Hearing Impairment
Melanie Elletson
EDU330 The Exceptional Learner
Hearing impairment paper
Due May 2, 2007
According to Rena Lewis and Donald Doorlag, authors of Teaching Special Students in General Education Classrooms, a hearing impairment is a disability characterized by a decrease in ability to hear (pg 425). A child with a hearing impairment has trouble hearing sounds in the range of normal human speech. There area three basic types of hearing impairments: sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Along with these impairments there are many different signs that as parents and teachers we can look for so that we can have accurate testing done. Once the impairment is identified we can decide what type of amplification device is best for the child. Finally there are several tips to help both teachers and parents. Having a hearing impairment is exactly that an impairment, it is not something that will prevent anyone from having a normal life. A child can have one of three basic types of hearing impairments: sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. If a child does have a hearing impairment they most likely have sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss or SNHL accounts for about 90% of all hearing loss which is about 8% of our population. Conductive hearing loss is the second most common form of hearing loss, it affects only about 0.8% of the population. Finally the third and most rare type of hearing impairment is mixed hearing loss. The third and moat rare type of hearing impairment is mixed hearing loss, which is when a person has both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association considers sensorineural hearing loss damage to the inner ear or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects speech understanding, or
EDU330 The Exceptional Learner
Hearing impairment paper
Due May 2, 2007
According to Rena Lewis and Donald Doorlag, authors of Teaching Special Students in General Education Classrooms, a hearing impairment is a disability characterized by a decrease in ability to hear (pg 425). A child with a hearing impairment has trouble hearing sounds in the range of normal human speech. There area three basic types of hearing impairments: sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Along with these impairments there are many different signs that as parents and teachers we can look for so that we can have accurate testing done. Once the impairment is identified we can decide what type of amplification device is best for the child. Finally there are several tips to help both teachers and parents. Having a hearing impairment is exactly that an impairment, it is not something that will prevent anyone from having a normal life. A child can have one of three basic types of hearing impairments: sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. If a child does have a hearing impairment they most likely have sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss or SNHL accounts for about 90% of all hearing loss which is about 8% of our population. Conductive hearing loss is the second most common form of hearing loss, it affects only about 0.8% of the population. Finally the third and most rare type of hearing impairment is mixed hearing loss. The third and moat rare type of hearing impairment is mixed hearing loss, which is when a person has both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association considers sensorineural hearing loss damage to the inner ear or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects speech understanding, or