Hearing Implants and the Classroom - Med-El
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1. Teaching pupils with different learning styles can be a challenge but it s one of the things that makes your work interesting When you found out that you d have a pupil with a hearing implant you may have wondered if you re prepared for this What kind of support do children with hearing implants need How can you create the best possible learning conditions for this pupil and for everyone in your classroom If you re trained to work with children with hearing loss then you ll be able to apply many of the principles you already use If you don t have any experience with hearing implants such as a cochlear implant or bone conduction implant don t worry By learning a few straightforward strategies you ll be able to provide support when it s needed and continue to manage your classroom well What can you expect from this guide First we ll have a look at how hearing implant systems work We ll discuss how you can encourage your pupil s academic skills and overall growth You ll learn to anticipate situations that might present an extra challenge and how to spot any signs that the hearing implant isn t working We ll also show you some simple ways to improve classroom acoustics You ll see that with some basic technical information a little practice and regular communication with your pupil s parents you ll have everything you need to create a positive learning environment for your whole class HEARING IMPLANTS Hearin2. Wade aur vidave hearing and have helped them gain access to SONNE l en hearing implant works mainstream educational opportunities www medel com Implant Auditory Nerve Cochlea Hearing Loss and Early Development As you may know your pupil s experience with a hearing implant is influenced by many factors His type and degree of hearing loss his age at implantation the mode of language he uses spoken signed or both and the amount of practice he s had will all shape his progress His family s expectations and yours are also really important While you won t be able to influence all of these aspects there are several ways you can encourage and support your pupil every day It s important to remember that your pupil s cognitive and language skills might be affected by his hearing loss and his hearing implant Your pupil may not have had any auditory input for several months or more before he received his implant so his auditory skills may be less developed Although he can now access sound the auditory information he receives through his implant may not be as full and clear as the sound that most of us hear Because of these factors children with most types of hearing implants have to work harder on their speech perception speech production and phonological skills Despite these challenges children who receive intervention during the sensitive period for language development often catch up with their peers
3. at all when he s not wearing his processors Your pupil and his parents probably have a night time routine for removing the processors so the parents may De able to share some tips about easing this transition In the Classroom You re already used to adapting your teaching strategies and lesson plans to accommodate your pupils needs What more can you do Below are several classroom management tactics and other tips that are particularly suited for children with hearing loss You probably already use some of these and none will hamper the other pupils learning Some approaches may even help everybody Classroom management Speak clearly Use visual aids to reinforce what you teach Announce new topics on the whiteboard Encourage your pupil to let you know when he hasn t heard or understood Don t assume that your pupil will let on when he hasn t understood Check understanding by having your pupil rephrase what s been said Write down important information such as homework assignments and due dates Seat the child close to the spot where you do most of your teaching C Questions amp Answers My pupil has an implant for just one ear Does this mean he can hear with only one ear If you play an audio recording provide the pupil with a transcript Before you show a video offer a short summary Use closed captioning Avoid raising your voice unnecessarily Raised voices and shouting distort speec
4. with your pupil s parents They ll be able to familiarise you with audio processor basics and they can pass on specific information about their child s academic needs and abilities Often the parents have been accompanying their child to therapy sessions and ideally working on therapy goals at home so they ll have insights about their child s learning style In turn you can inform the parents of any changes in your pupil s behaviour or attention Professional Support Your pupil s audiologist speech therapist and teacher of the deaf are also invested in your pupil s development and can be very helpful in many aspects When it comes to technical questions and audio processor functioning the audiologist will be an expert resource The audiologist can also relay updates about changes to your pupil s program You and your pupil s speech therapist or teacher of the deaf can collaborate by identifying Throughout the school year the parents should let you know when their child s audio processor program changes The program affects the way a hearing implant user processes and hears sound An audiologist will periodically reprogram your pupil s processor so he hears as well as possible but these programming changes can initially impact your pupil s ability to process lessons and pay attention opportunities to merge lesson plan objectives and therapy session goals The speech therapist might inquire about the content of your lesson
