The classification of hearing losses

The type and degree of hearing loss the child possesses is of great importance when planning an educational program.

There are three types of deafness:

1. The conductive or receptive type of deafness;

2. The perceptive or nerve type;

3. The mixed type deafness.

Conductive deafness is characterized by poor hearing in the low tones and good hearing in high tones by air conduction or uniform hearing loss of moderate proportions.

A conductive loss is caused by a pathology of the external or middle ear. With a conductive loss, the auditory nerve is functioning but the sound is not reaching the inner ear.

A nerve deafness, or perceptive deafness is characterized by good hearing in the low tones and poor hearing in the high tones. These suffering from a nerve loss often distort or omit the high frequency sounds, such as "s". Nerve deafness is caused by a pathology of the inner ear, and as the name indicates, the nerve is not functioning adequately.

The mixed type deafness has elements of both conductive and nerve deafness. There is a loss in the high tones. There is some degeneration of this nerve as well as some blockage of the sound in the external or middle ear.

All three types of deafness stem from two cases:

1) congenital deafness

2) adventitious deafness.

Congenital deafness refers to deafness of a hereditary nature or is due to birth injures. Auditory defects are associated with birthinjured children more commonly then visual ones.

Congenital deafness represents 61$ of all diseases. Adventitious or acquired deafness is caused by brain infections, high fever diseases, infections of the ear, injuries to the ear, or otosclerous. 39% of all deafness is acquired. Children whose severe or profound hearing losses exist from birth or early infancy do not learn language or speech as other children do.

I. TERMS AND WORD COMBINATIONS:

degree of hearing loss; possess; mixed type deafness; characterize; poor hearing; low tones; high tones; moderate proportions; conductive loss; pathology; distort; omit; degeneration; blockage; stem (from); congenital deafness; adventitious deafness; hereditary nature; birth injures; associate; brain infections; fever diseases; otosolerous; severe hearing losses; exist; early infancy.

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. What are the types of deafness?

2. What is conductive deafness characterized by?

3. A conductive loss is caused by a pathology of the middle ear, isn't it?

4. What is a nerve deafness?

5. What elements has the mixed type deafness?

6. What is the nature of congenital deafness and adventitious deafness?

II. SPEAK ON:

The classification of hearing losses.

***

TEXT

PARTIALLY-DEAF CHILDREN

Partially-deaf children are those who have defects of hearing, but they are not grave enough to deprive them from learning to speak and acquire language through the ear as hearing children do. Their articulation may be very faulty, their vocabulary may be limited and their speech ungrammati­cal and very single but they differ from the deaf: the partial­ly-deaf children can hear enough to learn to speak and be taught orally, by hearing the voice of the teacher with or without amplification. The problem is where partially-deaf children should study. It depends on the gravity of the hearing handicap and some other factors such as the degree of acquired speech, the language development, the ability to lip-read and so on. Thus, partially-deaf children can study either in ordinary schools or in special schools.

Partially-deaf children should have hearing aids and by all means acquire the ability of lip-reading.

I. TERMS AND WORD COMBINATIONS:

partially-deaf children; enough; deprive; acquire language through the ear; articulation; faulty; vocabulary; limit; differ; voice; amplification; depend'; gravity; hearing handi­cap; acquired speech; the ability of lip-reading; hearing aids.

II. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Whom can you call partially-deaf children?

2. Why can partially-deaf children study either in ordinary schools or in special schools?

III. SPEAK ON:

Partially-deaf children.

***

TEXT

CLASSIFICATION OF THE DEAF

The pedagogic classification of the deaf and hard of hearing child and his educational development is of even more vital importance than his consideration as a clinical entity.

This classification is dependent on:

1. the age of the child,

2. degree of defective hearing,

3. acquired fluency of speech.

There are several types of deaf children. One type is congenitally deaf child who has never heard speech.

The other type who has acquired a hearing defect after the establishment of speech. There are two types of acquired deafness in children.

First, the child who has acquired deafness before he has sensed fluent speech.

The other, the child who has acquired deafness after fluen­cy of speech has been established.

The first type of children with total deafness, before speech has been developed is to follow the same course of training as the congenitally deaf who has never heard speech.

The child who has acquired deafness before the age of 3 years may be placed in the same class for training as the child who has never heard speech.

It is interesting to note that a large percentage (30%) of children with biological congenital deafness also exhibit sufficient residual hearing, that may be used as nucleus for reeducation.

The other type is the type of a child who has acquired deafness after development of speech due to the infectious diseases such as meningitis, influenza.

There are in general three groups of handicapped children with defective hearing.

These are:

1. Children congenitally deaf who were born with a total loss of hearing, or who through disease or accident lost their hearing before they had learned to talk.

2. Children who lost all or almost all their hearing after speech and language patterns have been established, and they have educational treatment as though they were only hard of hearing (h.o.h.).

3. Children who, while having a significant hearing loss, are not profoundly deaf and whose varying degrees of residual hearing can be utilized to a great advantage in their education.

Children in the first of these groups present the most serious educational problems due to their total lack of experience with natural speech or language. Children in the second group have a foundation of language usage and of natural speech upon which education must be helpful to them.

Children in the third group can with the use of mechanical hearing aids conserve or develop much of the natural quality of speaking voice and the ability to use oral language.

I. TERMS AND WORD COMBINATIONS:

hard of hearing child; educational development; clinical entity; depend (on); degree of hearing; acquire; acquired deafness; congenitally deaf child; total deafness; biological congenital deafness; hard of hearing (h.o.h.); residual hearing; mechanical hearing aids; conserve; natural quality of speaking voice; lack of experience.

II. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. What is the classification of the deaf dependent on?

2. What are the types of deaf children?

3. How many groups of handicapped children with defective hearing are there in general?

III. SPEAK ON:

1. The pedagogic classification of the deaf and hard of hearing child.

2. Three groups of handicapped children with defective hearing.

***

TEXT

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

There are some patterns of methods used in teaching deaf children.

Manual method.

This method comprises the use of the hand gesture and signs, manual alphabet and writing. The deaf learn the system of signs consisting of gestures, bodily movement and mimic actions. The deaf learn this form of communication readily and prefer it to any other.

It represents today their principal means of non-written communication and is employed almost everywhere.

A serious disadvantage of education by the manual method is the inability for direct contact with persons unfamiliar with sign method, unless by using pad and pencil.

Finger spelling method.

Manual alphabet or finger spelling is the chief means used in the instruction of the deaf. More exactly, finger spelling is a means by which the fingers of the hand are fashioned into forms to represent the letters of the alphabet. The deaf of most nations employ single-handed manual alphabet. In the British Isles, except Ireland, a double-handed alpha­bet is used. The two-handed system is said to be a slower method.

The sign language.

The Bign language is a system of gestures and movements of body, face, head, arms and hands and postures of the whole body to convey meanings. This method has the disadvantage of contact only with those familiar with it.

Oral method.

The oral method has for its aims the training of the deaf child in oral speech and in written speech. It serves to ac­complish the mechanics of articulation, the production of voice differentiation in pitch and rhythm, the control of breath, and efficiently instructed by this method one can acquire fluency of oral speech and efficiency in lip-reading.

This method undertakes to train the pupil to "hear" ordi­nary speech by means of lip-reading and to communicate by speech. The pupil being taught to form words consciously, attempt is made too, to improve the voice quality which is not pleasing.