The Deaf Forum Australia reported that approximately 1:6 Australians have significant hearing loss conditions. Most individuals have some hearing impairment level and most of them are children. The significance of learning for hearing impaired children can help them live like normal people with no disabilities. There are types of hearing loss, including:
- It is nerve-related.
- It affects the external or middle ear.
- Mixed hearing loss. It is a mixture of both types.
Approaches addressing hearing impaired children
People using Auslan or Australian Sign Language often prefer to be referred to as deaf rather than hard of hearing. Hence, they look at it as a positive identity than a negative label. Children with hearing loss are either post-lingually deafened or prelingually deafened.
Children who are prelingually deafened lose their hearing before acquiring language. The impact of hearing loss and degree of deafness vary according to age group. Children who are prelingually deafened use Auslan. Many have received cochlear implants at early birth.
Spoken language
Some rely on the spoken language approach. Many hearing-impaired children communicate with a combination of:
- sign language
- spoken language
While some have literacy development and normal language. Some have issues with literacy. It will vary greatly, so it is essential to understand the needs of every individual. These factors need to be considered when assessing reasonable adjustment types.
People with post-lingual hearing loss acquire hearing loss later, and listening devices can be beneficial later on. Some hearing-impaired children learn sign language to diversify access to communication. To hearing-impaired children with prelingual deafness, assessing the needs of every individual is essential before implementing any reasonable adjustments. It is because the requirements of every child can be diverse.
Access to education
Can hearing-impaired children get their rights to education regardless of their hearing status? The answer is yes. Children with hearing loss conditions can be a student using assistive devices, which are introduced nowadays. Good to know that embracing advanced technology gives solutions to address problems nowadays, including health-related issues.
Hearing-impaired children can still have the best access to education. Let these individuals feel having a normal life, going to school, making open communication, and appreciating the beauty of life regardless of having no hearing. Let their ambitions and goals be the light to guide them in achieving a successful life apart from being deaf.
There are great accommodations, as complex or as simple as preferential seating as wireless assistive listening devices are usable in the classroom. Let them hear what others without hearing problems hear. Some require live remote captioning and Auslan interpreters.
Each learner with a hearing-loss problem must be assessed individually. Accommodations must be executed based on the distinctive needs of every hearing-impaired student. Free them up from being a person with a disability by giving them the chance to live life normally.
