Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education

Learning Module

Name: ______________________ Course, Year & Sec.: ____________ Date: ____________

Topic

HEARING IMPAIRMENT

I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:

a. Define what is hearing impairment and determine its severity.

b. Describe the different types of hearing impairment according to its severity

and know its causes.

c. Shows concern and understanding on people who has hearing impairment.

II. CONTENT

WHAT IS HEARING IMPAIRMENT?

Hearing impairment, or hearing loss, occurs when you lose part or all of your
ability to hear. Other terms that are used to refer to hearing impairment are deaf and
hard of hearing. Hearing impairments are classified in terms of the severity and type of
hearing impairment. The severity of the hearing impairment is categorized based on the
minimum sound that can be heard with your better ear. The higher the decibel (dB), the
louder the sound.

With mild hearing impairment, the minimum sound that can be heard is between 25 and
40 dB. People at this level cannot hear soft noises and may have trouble following
conversations in noisy settings.
With moderate hearing impairment, the minimum sound that can be heard is between
40 and 70 dB. People at this level cannot hear soft or moderately loud noises and may
have trouble hearing unless they use a hearing aid.

With severe hearing impairment, the minimum sound that can be heard is between 70
and 95 dB. People at this level are unable to hear most noises and may rely on lip-
reading and/or sign language, even with the use of a hearing aid.

With profound hearing impairment, the minimum sound heard is 95 dB and over. People
at this level may only hear very loud noises and rely solely on lip-reading and/or sign
language. Hearing aids are not effective.

Characteristics of hearing impairment

-It occurs when part or all of the ability to listen is lost. Other terms used to refer to
hearing impairment are deafness or hard of hearing.

- Hearing disabilities are classified in terms of the severity and type of hearing
impairment. Gravity is categorized based on the minimum sound that can be heard with
the better ear. The higher the decibel (dB), the louder the sound.

-A hearing loss greater than 90 decibels is generally considered deafness. A hearing

loss less than 90 decibels is classified as hearing impairment.

-There are communicative and educational obstacles related to hearing impairments

that arise around communication. A student with a hearing impairment may experience
difficulties in: grammar, spelling, and vocabulary, taking notes, participating in
discussions, watching videos, or presenting oral reports.

-It is important that parents and teachers of a child with hearing impairment do not
underestimate his intelligence. Most children with this disability acquire and develop
language more slowly and therefore it can be incorrectly assumed that intelligence is
low.

-Although the sense of hearing has been affected, the person can lead a normal life

Types and Causes of Hearing Impairment

Conductive hearing loss is when a hearing impairment is due to problems in the outer
ear, middle ear, ear canal, eardrum, or the ossicles, which are the tiny bones in the
middle ear. When the sound is not being conducted properly through the ear,
conductive hearing loss occurs. Most cases of conductive hearing loss can be corrected
medically or surgically.

Causes of conductive hearing loss include:

 Fluid in the middle ear as a result of colds

 Otitis media, commonly referred to as ear infection
 Poor eustachian tube function
 Perforated eardrum
 External otitis, commonly referred to as ear canal infection
 Allergies
 Earwax buildup
 Benign tumors or having a foreign body in the ear
 Structural abnormalities of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), also referred to as nerve hearing loss, occurs when
there is damage to either the auditory nerve or the cochlea, which is the inner ear. The
hearing loss in SNHL is permanent, although it may be possible to treat it with hearing
aids.

Causes of SNHL include:

 Exposure to excessively loud noise

 Head trauma or sudden air pressure changes (e.g., during airplane descent)
 Illnesses, such as Meniere's disease and meningitis
 Structural abnormality of the inner ear
 Tumors
 Aging
 Medication side effects (e.g., aspirin and Vicodin)
 Autoimmune inner ear disease
 Otosclerosis, the abnormal growth of the bone that is in the middle ear
When conductive hearing loss and SNHL occur at the same time, it is referred to
as mixed hearing loss. Mixed hearing loss occurs when there is both damage to the
outer or middle ear and damage to the inner ear.

Central hearing loss occurs when there are problems within the brain that interfere with
the ability to interpret or understand sounds. This is the rarest type of hearing
impairment and the hardest to treat.

Causes of central hearing loss include:

 Damage to brainstem structures

 Severe head trauma
 Damage to the auditory nerves or the pathways that lead to them
 Brain tumors

Functional hearing loss occurs when the functioning of the ears is normal, but the
person is showing a reduced response or not responding at all to sounds. Because
there are no functional hearing problems in individuals with functional hearing loss, it is
the most difficult type of hearing loss to detect and the most often misdiagnosed.
Functional hearing loss is caused by mental health problems, such as ADHD and
depression.

Signs of Hearing Impairment in Children

Hearing impairment among young children may also not present itself as an immediate
nor obvious condition. Likewise, certain characteristics are tell-tale signs that the child
may not have normal hearing:

 Inattentiveness: Children who do not respond to being called because of hearing

impairment would display consistent inattentive behaviour. They may consistently
require multiple calls.
 Confusion: Looking confused or being slow to answer to questions are all signs
that he/she might have hearing impairment. He/she might also demonstrate
difficulties in following directions/instructions.
  Repetition: The child may also always ask for you to repeat yourself s they could
not hear you well the first time.
 Speech and Communication Problems: would tend to speak louder than
normal/necessary (and may also always turn the volume up higher than
sufficient). Also, he/she would prefer gestures over verbal communication.
 Learning Difficulties: Children with hearing impairment would experience some
struggle in their studies too.
 Social Withdrawal: Due to their difficulty in verbal communication, they may also
display behaviour that is avoidant of social settings or events. They may get
emotionally affected by not being able to properly communicate.

