Sound Advice: Audiology

How Can Parents Help Support Educational Success?

According to Sarchet & Trussell (2017), approximately 95 percent of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) spend some portion of their days in a general education classroom. The prevalence of childhood hearing loss is relatively low, which means many teachers and school officials have never worked with DHH students. Therefore, parents of children who are DHH must play an active role in ensuring their students have what they need to be successful in school. The key players working with DHH students in an educational setting may include speech language pathologists (SLP), audiologists, teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, therapists and classroom teachers.

The following areas should be monitored closely to ensure that optimal educational success is achieved (think “ACES”):
Auditory access: Amplification and hearing-assistive technology (HAT) should be optimally fitted and in good working condition. It is important for everyone working with a child to know what they can and cannot hear. Amplification does not always mean adequate auditory access!

Classroom performance: Children should be able to obtain new information from teachers, peers and media sources and participate in all classroom activities and discussions. For example, a child may require captioning or alternative ways to access media utilized in the classroom.

Educational growth: Each child should be gaining new academic, language and literacy skills based on their individual cognitive and developmental abilities.

Social-emotional: It is important for children to develop communication strategies to foster meaningful peer interactions and to make and maintain friendships.

Consider the many needs that are common among children who are DHH. Auditory access, speech and language development, and academic success are interrelated; therefore, it is important that professionals working with the child have access to important information regarding his/her abilities and are able to communicate effectively. Parents can be instrumental in facilitating this process by ensuring that everyone working with their child has current information to develop appropriate plans and goals and monitor their child’s progress.

How can a parent help to address these needs and maximize a student’s school outcome?
Ask good questions:
Is an audiologist involved with my child’s academic planning? If not, your child’s managing audiologist is essential in providing information and recommendations to school staff regarding his/her auditory abilities, access and what may be needed to facilitate access to classroom information.

Does my child have access to hearing assistive technology at school? What type? Is it effective? Who monitors the device(s)? Is it being used consistently? Poor classroom performance or academic growth may suggest a need to initiate the use of HAT or re-evaluate current technology.

How often does my child receive push-in/pull- out instruction? Who are the professionals working with my child? What are the goals and how is progress monitored? If a child is not making adequate progress on goals, a meeting with school staff and/or service providers may be warranted to review and update current plans.

Does my child feel accepted and supported at school? If a child does not feel comfortable at school, he or she may not perform as well as they might when they feel accepted and supported. Improving a child’s support system and building confidence can have a positive impact on his/her academic performance.

Share information with key players, including:

• Updated hearing test results, make and model of amplification devices, and changes in function of amplification or HAT
• Changes in academic performance, behavior, attention, etc.
• Progress toward goals from all professionals working with your child

Sarchet, T., & Trussell, J. (2017, April 04). The Roles of a Teacher of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Retrieved September 06, 2018, from http://www.raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org/2017/04/03/the-roles-of-a-teacher-of-the-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing