Early Intervention with Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: The Impact of a Hearing Loss: App

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Early Intervention with Children who are Deaf and
Hard of Hearing The Impact of a Hearing Loss
Approaching it Sensitively

• Susan R. Easterbrooks
• Georgia State University
• Spring, 2002

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Areas Potentially Impacted by a Hearing Loss

• Language Learning
• Education
• and Cognition

• Social-Emotional Development

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Language Learning

• A hearing loss impacts language learning because
  the child must have access to a comprehensible
  message in order for uptake to occur.
• Uptake cannot occur without a comprehensible
  message.
• Once we can assure that there is a comprehensible
  message, then normal language development forms
  the scope and sequence of instruction in the all
  aspects of language.

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Language Learning (Continued)

• To impart language in its richness and
  usefulness, there must be two-way communication.
• The child must experience the meaning of language
  in many ways.
• Input must be comprehensible.
• Are dealing with two language and two cultures

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• American Sign Language is a unique language with
  its own set of grammatical rules.
• Native users of ASL depend on verbal and
  non-verbal aspects of communication. Verbal
  aspects include the signs that make up meaning
  and the grammar, or way the signs are put
  together, that show relationships.

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Non-Verbal Communication

• Silence
• Kinesics
• Bodily movements such as headshake or gesture
• Proxemics
• Personal space
• Haptics
• Touching behaviors

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Deaf Cultural Values

• Individualism independence vs. group welfare
  dependence
• Directness vs. indirectness
• Change as positive/natural vs. valuation of
  stability, tradition and continuity

• Time as precious commodity vs. human interaction
• Competition vs. cooperation
• Equality/fairness vs. hierarchy, rank status

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Cognition

• No matter what our communication style or our
  value system, asl or english, all babies develop
  through similar stages, and these stages are an
  integral part of cognitive development.

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• Language and intelligence are seen as intimately
  intertwined, such that language development
  drives intellectual development as much
  intellectual development drives language
  development.
• Akamatsu, C. Tane and Musselman, Carol. (1990).

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Education

• For children who are deaf and hard of hearing,
  the home must become their first classroom.

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What Children With Hearing Loss Need to Learn at
Home

• Attention
• Responsiveness
• Consistency
• Predictability
• Attachment

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Social-Emotional Development

• Many children with hearing loss are considered to
  be impulsive, egocentric, or socially immature.
  Cause?
• Limited early communication.

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• A hearing loss itself
• does not lead to
• poor social
• competence poor
• and limited
• communication
• result in poor
• social competence.

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• Children who are deaf or hard of hearing
  experience delays in language. This results in an
  inability to mediate experience and to label
  associated emotional states. This leads, in turn,
  to gaps in social-emotional development.

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• As a group, children who are deaf
• or hard of hearing tend to display deficits in
  such areas as impulse control, self-esteem, the
  ability to interpret facial
  expressions, and moral development.

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Imagine how difficult it would be to have a
strong, positive self-concept if
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• You didnt understand what was
• happening and why, and
• You had a limited vocabulary to express internal
  feelings.

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Family Sensitivity

• How do you convey these possible problems to
  families so that they understand the importance
  of early intervention? How do you help
  individuals in crisis?

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Do not assume you know what someone else is
feeling.
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Important Factors

• Privacy
• Honesty
• Clear Information
• Listening
• Time
• Planning

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Reactions

• All these emotions serve a purpose. Do not take
  them away from a parent until the parent is ready.

• Denial
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Guilt
• Superficial Acceptance

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Parents Wish Listfor Audiologistsas provided
by www.ibwebs.com(summarized)
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Information

• Be more forthcoming with information
• Provide books, pamphlets, phone numbers,support
  group info, resources
• Discuss funding issues and options
• Discuss info regarding aural habilitation

• Explain ear molds
• Give all pertinent info
• you have regarding hearing aids and
• cochlear implants
• Discuss loaner aid options and programs

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Communication Choices

• Explain choices in communication options
• Explain choices in amplification options
• Let the parent make the final decision

• Respect the choices the family makes

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Additional Wishes

• Listen to the child and the parent
• If you dont want to work with babies and young
  children, refer to someone who does
• If you do not recommend something, then say it.

• Keep up to date on testing children
• Please be patient when testing our children
  (Help our children learn to test in a sound
  booth)

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In summary

• Provide information
• Actively listen
• Understand that what you think the
  parent/family/child need at a particular moment
  in time might not be what they think they need.
• Information, information, then more information
  is the key.