Page 96 - DEDU506_SPECIAL_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Special Education

Notes If you come across the following signs and symptoms of hearing loss, consult an audiologist/
ENT doctor immediately:
• Unclear speech and other sounds
• Difficulty understanding words, especially when there is background noise or in a crowd
• Asking others to speak more slowly, clearly and loudly
• High volume of the television or radio is required
• Not active in conversations
• Avoiding people
• Ringing sounds (tinnitus) in the ears
Even otherwise, get your hearing checked periodically, to ensure that your hearing sensitivity
is normal.

Certain antibiotics (like streptomycin, kanamycin, and gentamycin) and aspirin may
cause hearing loss.

Self Assessment
2. State whether the following statements are 'True' or 'False':
(i) Hearing is not an important source of communication.
(ii) Hearing loss may even be hereditary.
(iii) Foreign bodies may block the ear drum causing a mild to moderate hearing loss.
(iv) Exposure to loud and excessive noise is not one of the most common causes of hearing.
(v) Ear infections, if not treated, can cause hearing loss.

12.5 Teaching Strategies for Hearing Impaired Children

Certain general teaching techniques are to be practiced by the teachers of hearing impaired children.
1. Combined visual presentation with oral materials.
2. Use handouts for these children.
3. Use multisensory approach when necessary.
4. Focus on pupil's attention.
5. Teach the major portion of the lesson.
6. Make summary presentation.
7. Use transition sentences.
8. Use short and clear verbalisation.
9. Ask questions to check comprehension and
10. Explain things and repeat.
For accelerating language and oral communication skills among hearing impaired children language
experience training should be incorporated as a regular feature in the school emphasizing all the
aspects of language competence, comprehension and skills of communication role playing, action,
illustration cards, pictures, drills, picture, word dictionaries, practice sheets, phonics, structural
analysis are to be used. Several language training kits are available and can be profitable used.
Written comprehensions and expression can be enhanced by waiting simple sentences on a topic
and presenting them in a scrambled order and asking the hearing impaired child to rearrange the
cards using semantic organization. They can be given matching exercise order in of exercises, questions
regarding what, when, where and how. Hanging of charts in the room also speed up the language
acquisition.

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