When we think of hearing loss, it's easy to focus the attention simply on the auditory input that is being missed. But even a minimal hearing loss can have a significant impact on learning, understanding language, and social interactions. See below a straightforward review of minimal hearing loss and it's relationship to listening and learning needs.
MINIMAL HEARING LOSS (16-25 dB)
|
||
Possible Impact on the Understanding of
Language and Speech
|
Possible Social Impact
|
Potential Educational Accommodations
and Services
|
Impact of a hearing loss that is approximately 20
dB can be compared to ability to hear when index
fingers are placed in your ears. Child may have
difficulty hearing faint or distant speech. At 16
dB student can miss up to 10% of speech signal
when teacher is at a distance greater than 3 feet. A
20 dB or greater hearing loss in the better ear can
result in absent, inconsistent or distorted parts of
speech, especially word endings (s, ed) and
unemphasized sounds. Percent of speech signal
missed will be greater whenever there is
background noise in the classroom, especially in
the elementary grades where instruction is
primarily verbal. Young children have the
tendency to watch and copy the movements of
other students rather than attending to auditorily
fragmented teacher directions.
|
May be unaware of subtle
conversational cues which
could cause child to be
viewed as inappropriate
or awkward. May miss
portions of fast-paced
peer interactions which
could begin to have an
impact on socialization
and self concept. May
have immature behavior.
May be more fatigued due
to extra effort needed for
understanding speech.
|
Due to noise in typical classroom environments
which impede child from having clear access to
teacher instruction, will benefit from improved
acoustic treatment of classroom and sound-field
amplification. Favorable seating necessary. May
often have difficulty with sound/letter
associations and fine auditory discrimination
skills necessary for reading. May need attention
to vocabulary or speech, especially when there
has been a history of ear problems. Depending
on loss configuration, may benefit from low
power hearing aid with personal FM system.
Appropriate medical management necessary for
conductive losses. Inservice on impact of
“minimal" hearing loss on language
development, listening in noise and learning,
required for teacher.
|
©1991,RelationshipofDegreeofLongtermHearingLosstoPsychosocialImpactandEducationalNeeds,KarenAnderson &NoelMatkin,revised2007
