Hearing Impairment (HI)

According to IDEA  (2017) a Hearing Impairment is "an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section."

Common traits/characteristics 

• Speech and other sounds are muffled

• The student experiences a difficulty in understanding words, especially in crowds or where there is other noise

• The frequent need to turn up the volume for videos, or television

Educational challenges:

• Language and problem-solving skills

• Students with hearing loss may receive delayed instruction or material due to hearing loss

• Social isolation may have an impact on learning

Tips/ recommendations for teachers:

• Provide visual materials

• Minimize the amount of background noise from various machines

• The teacher should frequently ensure that the student understands what is happening during class, and what assignments they should complete

• The teacher should also provide alternative methods to assist the student with any note-taking.