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Unilateral Hearing Loss: Demographics and Educational Impact Robert F. Oyler, Anne L. Oyler, and Noel D. Matkin This article presents the findings of a two-fold investigation. First, the demographic distribution of unilateral hearing loss in a large school district having approximately 54,000 students is reported. Second, the academic performance of the unilaterally hearing-impaired students is presented. The findings suggest that a unilateral hearing loss may have an adverse effect on some students' performance, contrary to the conventional attitude regarding this disorder. The conventional attitude concerning the effects of a unilateral hearing loss has been that it would have little impact upon a child's academic performance. Reflecting this view, Northern and Downs (1978) have stated that a child with a unilateral hearing loss "will be able to go through school and learn just like any other child" (p. 143). The child's parents and the child, if old enough, were admonished to guard against trauma to the good ear and to be aware of the difficulties the child might encounter with respect to localization and the comprehension of speech in difficult listening environments. Educational recommendations were essentially limited to preferential seating in the classroom. An investigation by Boyd in 1974 (cited in Northern & Downs, 1978) might have alerted professionals that the conventional attitude was in error. Boyd found that 30% of a group of children with "unilateral deafness" had an average academic lag of more than 1 year. Unfortunately, the subject selection criteria for this study were not presented and the study was never published. Therefore, one is left without knowing Boyd's definition of unilateral deafness. A more recent study involving 60 unilaterally hearing-impaired children has been reported in a series of articles (Bess, 1982; Bess & Tharpe, 1984, 1986b). One major finding from this study was that almost 50% of the children had either repeated a grade or were receiving special services through the school district. Further comparisons were made between a smaller sample (n = 25) of these unilaterally hearing-impaired children and a matched group of normal-hearing children. Klee & Davis-Dansky (1986) found that the scores for the two groups were not significantly different on a battery of standardized language tests. The two Robert F. Oyler is currently a doctoral candidate in the Child Language Laboratory, at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. Requests for reprints may be sent to him at this address. Anne L. Oyler is a clinical instructor of audiology in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. Noel D. Matkin is a professor of audiology in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. 201 © 1988, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in S c h o o l s 0161-1461/88/1902-0201501.00/0 Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx groups also performed similarly on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WlSC-R) (Wechsler, 1974) and on the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (Hiskey, 1955) (Culbertson & Gilbert, 1986; Klee & Davis-Dansky, 1986). However, it should be noted that significant differences on the WISC-R were found within the unilaterally hearing-impaired group based upon whether a grade had been repeated (Kiee & Davis-Dansky, 1986) and upon degree of hearing loss (Culbertson & Gilbert, 1986). (For a complete review of the literature regarding unilateral hearing loss in children, see Bess & Tharpe, 1986a.) Thus, in the first widely published report of a study involving school-aged children with unilateral hearing losses, the conventional attitude that such impairments have minimal impact upon performance was strongly challenged. If indeed such children are having difficulty in the academic setting, this finding has far-reaching implications. Being unaware of the effects (direct or indirect) that a unilateral hearing loss might have upon a child's academic performance leads to a reactive or "failure-based" approach toward intervention. Conversely, being aware of the potential adverse effects allows clinicians to adopt a proactive approach. That is, through careful monitoring of the child's academic progress, intervention can be implemented before the child fails. In this way, intervention efforts might be more successful and the child might avoid the psychological effects associated with failure (e.g., frustration, lower self-esteem, etc.). Another reason awareness of the potential adverse effects of a unilateral hearing loss is important is purely fiscal. It costs a considerable amount of money to educate each child each year in a regular classroom. Avoiding grade repetition can save a school district substantial amounts of money. