COMMUNICATION PLANS: Addressing the Needs of Students with Hearing Impairment

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COMMUNICATION PLANSAddressing the Needs of
Students with Hearing Impairment

• Gillis Ward, Director
• Local Education Agency Support Services for the
  Hearing Impaired
• gillisw_at_asd.k12.ar.us
• 501-324-9523
• Shelly Wier, Consultant
• Easter Seals Outreach Program
• swier_at_ar.easterseals.com
• 501-221-8415

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Low Incidence Disability
Low incidence
BIG IMPACT
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Arkansas Definition

• A. Deafness means a hearing impairment that is
  so severe that the child is impaired in
  processing linguistic information through
  hearing, with or without amplification, that
  adversely affects educational performance.
• B. Hearing impairment means an impairment in
  hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that
  adversely affects a childs educational
  performance but that is not included under the
  definition of deafness.
• 1. Audiological indicators
• An average pure-tone hearing loss in the speech
  range (500-2000Hz) of 20dB or greater in the
  better ear.
• A fluctuating hearing impairment, such as on
  resulting from chronic otitis media.
• An average high frequency, pure-tone hearing loss
  of 35dB or greater in the better ear at two or
  more of the following frequencies 2000, 3000,
  4000, and 6000 Hz.
• A permanent unilateral hearing loss of 35dB or
  greater in the speech range (pure-tone average of
  500-2000 Hz).

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Why a Communication Plan?

• Students with hearing impairments have unique
  communication needs
• All staff need to understand the implications of
  the communication barriers
• All aspects of the childs day must be considered

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Purpose

• Since the use of this document is not a state
  requirement, our purpose in presenting it is to
  provide a procedure or script within the IEP
  process that facilitates a more in-depth
  discussion among IEP team members about the
  critical issues which impact the development and
  communication of children who are deaf or hard of
  hearing.

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Consideration of Special Factors (IDEA 2006,
34 CFR 300.324 (a)(2)(iv)) The IEP team for a
child who is deaf or hearing-impaired must . .
. "consider the child's language and
communication needs, opportunities for direct
communications with peers and professional
personnel in the child's language and
communication mode, academic level, and full
range of needs, including opportunities for
direct instruction in the child's language and
communication mode."
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Four Components

• Consider . . .
• Students language and communication needs
• Opportunities for direct communication in the
  students language or primary communication mode
  (peers/personnel)
• Academic level
• Full range of needs, including opportunities for
  direct instruction in the students language or
  primary communication mode

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs

• What is the students primary language and/or
  communication mode?
• What language(s) and model(s) of communication do
  the parents use with their child?

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs (cont.)

• What language(s) and models(s) does the student
  use to communicate at home, with his/her friends,
  in the community and in school?
• How successful is the students ability to
  communicate in a variety of situations?

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs (cont.)

• How does this student access information in noise
  or in a room with poor acoustics?
• Have we adequately considered the fatigue
  factor?

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs (cont.)

• Have we objectively measured this students
  ability to access information in his/her
  preferred mode of communication?
• What type of technology does this student use?

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs (cont.)

• What is the back-up plan when communication
  breaks down?
• How can we assess his/her sign language or oral
  skill level?

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs (cont.)

• Does this student need an interpreter? What
  kind?
• How can we assess functional hearing (beyond the
  audiogram)?

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I. Consider the child's language and
communication needs (cont.)

• How are tests administered in the classroom?
  Orally? Written?
• How does the student access inferential learning?

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II. Consider opportunities for direct
communications with peers and professional
personnel in the child's language and
communication mode.

• Direct communication occurs person to person,
  not through an additional source, e.g.
  educational interpreter, captioner.

This may be provided by the school or family.
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1. Opportunities for direct communication with
peers.

• Small group activities/projects with other
  students
• Extracurricular activities
• Sign classes for classmates
• Friends who know sign language
• Club membership and participation
• Activities at ASD or with other programs where
  there are students who are D/HH

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2. Opportunities for direct communication with
professional staff and other school personnel.

• Certified teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing
• Training for staff
• Staff who know sign language

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III. Consider academic level

• 1. Does the student have the communication and
  language necessary to acquire grade-level
  academic skills and concepts of the general
  education curriculum?

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? Yes

• What supports are needed to continue proficiency
  in grade-level academic skills and concepts of
  the general education curriculum?

? No
What supports are needed to increase the
students proficiency in his/her language and
communication to acquire grade-level academic
skills and concepts of the general education
curriculum?
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Examples of Support

• Speech-language services
• Educational interpreter
• Accommodations/modifications as stated in the
  IEP, e.g. preteaching vocabulary
• Tutoring
• Placement in other Special Ed Services

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III. Consider academic level (cont.)

• 2. Do the specialists delivering the
  communication plan to the student have
  demonstrated proficiency in the students primary
  communication mode or language?

Make plans for staff to gain needed skill

• Teachers
• Interpreters
• Other staff

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IV. Consider full range of needs, including
opportunities for direct instruction in the
childs language and communication mode.
Direct instruction occurs person to person, not
through an additional source, e.g. educational
interpreter, captioner.
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1. Opportunities for direct instruction in the
childs language and communication mode.

• Classroom teacher
• SLP
• Resource teacher
• Others

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2. Opportunities for interaction with deaf and
hard of hearing role models.

• Community
• ASD
• Local Deaf club
• Church activities

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3. The communication-accessible academic
instruction, school services, and extracurricular
activities the student will receive have been
identified.
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• Assistive Technology

Soundfield systems
Video phones
Personal FM systems
Hearing aids
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• Captioning

Television Movies DVDs Computer programs
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• Extracurricular Activities

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Lets Take a Break!

• We will resume promptly in 15 minutes.

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Practice with a Case Study

• Please form groups of 3-5.

