Many children suffer from partial or total hearing loss, which makes it difficult for them to learn and process information about the world around them. If you're concerned that your child cannot hear, it is important to talk with your child's pediatrician as soon as possible. There are a variety of techniques that can be used to enable your child to learn and process information.
American Sign Language
According to Scholastic, American Sign Language will give your child a way to communicate with the family, particularly if everyone learns how to sign. Learning sign language and how to read lips can help your child have positive learning experiences. Speak directly to your child to help her learn to read lips and make sense of what people are saying to her.
Interactive Software
Interactive software can assist your hearing impaired child by allowing her to visually absorb information. Deaf Children and Parents, a website dedicated to helping deaf children, suggests that interactive software can help your child make tremendous academic progress very quickly. Interactive computer software is often successful because it directly involves your hearing impaired child. Participation is often hard for hearing impaired children because they have a hard time following along when they cannot hear or read lips and interactive software can be used as a motivational technique.
Classroom Adjustments
There are many ways to make your hearing-impaired child's educational environment more conducive, reports the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. If a child wears a hearing aid, sound often amplifies, making it difficult to focus on voices. Avoiding distracting classroom noises, such as those from fish tanks or other classroom pets, ensuring that heating systems work properly and placing pads on chairs can all reduce the amount of noise that could distract a hearing-impaired child. The association also recommends that teachers outline the events for the day on the chalkboard so hearing-impaired children can follow along. Good lighting, desk location and visual aids also can help a hearing-impaired child do better in school.
