The Education System
Many children with moderate to intense hearing loss are educationally delayed within three to five years of age (Presswalla, 2017). Having a hearing impairment at such a young age result in many children have language, cognitive and social development difficulties (Allen et al., 2011, p. 147). Depending on a child’s developmental period at a particular time, as known as the critical period, correlates with higher levels of success to introduce language acquisition (Presswalla, 2017). If a child does not receive sufficient linguistics either hearing sound, or verbal tones during this period critical to development, they may never get the opportunity to master it, hence the educators and parents need to expose their children to an alternative course of language. According to Shantie & Hoffmeister, “children who begin language learning after a certain age risk the chance of never achieving native fluency in that language” and develop a delay in language comprehension (2000).
Educators need to provide different alternatives and special considerations with teaching hearing impaired children through the close collaboration with the student, the family, and the speech and language pathologist. Delay in early language could also be the cause of the lack of responsiveness from family members and educators, as they unconsciously have a habit of not talking to the child because of the hearing impairment (Allen et al., 2011, p. 147). This intertwines with cognition, as the ability to communicate thoughts are related to essential hearing, resulting in performing less effectively to cognitive activities, and limit social development resulting in isolation from peers (Presswalla, 2017). “Kindergarten teachers report that 20% of children entering school do not have the socialization skills needed for school success. Since children with hearing loss can miss subtle social cues and incidental language, they are at high risk for having social skill deficits” (Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss, 2016).
The role of an educator with children who have hearing loss, is to not only teach the information, but being a model for the acquisition of language and communication. Educators need to be sensitive to the holistic view of children. According to Marschark et al., students with the advantages of these instruments are still lagging behind typical developing children in achievement and long term benefits (2011). The amount of hearing loss plays an important role in children’s development. Therefore, an earlier detection is preferred to allow for any necessary intervention to occur promptly. One of the Four Foundations of How Learning Happens is belonging and connecting to a group or community creating relationships and feeling valued (Ministry of Ontario, 2014, p. 7). When children feel accepted, they look forward and are eager to attend school to learn. As educators, our role is to ensure and assist all students in feeling that they belong, regardless of any disabilities.
