December 2019

Did You Know?

Misunderstandings

Students who are deaf and hard of hearing often have misunderstandings. There are many situations where students hear that something is said and look around and act the same way as peers without knowing what was actually said. They hear things differently than they were said and their brain fills in gaps with words from their background knowledge. This can be a problem at school because there is constantly new vocabulary being used and students miss that new vocabulary. It also causes problems because, while the student is trying to comprehend and make sense of what they “heard,” they miss other important information being shared in the classroom. Students with hearing differences may or may not be aware that they have missed information. Likewise they may not want to seem different by asking for clarification. This not wanting to appear different or not knowing that they have missed important information leads to misunderstandings.

Parent Resources

Hands and Voices has some fun upcoming events. Check them out in the activities section below and register if interested. Also check out the Hands and voices parent newsletter at https://www.mnhandsandvoices.org/news-events/focus-newsletter

Book Recommendation

Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything

When Ruby's cousin Flying Duck emigrates from China to live with her, Ruby decides the best thing about Flying Duck is that she is a great new friend. BUT the worst thing about Flying Duck is that now, no one speaks English at home. Plus, there's strange food on the table every night and only chopsticks to eat with. And Flying Duck is deaf, and Ruby doesn't know any Chinese Sign Language.