Download The Deaf or Hard of Hearing

The Deaf or Hard of Hearing
EXPLANATION PROJECT
BY NICOLE SWANSON
SPED 400
Definition
 Deaf: Having a hearing loss of such
severity that communication and learning is
primarily by visual methods (i.e.,
manual communication, writing, speech
reading, and gestures)
 Hard of Hearing: Having some degree
of hearing loss
ranging from mild
to profound. People who are hard of
hearing may benefit from the use of hearing
aids or other assistive listening devices. They
depend primarily upon spoken
English in communicating with others.
Causes
 Congenital: Hearing loss at birth
 Two types Genetic and Nongenetic

Genetic Factors: more than 50% of congenital hearing loss


Autosomal recessive hearing loss (both parents with recessive
gene) and Autosomal dominant hearing loss (abnormal gene from
one parent)
Nongenetic Factors: about 25% of congenital hearing loss

prematurity, low birth weight, birth injuries, toxins consumed by
mother, maternal diabetes, lack of oxygen
Causes
 Conductive: Sound not conducted efficiently through
outer ear

Fluid in middle ear, ear infection, allergies, impacted earwax,
malformation of the outer or middle ear
 Sensorineural: damage to the inner ear or the nerve
 Most common
 Cause by aging, head trauma,
 noise exposure, toxin exposure
 Mixed Hearing loss
 Many times people will have a
Combination of hearing loss
Symptoms of Hearing Loss
asking to slow down or speak louder
Avoidance of some social situations
Muffling speech and other sounds
 Frequently


 Difficulty understanding especially with the presence of
background noise
 Experience ringing, roaring or hissing in the ear
Newborn Hearing Screen Tests
 Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)
 Newborn infant test on the physiological measurement of the
brainstems response to sound
 Otoacoustic Emission (OAE)
 Newborn infant test that measure an acoustic response that is
produced by the inner ear which bounces back out of the ear in
response to a sound stimulus.
Tests
 Audiogram

A graph which plots the type and degree of
a person's hearing loss. It reflects the
frequency (pitch) and intensity (loudness),
marked in decibel units
 Tympanometry

Assesses how well the eardrum and middle
ear are working
 Reflex Testing

Assesses how well the auditory nerve is
able to transmit hearing signals to the
brain
 Speech Testing

Evaluate the ability to understand speech
Technology
 Hearing Aids
 For the mild to moderate hearing loss to amplify the sound
around them
 Cochlear Implants
 For the severe and profound hearing loss sound travels into
ear from a receiver on the outside of the head into a
transmitter which was implanted with surgery and sends the
impulses directly to the brain.
 Video Phone
 For those that are completely deaf and rely on American Sign
Language, Video phone allows for a phone conversation that
has a hands free video feature
Cochlear Implants
 For severe to profound hearing loss
 Generally cannot understand speech even with the
assistance of hearing aids
 Cannot restore normal hearing but with proper
training can replace normal hearing
 Works best with children younger than 12 months
because they learn to talk and hear with their
cochlear implants; becomes normal for them
Cochlear Implants
 Use of external
microphone and speech
processor
 Transmitter sends
radiofrequency signals to
the surgically implanted
electronic chip
 Stimulates the auditory
nerve with electrodes
that have been threaded
through cochlea
Hearing Aids
 Used to amplify the
surrounding sound
 Different types of hearing aids
Completely in the canal: fits
completely in the canal of the ear,
least noticeable more features involved
 In the canal: Fits in the ear canal improves mild to moderate
hearing loss in adults
 Half-shell: fills only half of outer ear for the mild to moderately
severe hearing loss
 In the ear (full-shell): fills the whole area of outer ear for mild
to severe hearing loss

Hearing Aids


Behind the ear: Largest, but capable of most amplification
Open fit: very small behind the ear
 New technology exists that allows hearing aids to
connect to the television or a microphone or even
their cell phone via bluetooth

This helps in the classrooms and at home to reduce excess
noise that the listener does not want to listen to instead they
can listen directly to what they want
Deaf Schools
 Law requires that all have the right to a free
appropriate public education
Schools must provide the tools for
deaf or hard of hearing individuals to
be successful, such as a translator

 Gallaudet University
 Located in Washington DC is the only liberal arts university in
the world designed for deaf and hard of hearing students for
undergraduate programs and deaf related graduate programs
 There are more than 100 schools for the deaf across
the US but over time due to funding many have
closed
American Sign Language
 Used among the Deaf community
 Complete, complex language that employs signs made by
the hands combined with facial expression and posture
 Different countries have their own version of sign
language
 Those with cochlear implants
encouraged to still learn sign
language
How to communicate
 If you are deaf or Hard of
hearing…




Pay attention
Plan ahead
Ask questions to confirm
details
Provide feedback
 If you are talking to
someone to who is…





Slow down
Speak loud but don’t shout
Confirm details
State the topic
Use gestures
Prevention
 Reduce loud noise exposure
 Use ear plug
 Avoid long term exposure to loud sounds
 Get immunization for diseases
 Prevents illness that can cause loss of hearing
Sound Levels of Common Noises
Safe Range
Risk Range
Injury Range
Decibels
Noise Source
30
Whisper
60
Normal Conversation
70
Washing Machine
85-90
Heavy City Traffic
95
Motorcycle
100
Snowmobile, hand Drill
110
Chain Saw, Rock Concert
120
Ambulance Siren
140 (pain threshold)
Jet engine at take off
165
12-guage shotgun blast
180
Rocket Launch
Maximum Job-noise exposure allowed by law
Sound Level, decibels
Duration, daily
90
8 hours
92
6 hours
95
4 hours
97
3 hours
100
2 hours
102
1.5 hours
105
1 hours
110
30 minutes
115
15 minutes or less
Media and Awareness
 Switched at Birth
 An ABC Family television show that has many deaf characters
and discusses many everyday deaf challenges.
 TV shows like this raises public awareness about deafness and
with more knowledge people will be more accepting
 Deaf Celebrities
 Christy Smith: Deaf contestant on Survivor
 Halle Berry: 80% hearing loss in one ear
 Sean Berdy: deaf actor in Sandlot 2,
Switched at Birth plus many more
 Juliette Low: founder of Girl Scouts was deaf
Work Cited

Department of Human Services, ed. Minnesota Department of Human Services. Minnesota Department of Human
Services, 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.

Hearing Health Foundation, ed. Hearing Health Foundation. Hearing Health Foundation, 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.

Mayo Clinic Staff. "Hearing Loss." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2013. Web. 2
Apr. 2013.

National Association of the Deaf, ed. National Association of the Deaf. National Association of the Deaf, 2013. Web. 2
Apr. 2013.

National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, ed. National Institute of Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders. NIDCD, 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.

Ray, Stacie, Dr. "Introduction to Audiology." SLPA 150: Communication Disorder. Barkley Memorial Hall, Lincoln,
Nebraska. Mar. 2013. Lecture.