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Unit 5: Identification, Causes, Problems of Physically Challenged

5.2 Hearing Impairment Notes

Hearing impairment means any degree and type of auditory disorder, while deafness means an
extreme inability to discriminate conversational speech through the ear. Deaf people, then, are those
who cannot use their hearing for communication. People with a lesser degree of hearing impairment
are called hard of hearing.
5.2.1 Identification

Identification of Hearing Impairment: Recently, due to the advancement in technology, the
identification of hearing impairment has become easier. The following are some important techniques
for identifying imapaired children:
(1) Development Scale: Development status may be taken into consideration to identify hearing
impaired children. It is conducive for establishing the child's current status with regard to sensorimotor
development. "Bayley Scales of Infant Development" is very helpful for this purpose. This scale
provides a basis for early diagnosis and corrective action in case of retarded development.
(2) Neuropsychological Tests: Another important test is the assessment of neurological functions.
Owning to cerebral dysfunction and brain damage, a good number of hearing impaired children
have additional percepto-motor deficiencies. An expert clinician may be able to find certain signs in
such children.
(3) Medical Examination of the Children: By this technique, a physician takes the general medical
history of a child he investigates the functioning and dysfunctioning of various organs related to
audition. The relationship between the auditory deformitites and personality disorder is also sought.
(4) Case Study of the Child: The case history is generally taken by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist
may collect the data from the child directly or from a close relative of the child. While collecting the
data, the following points may be taken into account:
(1) Indentification of the child, i.e., name and address etc.
(2) Statements of the present problem (symptoms etc.).
(3) Health history (illness, serious disease, surgical operation etc.).
(4) Development history and
(5) Family history.
(5) Systematic Observation of the Child Behaviour: This method is highly conducive and extremely
useful for assessing the hearing impaired. The salient observable points of behavior displayed by
children who are to be indentified are as follows:
(1) Frequent ear eggs are observable;
(2) Hey turn heads on one side to hear better;
(3) These children are unable to follow directions;
(4) In the classroom, the always request to repeat instruction question etc.
Main Symptoms for Identification of Hearing Impaired
The following questions can be put to the children for identification:
1. Does the child ask for repetition of instruction?
2. Does the child display restlessness and inattention?
3. Does the child have an observable deformity of the ear?
4. Does the child have a discharge from the ear?
5. Does the child complain of pain in the ear frequently?
6. Does the child turn his head frequently in order to hear better?
7. Is the child unable to follow your instruction?
8. Does the child scratch his ear frequently?
9. Does the child focus on the speaker's face while listing to understand speech?

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