRED hearing loss: exposure to noise

Other causes

Build up of fluid
 Ear infection

Mumps, measles, or chicken pox

Head trauma

Causes of Hearing Loss continued

CONGENITAL causes include:

A family history of hearing loss

Infections during pregnancy

Complications during pregnancy

Educational Implication

To receive adequate education, children who are deaf needs special education services such as:

Regular speech, language, and auditory training

Amplification systems

Services of an interpreter

Favorable seating in the class

EI continued…

Captioned films

Assistance of a note taker

Counseling

Early, consistent, and conscious use of visible communication modes to help reduce
language delay

Family support