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Welcome ... 

Welcome to the Sensory Learning Hub for Deaf and Hearing Impairments. This website is a resource that can be utilised by pre-service and actively practicing teachers. This website contains resources, activities, a podcast and information for how to ensure you are creating an inclusive environment for students with a hearing impairment.

Deafness and Hearing Impairments - What Is It? ...

Deafness (Meadow, 2023):
 

  • Deafness refers to an individual's partial or total hearing loss, with varying impact on the processing of linguistic information and subsequent communication - with or without amplification. 

  • At present, more than 1.5 billion individuals (approx. 20%) live with hearing loss, while of this figure, 430 million live with disabling hearing loss. 

  • Many impacts of deafness or hearing loss can be supported through assistive measures, such as: sign language (Auslan), hearing aids, cochlear impacts and closed captioning. 

  • However, these impacts are not always "visible". They can (and do) affect aspects of an individual's sensory, behavioural, cognitive and social development. 

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Image: https://deafwebsites.com/causes-of-deafness/
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Image: https://www.hearusa.com/hearing-loss/sensorineural-hearing-loss/ 

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (Tanna, Lin & De Jesus, 2020): 

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  • Sensorineural Hearing Loss is the most common form of hearing impairment, referring to any loss due to the pathology of the cochlea, the auditory nerve and wider connections to the central nervous system. 

  • This form of loss can develop as a result of aging, noise exposure and subsequent damage, illicit drug effects and genetic conditions. 

  • While Sensorineural Loss is not considered "reversible", the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants can support individuals in their day-to-day life. 

Conductive Hearing Loss (Marschark & Hauser, 2012):

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  • A type of hearing loss that affects the transmission of vibrations through the ear - typically affecting either the eardrum or the small bones of the middle ear. 

  • Most often, conductive hearing losses result from severe or repeated ear infections, causing ongoing inflammation and (potentially) permanent damage.

  • Conductive losses can be similarly developed (or further exacerbated) by blockages of the ear canal, as caused by wax or fluid build-up. 

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Image: https://speechandhearingassoc.com/types-hearing-loss/ 
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Image: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/acute-otitis-media-sectional-image-on-white-vector-37600522

A Brief Note on Otitis Media (Browning et al., 2018):

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  • Otitis Media is an infection of the middle ear, caused by the build-up of bacterial or viral mucus, causing substantial inflammation to the eardrum and eustachian tube (throat pathways). 

  • This infection is the most common hearing loss that children experience (although, all individuals may experience OM at any stage in life), and is typically treatable with appropriate medical and environmental resources. 

  • However, there is a significant disparity between both OM's occurrence and it's subsequent successful treatment within remote and lower-socioeconomic communities. 

Alasim, K. (2021). Inclusion and d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 70(6), 1120-1146. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2021.1931818

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Alkhamra, R.A., & Abu-Dahab, S.M.N. (2020). Sensory Processing Disorder in Children with Hearing Impairment: Implications of Multidisciplinary Approach and Early Intervention. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 136(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110154 

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Attorney-General's Department. (2005). Disability Standards for Education 2005. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2005L00767/latest/text

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Auslanas. (2017, July 22). Auslan. Auslan. https://auslanstorytelling.wordpress.com/. 

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Aussie Deaf Kids. (2022, May 13). Terminology for Deafness. https://www.aussiedeafkids.org.au/terminology-for-deafness.html 

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Bambaeeroo, F., & Shokrpour, N. (2017). The Impact of the Teacher's Non-Verbal Communication on Success in Teaching. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism, 5(2), 51-59. 

Bambaeeroo F, Shokrpour N. The impact of the teachers' non-verbal communication on success in teaching. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2017 Apr;5(2):51-59. 

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Browning, G.G., Weir, J., Kelly, G., Swan, R.C. (2018). Chronic Otitis Media. In J. Watkinson & R. Clarke (Eds.), Scott-Brown's Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (pp. 1244-1287). Taylor & Francis Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780203731017

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Dalton, C.J. (2021). Social-Emotional Challenges Experienced by Students Who Function with Mild and Moderate Hearing Loss in Educational Settings. Exceptionality Education International, 21(1), 28-45. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v21i1.7668

 

Dettman, S., Chia, Y., Budhiraja, S., Graham, L., Sarant, J., Barr, C., & Dowell, R. (2022). Understanding typical support practice for students who are deaf or hard of hearing: Perspectives from teachers of the deaf in Australia. Deafness & Education International, 24(1), 24–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/14643154.2020.1841363 

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Ghellar, F., Lovo, E., Arsie, A., & Bovo, R. (2020). Classroom Acoustics: Listening Problems in Children. Building Acoustics, 27(1), 47-59. doi:10.1177/1351010X19886035

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Gleason, J.B., & Ratner, N.B. (2022). The Development of Language (10 ed.). Plural Publishing Inc. 

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Gaudiot, D.M.S.F, & Martins, L.B. (2019). The Classroom Built Environment as an Inclusive Learning Process for the Deaf Students: Contributions of Ergonomics in Design. In F. Rebelo & M. Soares (eds.), Advances in Ergonomics in Design (pp. 531-540). Springer. 

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Fitriani, D., & Prayogo, A. (2020). Addressing Language Development Barriers: A Pedagogical Approach for Young Children With Speech Delay. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 454(5), 81-85. DOI:10.2991/assehr.k.200808.015

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Luft, P. (2022). Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learnings With Intellectual Disabilities: Current Understandings and Remaining Challenges. In C. Guardino, J.E. Cannon, & P.V. Paul (Eds.), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learners with Disabilities (1 Ed., pp. 101-130). Routledge. 

 

Marschark, M., & Hauser, P.C. (2012). How Deaf Children Learn: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know. Oxford University Press.

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Marschark, M., Shaver, D.M., Nagle, K.M., & Newman, L.A. (2018). Predicting the Academic Achievement of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students From Individual, Household, Communication, and Educational Factors. Exceptional Children, 81(3), 350-369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402914563700

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Meadow, K.P. (2023). Deafness and Child Development. University of California Press. 

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Mousley, V.L., & Chaudoir, S.R. (2018). Deaf Stigma: Links Between Stigma and Well-Being Among Deaf Emerging Adults. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 23(4), 341-350. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/eny018

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Partington, P., Major, G., & Tudor, K. (2024). Deaf Students' Perception of Wellbeing and Social and Emotional Skill Development within School: A Critical Examination of the Literature. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 71(1), 55-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2022.2092079 

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Podury, A., Jiam, N.T., Kim, M., Donnenfield, J.I., & Dhand, A. (2023). Hearing and Sociality: The Implications of Hearing Loss on Social Loss. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 3(17), 56-72. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1245434 

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Recalde, J., & Palau, R. (2021). Classroom Lighting and Its Effect on Student Learning and Performance: Towards Smarter Conditions. In O. Mealha, M. Rehm, & T. Rebedea (eds.), Co-Design and Tools Supporting Smart Learning Ecosystems and Smart Education (pp.3-12). Springer. 

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Santos, S., & Cordes, S. (2022). Math abilities in deaf and hard of hearing children: The role of language in developing number concepts. Psychological Review, 129(1), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000303

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Sless, D. (2018). Learning and Visual Communication. (1 ed.). Routledge. 

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Tanna, R.J., Lin, W.J., & De Jesus, O. (2020). Sensorineural Hearing Loss. StatPearls Publishing. 

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