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Evaluation

• Speech-Language Impairment vs Hearing Impairment
  Required Data
• Program Planning
• General Guidelines
• Recommended Tests and Tools

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Evaluation

• Speech-Language Impairment vs Hearing Impairment
  Required Data
• Program Planning
• General Guidelines
• Recommended Tests and Tools

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General Testing Guidelines

• Check hearing aids to be sure they are
  functioning correctly.
• Position yourself where the student can see your
  face.
• Be sure lighting is good. Never sit with your
  back to a window.
• Choose a place where there is very little or no
  background noise.
• Use a natural speaking voice. Do not over
  exaggerate lip movements.

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General Testing Guidelines

• Ask the student to repeat directions and all
  verbal stimuli to ensure comprehension. Do not
  ask Do you understand? and accept a head nod.
• Repeat, then reword, directions the student does
  not understand.
• Give auditory or signed directions first, then
  show picture stimulus. Students can only look at
  one thing at a time.
• Provide several practice items to ensure that the
  student understands the task.

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General Testing Guidelines

• Use visual aids whenever you can (and it is
  appropriate).
• Use isolated words in a meaningful sentence when
  possible.
• Be aware that due to vocabulary deficits,
  students who are hearing impaired may not know
  the names of even simple objects and pictures.
• If using an interpreter, remember that some signs
  are iconic.

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General Testing Guidelines

• Review test items prior to giving the test to
  ensure they are clear and understandable.
• Keep in mind what skill you are evaluating. For
  example, if its syntax (word order), be sure the
  student knows the names of the objects, otherwise
  youre making it into a vocabulary test.
• Report performance using percent-correct and
  percentile scores as these are more informative.

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Appropriate Tests and Tools

• Listening
• -- CASLLS -- DASL-II -- ESP
• -- SPICE -- TAC -- CFAPI
• Language
• -- GAEL -- MacArthur -- OWLS
• -- RDLS-III -- SALT -- Scales
• -- SKI-HI -- TAGS -- TERA
• -- TOSS-P -- TOSS-I -- TTFC-2
• Articulation
• -- CID Phon Inv -- CID SPINE -- IEPNCHI
• -- Paden-Brown -- Lings -- SSR

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Lets Go To Lunch!

• We will resume promptly in 1 hour.

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Functional Listening Assessment

• Purpose
• To determine how a students listening
  abilities are affected by noise, distance, and
  visual input in a situation that is more
  representative of his or her actual listening
  environment than a sound booth.

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Functional Listening Assessment

• Materials Needed
• Environment for Testing/Physical Set-Up
• Types of Evaluation Materials
• Presentation Levels
• Presentation Protocol
• Scoring
• Variations in Protocol
• Interpretation (Matrix)

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Therapy Planning

• Listening Skills
• Language Skills
• Articulation Skills

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ListeningFor children who are D/HH, it is not a
passive activity, but a major active force
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Auditory Skills Hierarchy

• Awareness/Detection
• Discrimination
• Identification/Recognition
• Comprehension

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Awareness/Detection The student can respond to
presence or absence of sound.
Discrimination The student can perceive
similarities differences among 2 or more speech
sounds.
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Identification/Recognition The student can
reproduce speech stimuli by

• Naming
• Repeating

• Writing
• Identifying a picture

• Suprasegmentals
• Pitch
• Loudness
• Duration
• Angry vs. Sad
• Male, Female, Child

• Segmentals
• Initial sound vocabulary
• Words varying in of syllables
• Words with constant consonants but varying vowels
  
• Words with constant vowels but varying consonants
  
• Two critical elements

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Comprehension The student can demonstrate
understanding of speech by

• Following a direction
• Answering a question

• Participating in a conversation
• Paraphrasing what was heard

• Familiar expressions
• 1 direction/ 2 directions
• Classroom instructions
• Sequencing 3 directions
• Multi-element directions

• Sequencing 3 events
• Answering questions about a story open, closed
  set
• All of the above in a noisy environment

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Continuum of Difficulty
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Language and Literacy

• Normal sequence of language development
• 4-1/2 to 5 Years
• 5 to 6 Years
• 6 to 7 Years
• Reading

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Language and Literacy

• NOTES CONTINUED

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Articulation

• Respiration, Phonation, and Rate
• Speech Rhythm
• Vowel Production
• Articulation of Consonants

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Sample Therapy Targets

• Speech Reception (Listening)
• Speech Production
• Vocabulary
• Morphology and Syntax
• Pragmatics

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Sample Therapy Targets
NOTES CONTINUED
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Vocabulary

• Use a description line to define new words by
  comparing them to known vocabulary

Love Admire Like
Tolerate Ignore Hate
Also new vocabulary can be compared and
contrasted with other words based on spelling,
parts of speech, or categories.
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Teach multiple meanings when developing new
vocabulary.
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Sample Therapy Targets

• Speech Reception (Listening)
• Speech Production
• Vocabulary
• Morphology and Syntax
• Pragmatics

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Environmental Modifications

• Speak naturally
• Keep hands and books away from face
• Be sure your classroom is well lighted
• Use visual aids whenever possible

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Environmental Modifications

• Provide preferential seating at the front and to
  the side of the class
• Be aware the student may not hear bells and
  alarms
• Keep background noise to a minimum

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Instructional Modifications

• Be sure you have the students attention
• Check for understanding ask open ended questions
• Repeat the responses of other students.

• Teach the use of an assignment notebook
• Introduce new topics with short key words
• Be aware that hearing levels may decrease
• if the student has a cold

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Instructional Modifications

• Allow the student breaks attending to listening
  is tiring
• Repeat and rephrase instructions
• Older students might need a note taker

• Establish a peer support or buddy system to
  assist both you and the student

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Instructional Modifications
NOTES CONTINUED
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