Special education

Student with deafness and hearing loss

 

Concern for the education of individual who are deaf of hard of hearing has existed for centuries in the united states. A hearing loss is considered a low incidence disability affecting approximately 16 in 1000 school ages children. Children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing represent a very diverse group individuals. Some use speech, some use sign, and some use both speech and sign to communication skill, which in turn often negatively affects language development, academic progess, socialization and career attainment.

Most student who are deaf and hard of hearing recive all or part of their education in general education setting and this approach has many adventages. However, because of the diverse needs and preferences of students who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families, it important to maintain a variety of educational placement options for these students.

Recommended instructional practice for students who are deaf or hard of hearing focus on ways to increase students vocabulary, concept knowledge,and experiential backgrounds. The majority of student who are deaf or hard of hearing are born into hearing families, who are required to make a variety of difficult choices  about how to communicate with as well as educate their child. Issues currently affecting the field of deaf education include newborn hearing screening, cochlear, and bilingual bicultural educational approaches.