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, we wanted to determine the demographic distribution of unilateral hearing loss in a large metropolitan school district. Second, we wanted to further investigate the academic performance of school-aged children with unilateral hearing losses to determine whether the findings reported by Bess and his colleagues accurately represented how these children were doing in school. Method Through a comprehensive hearing conservation contract with a large local school district (student population = -54,000), detailed audiologic records covering the past 7 years were available for our review. These records included all comprehensive audiologic evaluations for students, grades K through 12, enrolled in the district. The first step in this study was to retrieve the charts for all children with unilateral hearing losses which had been documented by a certified audiologist. This was accomplished by one of the authors (ALO), who reviewed the most current audiogram for each child in the district who had been previously evaluated in our clinic. During this review, any child with a unilateral hearing loss which migh t be due to otitis media was eliminated from the sample. Information regarding subject description (e.g., age, sex) and hearing loss (e.g., type, configuration, degree, ear impaired) was also obtained from the charts. With the cooperation of the director of special education, a detailed questionnaire (see Appendix A) and a copy of the Pupil Rating Scale Revised (Myklebust, 1981) 202 Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 19 201-210 April 1988 was distributed to the teacher of each child identified. These materials were distributed at the beginning of April to insure that the teacher would have had ample opportunity during the school year to become familiar with the child who was being rated. Results Demographics Of the 54,090 children enrolled in the school district, 106 students with unilateral hearing losses were identified (42 elementary, 19 junior high, and 45 high school). This yields a prevalence in this population of approximately 2/1000. If there is any error in this count, it would be an error of omission. This could occur if a child with a unilateral hearing loss had been taken for an audiologic evaluation to an audiologist other than those with whom the school district has a contractural agreement and a copy of the results was not forwarded to the child's file; or, if a child with a unilateral hearing loss had moved into the district and had not yet been tested at the clinic. Because the audiologic services are provided free-of-charge to the parents, it is not likely that many children fit in to the first category. Because the rate of ingress is greater than the rate of egress in this region, it is likely the effect of the second factor would be an inflation of our count rather than a reduction. Thus, this estimate of the prevalence of unilateral hearing loss is felt to be accurate; and, if anything, is on the conservative side. Regarding the distribution of unilateral hearing loss in this sample, there were slightly more males than females (58 vs 48) and almost twice as many children with hearing loss in the right ear as in the left ear (68 vs 38). Almost three-fourths of the losses [n = 78] were sensorineural in type. It should be noted that the conductive losses In = 23] and the conductive component of the mixed losses [n = 5] in the remainder of this population were long-standing and did not include active or transient cases of otitis media. Among those with conductive losses, there were 9 children (almost half of this group) with atresia: four males and five females. Interestingly, all had right ear anomolies. Other causes of conductive loss included ossicular malformations and mastoidectomies. Approximately two-thirds of the children [n = 63] had a hearing loss with a relatively fiat configuration which could easily be placed into one of the four traditional categories (i.e., mild/moderate/severe/profound). The distribution of the degree of hearing loss for these children is presented in Table 1. Note that the majority fall into the profound range. For the other 43 children, a variety of audiometric configurations was seen. This information is presented in Table 2. While the majority had a failing configuration, rising, trough-shaped, and inverted trough-shaped configurations were also seen. For all subsequent analyses, these children were included in the most appropriate category. Teachers' Responses At the time the questionnaires were distributed (the end of April), 12 children with unilateral hearing loss were no longer in the school district--7 had moved OYLERET AL.: Unilateral Hearing Loss Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 203 TABLE 1. Distribution of unilateral hearing loss by degree for those children with relatively fiat configurations. (n = 63). mild (26-45 dB) n = 8 (12.7%) moderate (46-65 dB) n = 14 (22.2%) n = 3 (4.8%) n = 38 (60.3%) severe (66-85 dB) profound (->85 dB) d u r i n g that school y e a r (i.e., 1985-1986) and 5 h a d d r o p p e d out o f