Special Education Resource Library
Hearing Impairments
What is it?
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), a hearing impairment is defined as 'an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.' Deafness is also considered a hearing impairment which is defined by IDEA as 'a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.' There are four major categories of hearing loss that can be a result of genetic or hereditary factors, infections, developmental abnormalities, or traumatic factors.
1. Conductive Hearing Loss - Damage or obstruction to the external or middle ear. Can be treated medically.
2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss - Damage to inner ear or auditory nerve. Often permanent and severe.
3. Mixed Hearing Loss - Combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
4. Central Hearing Disorders - Dysfunction between the brain stem and auditory cortex in the brain.
What does this look like in the classroom?
Students with hearing impairment can use assistive technologies to aid in their success in the general education classroom. These assistive technologies range from hearing aids and cochlear implants to closed-captioning on videos or alerting devices. Other accommodations that can be used are amplification systems, seating at the front of the room to allow for lip reading, or an interpreter that will travel with the learner and translate through sign language.