Research report

Learning
aids for
children
with
hearing and
speech
impairments
 Process

Overview Study Insight

Introduction to the What is hearing Interview with a deaf

topi impairement perso
Why have we chosen What is speech Interview with a
this topic disability group of deaf
educator
Cause and Effect What is early
interventio Problem Statement
Its affect on mental
health and
educatio
How is it adressed?

Introduction to the topic

As hearing and speech impairments are a low incidence

disability, there is not widespread understanding of its

educational implications, even among special educators.

This lack of knowledge and skills in our education system

contributes to the already substantial challenges to

these students in receiving appropriate educational

services.

In most of the special schools in India, the curriculum

followed is similar to the one prescribed for non-disabled

children of the same age group. However some

exemptions are made with regard to specific disability

areas. Visual content should be for them as compared to

conventional books as they learn better by Doing: DIY

modules help.
Students at a special school learn sign language.
Why have we chosen this topic?

Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop speech, language,

and social skills. The earlier a child who is deaf or hard-of-hearing
starts getting services, the more likely the child’s speech, language,
and social skills will reach their full potential
No awareness that children with special needs can learn as well as
others if taught properly with an extra effort and as needed by them
No resources or study material designed to help parents understand
how to teach their child with hearing impairment. This results in alot
of wastage of time as they have to create it themselves
Due to lack of knowledge, they often don’t know how to communicate
with their child and therefore struggle to teach them.

 The incorrect belief that

Lack of awareness about
Fewer number of deaf
they cannot work as well
educational provisions students go to schools
as others continues

Fewer schools for the

Employers hesitate to give specially abled can get

jobs to the specially abled

Cause and Effect funding and resources

to teach better

Number of children who

Percentage of Young adults struggle to
complete their full
unemployment in these get jobs and gain
education is much less
communities increases financial stability
than it should be
What is hearing impairment?

Hearing impairment is the inability to hear sounds adequately. This may be due to improper
development, damage or disease to any part of the hearing mechanism.

There are three main types of hearing impairments in children

Sensorineural Deafness: A permanent hearing loss in the inner ear usually caused by the cochlea
not working effectively
Conductive Deafness: Usually temporary, sometimes permanent. Sound can’t pass effectively
through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear, caused by blockages such as wax or fluid
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: A problem occuring more deeply within the ear, where
sounds are received normally by the cochlea, then become disrupted as they travel to the brain.

Often speech impairments develop as a result of hearing loss, and there are no issues with the
speech organs themselves.
What is speech disability?

Speech and language disorders refer to

problems in communication that involves
hearing, speech, language, and fluency. A
speech impairment is characterized by
difficulty in articulation of words

In case of a deaf child, they are initially unable

to speak coherently mainly because they are
unable to hear. Fortunately, there is absolutely
nothing wrong with their speech organs,
namely the vocal chords or larynx. So with
proper and intense training they learn to lip-
read and speak clearly. The spoken word is
extremely important for communicating with
the outside world.
What is early intervention?

Early intervention program services help young children with hearing loss learn language skills and
other important skills. Research shows that early intervention services can greatly improve a child’s
development

Babies that are diagnosed with hearing loss should begin to get intervention services as soon as
possible, but no later than 6 months of age

Delay in treatment or action can lead to delay in speech and/or language development, social
behavioural issues and academic difficulties

Helping children with a hearing loss is often different from helping other children needing special
education. The professionals working at your early intervention service have special training to give
you and your baby access to language. They know about hearing aids, cochlear implants and
audiograms. They can help parents turn their home into a good listening environment.
How does this affect their mental health?

Hearing disabilities can cause depression in children making them alienated/ feel out of place and
socially inept in group settings, entering conversations at inappropriate times

Untreated speech disorders may cause a person to experience a great deal of anxiety due to the
inability to communicate their feelings and emotions. Over time, this anxiety can trigger anxiety
disorders or a phobia of speaking in public.

Early treatment for anxiety can help prevent the development of anxiety disorders or phobias.
Treatment options include talk therapy and antianxiety medications

For parents, it can prove to be mentally exhausting/ taxing in communicating and helping their
disabled child.

How does this affect education?

Children with a hearing loss have difficulty with all areas of academics, especially reading and
mathematical skills, vocabulary and comprehension.
Children with hearing loss may not hear their own voices when they speak. They may speak too
loudly or not loud enough
They have trouble understanding inferencing skills and usage of appropriate tone or volume of
voice, which makes it hard for them to initiate, maintain and end conversations with peers
The gap in academic achievement between children without issues and those with hearing and
speech issues usually widens as they progress through school
The level of achievement is related to parental involvement and the quantity, quality, and timing of
the support services children receive.

Auditory training forms an

important aspect of a deaf
child’s curriculum
throughout his school years.

Unlike normal schools,

special schools place great
emphasis and importance to
parental guidance – the role
both parents and in
particular the mother, has
to play in overcoming the
handicap of the deaf child.