school. This left a p o t e n t i a l p o p u l a t i o n of 94 children. It should b e n o t e d that the t e a c h e r s ' p a r t i c i p a t i o n in this project was c o m p l e t e l y voluntary. In r e s p o n s e to t h e initial mailing, 50 questionnaires (18 e l e m e n t a r y , 10 j u n i o r high, a n d 22 high school) and 36 P u p i l Rating Scales-Revised (PRSR) (15 e l e m e n tary, 9 j u n i o r high, a n d 12 high school) w e r e returned. Because the q u e s t i o n n a i r e c o n t a i n e d more useful information r e g a r d i n g the two o l d e r groups of students than the PRSR a n d the initial r e s p o n s e r e p r e s e n t e d a p p r o x i m a t e l y 50% of each of those groups, it was d e c i d e d that a s e c o n d m a i l i n g w o u l d be sent only to the e l e m e n t a r y teachers. In addition: (a) T h e e n d of the school y e a r was r a p i d l y a p p r o a c h i n g a n d it was s u g g e s t e d that the j u n i o r high and high school teachers w o u l d have less t i m e available to t h e m to c o m p l e t e the materials; a n d (b) Bess a n d his colleagues, with w h o m w e w a n t e d to c o m p a r e our results, had w o r k e d with e l e m e n t a r y children. I n TABLE 2. Distribution of unilateral hearing loss by degree for those children without relatively fiat configurations. (n = 43). Configuration Total Degree Falling n = 23 (53.5%) Rising n = 13 (30.2%) Trough-shaped n = 5 (11.6%) Inverted Trough-shaped n = 2 (4.7%) mild (n = 2) mild-to-moderate (n = 1) mild-to-severe (n = 4) mild-to-profound (n = 5) moderate (n = 2) moderate-to-profound (n = 6) severe (n = 2) profound (n = 1) mild (n = 2) moderate-to-mild (n = 3) severe-to-mild (n = 1) moderate (n = 4) severe-to-moderate (n = 1) severe (n = 2) mild/moderate (n = 4) mild/severe (n = 1) moderate/mild (n = 1) severe/mild (n = 1) 204 Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 19 201-210 April 1988 response to the second mailing, 11 additional questionnaires and PRSRs were returned. Questionnaire. Four of the 61 questionnaires were unusable; thus the return rate was 60.6% [n = 57]. From these, information relative to the following questions was obtained: 1. How many of the children with unilateral hearing losses had repeated a grade? Of the 38 responses to this question, it was indicated that 9 children (23.7%) had repeated at least one grade, compared with a district-wide repeat rate of 2% for grades K--8. Two of these nine children had repeated two grades each. Among those failing at least one grade, the percentage of children with right ear involvement who had repeated a grade was approximately five times as high as the percentage of children with left ear involvement (34.8% v. 6.7%). The percentage of children with a severe-to-profound loss who had repeated a grade was about twice as high as the percentage of those with a mild-to-moderate loss (36.7% v. 18.7%). Cell sizes would not allow further analyses. We were not able to gather sufficient data in this study regarding etiology of the hearing loss or age at onset to make comparisons along these dimensions. 2. What percentage of children with a unilateral hearing loss receive special services in the school district? Of the 54 responses to this question, it was indicated that 22 of these children (40.7%) were receiving some sort of special services, compared with a district-wide rate of 8.6%. These services varied from speech/language therapy two times per week to self-contained classroom placement. When the distribution of those receiving special services was evaluated with a chi-square analysis (a) by ear and (b) by degree of loss, no statistically significant differences were found. In other words, neither the ear involved nor the degree of loss appeared to be a determining factor in the decision to provide special services to these children. A slight trend was noted which suggested that the more severe the hearing impairment, the more likely it was that special services would be provided. 3. How do the teachers rate the "overall performance" of their students with unilateral hearing impairment as compared to their classmates? The teachers were asked to rate overall performance as: below average--defined as the bottom 25% of the class; average--defined as the middle 50%; or above average-defined as the top 25%. The entire sample In = 57] was rated on this question: 22.8% were rated as below average; 50.9% were rated as average; and 26.3% were rated as above average. This is strikingly similar to the distribution one would expect from any randomly-drawn sample. Further chi-square analyses revealed no significant association between either ear or degree of loss and the teachers' rating of the child's overall performance. 