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Classroom Tips for Effective Communication with Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing |
Back to school time is a busy time for all children, but it can be particularly rough on a child with a hearing loss. September’s Tip of the Month deals specifically with tips to facilitate a better listening environment for these children.
Remember when assigning seats, just being near the teacher is frequently not enough for a child with a hearing loss. Identify things that might be potential “noise sources” (as if you are hard pressed to find them in a preschool environment). Is the child next to the pencil sharpener or a noisy hallway? Determine if the child has one ear that is better than the other or if he or she has a cochlear implant. Is his “good ear” facing the wall and thereby not receiving the benefit of the voices of his teachers and classmates? Also, make sure the child is seated in such a way that he or she can easily turn around to face the other children when appropriate to watch their visual cues. Remember that some children need to see you in order to hear you.
A child’s hearing aid or other assistive device should be checked daily to make sure it is working. Spare batteries can be requested from the child’s parents in case a battery change is required during the day.
When wearing an FM system transmitter, make sure the microphone is properly placed. It should be six inches from your mouth, or roughly the distance between the tips of your thumb and little finger. Make sure no loose jewelry or clothing is in the way to bump the sensitive microphone.
It’s okay to “introduce” the child’s equipment to his or her classmates. Show them the special things the child wears to hear better!