Hearing Impairment: Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Definitions, Identification, and Professionals

Introduction

Author: Dolly Bhargava, M. Spec. Ed.

Hearing plays an important role in student development and daily performance.  Hearing impairment occurs when there's a problem with or damage to one or more parts of the hearing mechanism.  It is identified as one of the ten most prevalent causes of disability in the United States.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1991) reported that five percent of children 18 years and under have a hearing loss.  A student with a hearing impairment is part of a heterogeneous group whose one common characteristic is some degree of hearing loss.  To effectively teach students with hearing impairment, teachers need to become familiar with hearing related concepts.  The purpose of this chapter is to briefly outline the nature of hearing impairment and provide you with useful current definitions.  The chapter will provide you with information on how we hear, how hearing is assessed, ways of identifying students with hearing impairments in the classroom and discuss their learning characteristics.  Some information on the several types of professionals who can be of assistance in diagnosing and educating students with a hearing impairment will also be provided.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), defines “hearing impairment” and “deafness” separately.  Hearing impairment is defined as an “impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”  Deafness is defined as a “hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.”