Characteristics of Hearing-Impaired Students

Students with hearing impairments may have partial or full hearing loss in one or both ears. The characteristics exhibited by the student depend primarily on the degree of hearing loss and the onset of that loss. With proper support, most hearing-impaired children can and do succeed in school.

Language

Hearing-impaired children who have been deaf or have experienced impaired hearing since birth, or sometime before the acquisition of language, face more communications difficulties than those who became impaired after they learned the basics of a language.

Lip Reading

Children who suffer hearing loss due to illness or accident often are able to continue to communicate verbally. They can become skilled lip readers. According to Ball State University, however, even the most skilled lip readers are only able to decipher 20 to 30 percent of spoken English. Lip readers may appear to understand everything that happens in the classroom, but may misinterpret information or miss the verbal interaction of their peers, causing them to fall behind in academic tasks.

American Sign Language

Depending on the severity of the hearing loss and the philosophical beliefs of the parents and community, many hearing-impaired students learn to use American Sign Language as their primary means of communication. A child may require an interpreter to communicate effectively with others and begin to become dependent on the interpreter. This may interfere with the hearing-impaired child's ability to acquire age-appropriate social and negotiation skills with his peers.

Isolation

Hearing-impaired students may become isolated from their peers and feel helpless to rectify the situation. This may result in behavioral difficulties or aggressive behavior if interventions are not put in place.

Grammar and Syntax

American Sign Language does not translate every word spoken in the English language, but instead functions much as a form of shorthand. As such, the hearing-impaired child may not learn the subtle nuances of a language and may struggle with grammar and syntax.

Expressing Ideas

A student with partial hearing loss may appear to understand what is happening in the classroom, but he may miss background conversations or comments. Articulation may be affected, but it is more likely his use of the English language will be affected, resulting in difficulty in expressing ideas or answering questions.

Resources

• Teaching Strategies for Hearing Impaired Students