4. Are the unilaterally hearing-impaired children perceived by their teachers as being underachievers or overachievers as compared to their classmates? The teachers were asked to indicate their impression of the child's "intellectual ability" along the same dimensions as they rated overall performance (i.e., below average~average~above average). We reasoned that agreement between these two ratings would suggest that the teacher felt the child was working at his/her potential while disagreement would suggest that the teacher perceived the child OYLERET AL.: Unilateral Hearing Loss Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 205 either as an underachiever or an overachiever. Of the 43 responses to both questions, 33 of the unilaterally hearing-impaired children (76.7%) were viewed by their teachers as working at their potential. Of the 10 children (23.3%) who were not rated the same on both measures, three were rated higher on overall performance than on intellectual ability (i.e., overachievers) and seven were rated higher on intellectual ability than on overall performance (i.e., underachievers). In other words, it appears that the majority of these children who are not working at their potential are viewed by their teachers as underachievers. Pupil Rating Scale R e v i s e d (PRSR). The PRSR is a screening tool for learning disabilities. It consists of a questionnaire which is completed by the teacher, has been normed for children from 5 to 14 years of age, and has been shown to be sensitive for different types of disabilities. For example, a recent study by Obringer & Matkin (1986) found it was sensitive to differences in the performance of children with central auditory disorders as compared to the normative sample. All 47 of the PSRSs were usable; thus, the return rate was 50%. The norms for the PRSR and the mean scores from the unilaterally hearing-impaired children are compared in Table 3. There were no significant differences on the Orientation and the Motor Scales. The unilateral group did score lower than the norm on the Auditory Comprehension, Spoken Language, and Personal-Social Behavior scales. The most notable difference was on the Personal-Social Behavior scale, where approximately 33% of the unilateral group scored lower than the first standard deviation below the mean. Recall that in a normal distribution, only 16% of the scores are expected to fall in this range. An item analysis was performed to identify which specific items were contributing to the differences. Those items significant beyond the .01 level were: comprehending word meanings and attention (p < .01); story telling and responsibility (p < .005); completion of assignments (p < .001); and, adapting to new situations (p < .0005). It is of interest that most of these items, while not considered auditory learning problems per se, are factors which may well influence academic success. Discussion Demographics The prevalence of unilateral hearing loss has been estimated at rates ranging from 1:1000 (Everberg, 1960a) to 13:1000 (Berg, 1972). The prevalence found in this TABLE3. Comparison of the mean scores for the unilaterally hearing-impaired children with the norms on the PRSR. Scale Norm Group mean t p Auditory comprehension (n = 45) Spoken language (n = 45) Orientation (n = 45) Motor coordination (n = 47) Personal-social behavior (n = 43) 13.24 16.35 13.68 9.68 26.98 12.31 15.13 13.53 9.36 24.47 1.86 2.24 0.34 1.28 2.99 <.05 <.025 NS NS <.005 206 Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 19 201-210 April 1988 study (-2:1000) is closer to the lower end of this range. Perhaps Berg's estimate included children with any type of hearing impairment (i.e., sensorineural or conductive, including transient otitis media) and is therefore more inflated than either Everberg's estimate of"unilateral deafness" or the findings from the current study. Everberg (1960b) reported a greater prevalence of unilateral hearing loss among males than females (62.3% v s 37.7%). Bess and Tharpe (1984, 1986b) reported a slightly greater prevalence among females than males (55.0% v s 45.0%). Of the 106 children originally identified in this study, 58 were boys (54.7%) and 48 were girls (45.3%). Thus, the findings of this study support the greater prevalence of unilateral hearing loss among males, although not to the extent reported by Everberg. This sex difference might have been expected, since the prevalence of bilateral hearing losses is also higher among males than among females--53.7% v s 46.3%---according to national statistics (Karchmer, 1985). Everberg (1960b) also reported a slightly greater percentage of left ear impairment than right ear impairment (52.5% v s 47.5%). In contrast, Bess and Tharpe (1984, 1986b) reported a greater percentage of right ear impairments among their smaller, more extensively studied sample (62.5% v s 37.5%). Of the 106 children originally identified in this study, 68 had a right ear impairment (64.2%) and 38 had a left ear impairment (35.8%). Thus, the findings of this study support those reported by Bess and Tharpe. In summary, unilateral hearing loss is a disorder with fairly low prevalence. Our study suggests: (a) that boys and girls are affected at roughly