At the school, there is

continuous and intense
interaction between
teachers and parents.

Partnership with the

parents and family is central
to the teaching process for
a deaf child.
How are these issues addressed?
In speech-language therapy, an SLP works with a child one-on-one, in a small group, or in a
classroom to overcome problems. Therapists use a variety of strategies, including
Articulation therapy: Articulation, or sound production, exercises involve having the therapist
model correct sounds and syllables in words and sentences for a child, often during play activities.
Language intervention activities: The SLP will interact with a child by playing and talking, using
pictures, books, objects, or ongoing events to stimulate language development.
Oral-motor therapy: The SLP may use a variety of oral exercises — including facial massage and
various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises — to strengthen the muscles of the mouth for eating,
drinking, and swallowing.

How are these issues addressed?

Augmentative and Alternative Communication:

Aided modes of communication include
AAC incorporates the individual's full communication abilities approaches that require some form of
and may include any existing speech or vocalizations, gestures, external support such as
manual signs, and aided communication. AAC is truly communication boards with symbols.
multimodal, permitting individuals to use every mode possible
to communicate.

Unaided modes of communication include nonspoken means

of natural communication including gestures and facial
expressions.
Audiologist peers into a child’s ear during a checkup
What is oralism?
What is Oralism?

Oralism is the system of teaching profoundly deaf people to communicate by the use of
speech, lip-reading and mimicking the mouth shapes and breathing patterns of speech

Reading aloud and making a variety of sounds is a key part of Oralism, the system of
teaching deaf students with hearing aids to communicate via speech.

Part of that is making animal, or other object sounds, but through a story which is fun for
the kids and holds their attention.

They are also taught the very basics of science, geography, math and good manners
through conversation.
 What did they teach in speech therapy?
Interview with
Abdeali
The teacher teaches us how to pronounce new words.

BAdlawala There is step by step learning and understanding of words.

What are the various problems you face while communicating

with other people without disabilities?

Basic problem faced is of language. If I understand the

language, the problem is solved. Language understanding
is necessary.

Is ASL teaching problematic? Is it easy or difficult?

ASL is easy when the second person is familiar with it. If

not then communication is done through interpretation of
letters. Mostly I carry a pen and paper so that I can write
and communicate.
Did you follow any therapy? How does it affect your mental health?

It definitely affects mental health. If the child is

Yes, I used to follow speech therapy for 2.5 years. smart, he will be able to overcome the obstacles
but if the kid is not smart, he will sit and not talk to
anybody because of lack of confidence. The fear of
How long did you take to learn lip reading and at being accepted by society will scare him and end
what age? up affecting the mental stability of the child.

It took 7-10 years to learn lip reading. What are the tools or equipments of teaching you
used in deaf schools other than sign language?

What should be included in schools to make the

learning easy?
They teach us basic subjects like Maths, Hindi,
English ,History but not in too detail. Only basic
The awareness is necessary. There are few special study. And practice speaking.

schools for deaf and dumb but people should be

aware of the equipment.
 How is deafness usually diagnosed in young children?
Interview with
AMITA BURDE

Director, CSED Mumbai

Parents, usually mother realizes baby can't hear in the first few
months. The baby doesn't stop crying at the sound of parent's
voice; sleeps through loud noises, doesn't respond to talking
and other faculty etc. There is a test that should be done the day the baby is
born to check for hearing loss but it's usually not done unless
specifically asked for. When parents ask for the test, an
audiologist comes in to do it, and any problems are diagnosed.

There is a 0 - 3 - 6 pattern:

0 months: The test is done in a hospital.

3 months: Diagnosis is confirmed and hearing aids are given.

6 months: Training starts in a special school.

Do all the childern with hearing impairement suffer from

speech disability?
Not all deaf kids are speed impaired. There is nothing
wrong with speech organs, just that they cannot hear, so
they cannot speak.
What learning aids do you use? What are the various techniques used in Oralism?

We use picture books that we make ourselves, Repeating sentence

which have some short poems or stories with Making sounds (animal/other
sound words which are read aloud. Learning via conversatio
Associating words with visual, then lose visual
and understand word and meanin
How do you teach them alphabets? Vocabulary buildin
Picking the visual of a word out of option
We follow the bottoms-up theory. The students Incidental readin
usually repeat full sentences, then understand the Saying phrase
meanings of individual words, and then the sounds Group
What speec
are the tools or equipments of teaching you
of the alphabets that make up the word. used in deaf schools
Repeating soundsother than sign language?
and syllables

What are some ways to teach them letters, How do they understand tone of voice?
especially ones that sound similar?
They are taught to put their own lips into the right We teach them through facial expressions and body
shape to express sounds and words. Placing fingers language. For example, if something is to be said
on the throat area helps to understand the nicely, we will smile and say it.
vibrations and mimic the same.
What is oralism?

Problem Statement

Poor quality of learning aids for children

with hearing and speech impairments
adds to an already difficult educational
and communication experience.