Diagnosis

Tests to diagnose hearing loss may include:

 Physical exam. Your doctor will look in your ear for possible causes of your
hearing loss, such as earwax or inflammation from an infection. Your doctor will
also look for any structural causes of your hearing problems.
 General screening tests. Your doctor may use the whisper test, asking you to
cover one ear at a time to see how well you hear words spoken at various
volumes and how you respond to other sounds. Its accuracy can be limited.
 App-based hearing tests. Mobile apps are available that you can use by yourself
on your tablet to screen for moderate hearing loss.
 Tuning fork tests. Tuning forks are two-pronged, metal instruments that produce
sounds when struck. Simple tests with tuning forks can help your doctor detect
hearing loss. This evaluation may also reveal where in your ear the damage has
occurred.
 Audiometer tests. During these more-thorough tests conducted by an audiologist,
you wear earphones and hear sounds and words directed to each ear. Each tone
is repeated at faint levels to find the quietest sound you can hear

TREATMENT
If you have hearing problems, help is available. Treatment depends on the cause and
severity of your hearing loss.

Options include:

 Removing wax blockage. Earwax blockage is a reversible cause of hearing loss.

Your doctor may remove earwax using suction or a small tool with a loop on the
end.
 Surgical procedures. Some types of hearing loss can be treated with surgery,
including abnormalities of the eardrum or bones of hearing (ossicles). If you've
had repeated infections with persistent fluid, your doctor may insert small tubes
that help your ears drain.
 Hearing aids. If your hearing loss is due to damage to your inner ear, a hearing
aid can be helpful. An audiologist can discuss with you the potential benefits of a
hearing aid and fit you with a device. Open fit aids are currently the most popular,
due to fit and features offered.
 Cochlear implants. If you have more severe hearing loss and gain limited benefit
from conventional hearing aids, then a cochlear implant may be an option. Unlike
a hearing aid that amplifies sound and directs it into your ear canal, a cochlear
implant bypasses damaged or nonworking parts of your inner ear and directly
stimulates the hearing nerve. An audiologist, along with a medical doctor who
specializes in disorders of the ears, nose and throat (ENT), can discuss the risks
and benefits.
 Other Assistive Devices
Besides hearing aids, there are other devices that help people with
hearing loss. Following are some examples of other assistive devices:

FM SYSTEM

An FM system is a kind of device that helps people with hearing loss hear in
background noise. FM stands for frequency modulation. It is the same type of signal
used for radios. FM systems send sound from a microphone used by someone
speaking to a person wearing the receiver. This system is sometimes used with hearing
aids. An extra piece is attached to the hearing aid that works with the FM system.

Captioning
Many television programs, videos, and DVDs are captioned. Television sets
made after 1993 are made to show the captioning. You don’t have to buy anything
special. Captions show the conversation spoken in soundtrack of a program on the
bottom of the television screen.

Other Devices

There are many other devices available for children with hearing loss. Some of these
include:

 Text messaging
 Telephone amplifiers
 Flashing and vibrating alarms
 Audio loop systems
 Infrared listening devices
 Portable sound amplifiers
 TTY (Text Telephone or teletypewriter)

Strategies for Teachers of Hearing-Impaired Students

Here are 10 strategies teachers can use to help hearing-impaired children. They’ve
been adapted from the United Federation of Teachers website.

1. Make sure hearing-impaired students wear amplification devices, such as a

frequency modulated (FM) unit that will connect to a microphone for you to wear.
“The FM device allows your voice to be heard directly by the student,” according
to the UFT website.
2. Use the child’s residual hearing, as the total hearing loss is rare.
3. Allow hearing-impaired students to sit where they think best, as sitting close to
the teacher will help the child to better understand the context of your words by
observing your facial expressions.
4. Don’t shout. If the child is already wearing an FM device, your voice will be
amplified, as it is.
5. Give interpreters copies of lessons in advice. This will help the interpreter prep
the student for the vocabulary used in the lesson.
6. Focus on the child, not the interpreter. Teachers do not need to give interpreters
directions to give to the child. The interpreter will relay your words without being
asked.
7. Only speak while facing forward. Do not speak with your back to hearing
impaired children. They need to see your face for context and visual cues.
8. Enhance lessons with visuals, as hearing impaired children tend to be visual
learners.
9. Repeat words, directions, and activities.
10. Make every lesson language-oriented. Have a print-rich classroom with labels on
the objects inside.
REFERENCES:

https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-to-support-hearing-impaired-3110331

https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-to-support-hearing-impaired-3110331

III. ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1

Answer the questions briefly.

1. What do you think are the challenges faced by learners having hearing
impairments?

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2. How does hearing impairment affect communication? Why do you say so?

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3. As a future teacher, what teaching strategies/techniques will you use to teach

your students who have hearing impairments?

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 4. What do you think is the most important teaching factor in preventing hearing
loss? And why?

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5. How will you deal with individuals having hearing impairment?

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ACTIVITY 2

Make a not less than 100 words essay about, “As a future teacher, how will
you handle your student who has hearing impairments that is having a hard
time in communicating with his/her other classmates?”

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