equivalent rates; (b) that the right ear is approximately twice as likely to be involved as the left; and, (c) that the degree of loss will most often be severe-to-profound. Academics Bess and Tharpe (1984, 1986b) reported a failure rate of 35% among their subjects with a unilateral hearing impairment. While their figure is higher than that found in the current study (i.e., 23.7%), both rates are remarkably similar when compared with the general failure rate for the corresponding school district. In the Metro Nashville district, the general failure rate was 3.5% for K-6 (Bess & Tharpe, 1986b). In the district we studied, the general failure rate was 2% for K-8. Thus, in both studies, children with unilateral hearing losses were at much higher risk for academic failure than the general population. That risk is approximately 10 times higher than for the population as a whole. In addition to those children who were reported to have repeated one or more grades, there were the additional 5 children with unilateral hearing losses who dropped out of school. This represents approximately 5% of the original population. While we cannot attribute dropping out of school to their hearing loss, these children must also be considered academic failures. Bess, Klee, and Culbertson (1986) reported that a recurring profile among the unilaterally hearing-impaired children who experienced academic difficulty included: (a) early age of onset; (b) severe-to-profound hearing loss; and (c) right ear impairment. Sufficient data regarding age at onset were not gathered in this study OYLERET AL.: U n i l a t e r a l Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx Hearing Loss 207 to allow comment; however, the importance of degree of loss and ear impaired were supported by our findings. The percentage of children repeating a grade was approximately two times higher for those with a severe-to-profound loss than for those with a mild-to-moderate loss and was approximately five times higher for those with right ear involvement than for those with left ear involvement. In other wi3rds, children with a severe-to-profound unilateral hearing loss involving the right ear have the highest risk for academic failure. In the current study, the percentage of children receiving special services was approximately five times the district average (40.7% vs 8,6%). This percentage is considerably larger than that reported by Bess and Tharpe (1986b); only 13.3% of their sample needed resource help. They reported neither the average for their district nor the range of services, so further comparisons are not possible. There is no ready explanation for this difference. Perhaps the Tucson district fails fewer children but places more in special programs than does the Nashville district. The most puzzling result of the current study was that teachers did not differentiate unilaterally hearing-impaired children from their classmates. For example, teachers rated the overall performance of most of these children as adequate. Yet, 5 times as many children were receiving special services and 10 times as many had repeated one or more grades. Perhaps repeating a grade and/or receiving special services allows them to compete successfully in the classroom. Another possibility is that our questionnaire was not sensitive to the specific problems experienced by the unilaterally hearing-impaired children. Or, as suggested by the findings from the Pupil Rating Scale Revised, perhaps the difficulties these children have in the academic setting may not stem from their unilateral hearing loss but may result instead from a more generalized language and learning disorder. Conclusions In summary, we have provided evidence that a unilateral hearing loss can place a child at risk for academic failure, especially if the loss is in the severe-to-profound range and/or the right ear is involved. Children with unilateral hearing loss thus do not represent a homogeneous population. We by no means intend to imply that a unilateral hearing loss is either the direct or the only cause of these children's academic difficulties. However, it is possible that more aggressive intervention is required for this population to perform well in school. Clinicians should, therefore, carefully monitor the academic progress of unilaterally hearing-impaired students. Future research in this area should attempt to: (a) determine the types of special educational services the unilaterally hearing-impaired students are receiving and the effectiveness of such intervention; (b) determine what psychoeducational and psychosocial measures most effectively identify those students who are at risk for failure; (c) explain the poorer academic performance of this population; and, (d) explain why children with right ear unilateral hearing losses have the higher risk for academic failure. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Colleen Wilcox, Ph.D., Director of Special Education for the Tucson Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona. Without her 208 Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 19 201-210 April 1988 support and assistance, this study could not have been completed. Preparation of this article was supported in part (RFO) by the U.S. Department of Education Grant No. G008301459. REFERENCES BERG, F. S. (1972). Educational audiology: Hearing and speech management. New York: Grune & Stratton BESS, F.H. (1982). Children with unilateral hearin~ loss. Journal of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology, 15, 131-144. BESS, F. H., KLEE, T., & CULBERTSON,J. L. 11986). Identification, assessment, and management of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Ear and Hearing, 7, 43--51. BESS, F. H., & THARPE, A. M. (1986a). An introduction to unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children. Ear and Hearing, 7, 3-13. BESS, F. H., & THARPE, A. M. (1986b). Case history data on unilaterally hearing-impaired children. Ear and Hearing, 7, 14-19. BESS, F. H., & THARPE, A. M. (1984). Unilateral hearing impairment in children. Pediatrics, 74, 206--216. CULBERTSON, J. L., • GILBERT, L. E. (1986). Children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss: Cognitive, academic, and social development. Ear and Hearing, 7, 38--42. EVERBERG, G. (1960a). Etiology of unilateral deafness studied in a series of children and young adults. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, 69, 711-730. EVERBERG, G. (1960b). Unilateral total deafness in children. Clinical problems with a special view to vestibular function. Acta Otolaryngologiea, 52, 253-269. HISKEY, M. S. 11955). Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude. Lincoln, NE: Union College Press. KARCrlMER, M. A. (1985). A demographic perspective. In E. Cherow, N. D. Matkin, & R. J. Trybus (Eds.), Hearing-impaired children and youth with developmental disabilities: An interdisciplinary foundation for serl~ice. Washington, DC: Gallaudet College Press. KLEE, T. M., & DAVlS-DANSKY,E. (1986). A comparison of unilaterally hearing-impaired children and normal-hearing children on a battery of standardized language tests. Ear and Hearing, 7, 27~37. MYKLEBUST, H. R. 11981). The Pupil Rating Scale Revised. New York: Grune & Stratton. NORTHERN, J. L., & DOWNS, M. P. 11978). Hearing in children (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. OBRINGER, S. J, & MATKIN,N. D. 11986). Use of The Pupil Rating Scale (Revised) to initiate referral for central auditory testing. Manuscript submitted for publication. WECHSLER, D. (1974). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised. New York: The Psychological Corporation. Received March 3, 1987 Accepted August 24, 1987 OYLER ET AL.: Unilateral Hearing Loss Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx 209 Appendix A TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT P.O. Box 40400 1010 East Tenth Street Tucson, Arizona 85717 April 30, 1986 TO: Teachers of Students With Unilateral Hearing Losses FROM: Dr. Colleen B. Wilcox, Director, Special Education Recent research reports have indicated that children with a unilateral hearing loss may have difficulty in educational settings. This is contrary to the long-held belief that "one good ear was enough to function adequately in the classroom." In response to these findings, we are seeking information on the children in TUSD with known unilateral hearing losses. Please complete the enclosed form on the student indicated below (the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale and the questionnaire below). This should take about 15-20 minutes. The results will allow us to determine if the unilaterally hearing-impaired students in TUSD are experiencing any academic difficulties and if follow-up study is necessary. Please return the completed forms through district mail by May 16, 1986, to my office. Thank you for your time. Student's Name DOB Age__ Sex School Grade Where does this student typically sit? Has this student ever been held back in school? What grade? Special services currently received by this student (type and frequency) Student's progress in special programs Please indicate your impression of this student's intellectual ability regardless of formal I.Q. scores. Above Average _ _ Average _ _ Below Average If formal I.Q. given, what test Overall S c o r e _ _ Verbal__ Performance_ Top 25% of class Average Lower 25% of class Attention & concentration Ability to follow directions Reading skills Written language skills Spelling ability Arithmetic skills Ability to express self Attitude toward studies Group participation Peer relationship Emotional stability Overall progress Name of person completing this form AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 210 Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Downloaded From: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/ by Marie Underwood on 07/06/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx Date 19 201-210 April 1988