5. Many read at grade level and achieve speech skills and grades that are Just as strong as those of their peers Children with hearing implants are going to mainstream schools in increasing numbers and they re much more likely to thrive when teachers and support staff are attentive to their needs We ve seen and research has shown that with ongoing support from parents clinicians and educators like you these children are doing well at home in school and beyond STRATEGIES Creating Conditions for Success You ll soon get a sense of your pupil s learning style and the training and experience you already have will guide you in making simple adjustments to lesson plans In the meantime what are the most meaningful things you can do to support your pupil First learn the basics of operating your pupil s audio processors Second be aware of distractions and background noise Minimise them whenever possible Finally keep in contact with your pupil s parents and the therapists who support his development Audio Processor Basics Whether or not you have a knack for technological devices it ll be very helpful to know some audio processor essentials If your pupil is too young to handle his processors he ll rely on you and other teachers while he s at school But don t worry An audio processor is no more difficult to work than a mobile phone and your pupil s parents will gladly give you a crash course in the basics Consider aski
6. e because it s simple to use and it s unlikely to cause interference banks and taxi cabs have hearing assistive technology available in place Find out if your pupil or your school has one of the following types of hearing assistive technology available Neckloops A neckloop uses telecoil technology to wirelessly transmit sound to the wearer s audio processor A neckloop may be able to directly connect to audio devices or may enable wireless streaming from a remote microphone To use a neckloop in the classroom you would clip a remote microphone onto your clothing while your pupil wears a neckloop Once he turns on the telecoil setting of his audio processor he can focus more easily on your voice which is picked up by the microphone Presenting pupils and other speakers should also use the remote microphone Note that other electronic devices can cause distracting interference with neckloop systems Now you know how to check your pupil s audio processor You ve learned how to recognise and minimise noisy distractions in the classroom You ve had a crash course in ALDs and you ve read about the other professionals that will help shape your pupil s hearing and learning experiences What more can you do to support your pupil s success When you set high expectations for your pupils while providing all the tools and support they need they re much more likely to tackle difficult tasks Children with hearing implants and ch
7. g Implant Systems Tools for Learning You may be familiar with hearing aids but what are hearing implants and what can they do For many people with hearing loss hearing aids don t provide enough benefit This is usually where hearing implants come in A hearing implant system is a medical device that provides access to sound for people who have mild to profound hearing loss and can t wear hearing aids There are different types of hearing implants for different kinds of hearing loss Each works in one of four ways electrical stimulation bone conduction mechanical vibration or a combination of electrical stimulation and acoustic amplification Below we ll take a brief look at what all of them have in common Hearing Implant System Most hearing implant systems have two main components an external audio processor and an Internal implant The audio processor is worn on or off the ear and picks up sound in the environment It s the part that your pupil handles every day and may think of as his ear The audio processor is attracted to the implant by a magnet The implant is positioned just under the skin and isn t visible The hearing implant system only works when the audio processor is turned on and connected with the implant Hearing with a hearing implant is different than a ig i Audio Processor natural hearing however hearing implants have a provided hundreds of thousands of children with
8. h and can impede understanding Seat noisy pupils away from their peer with a hearing implant Encourage questions In case your pupil sometimes relies on lip reading avoid standing directly in front of a light source when you talk Most likely If you re not sure whether your pupil has binaural hearing loss hearing loss in both ears or single sided deafness hearing loss in only one ear your pupil or the parents will be able to tell you Hearing with only one ear takes additional mental resources so children who can hear on only one side tend to have more difficulty concentrating and knowing where your voice or any other sounds are coming from STRATEGIES Improving acoustics Attach felt or rubber to the bottom of Y chair legs to muffle the scrape of chairs being moved around Place rugs around the room to absorb sound Hang curtains to absorb sound and minimise reverberations Close the classroom door to block noise from the corridor and other rooms Together with your pupil s parents and the rehabilitation professionals who support him you ll play an essential role in ensuring he s coping well with school You can build the fullest possible picture of his strengths and challenges by working with his Darents speech therapist audiologist and other support staff throughout the school year Partnering With Parents While you re preparing for the upcoming school year we encourage you to set up a meeting
9. ildren with typical hearing are much more alike than different so hold the same high expectations for your pupil with hearing loss Acknowledge his unique strengths and challenges Be flexible Not everything we ve discussed here will apply to your pupil so trust your instincts Some pupils do so well that teachers may forget that children with hearing implants don t perceive sound in exactly the same way as the rest of us Keep in mind that without your pupil s audio processors he ll be able to hear little or nothing With them he ll still benefit tremendously from your ongoing support your patience and periodic evaluation by you and other professionals Looking Ahead For more than thirty years hearing implants have been giving access to sound and speech to children who otherwise wouldn t be able to hear a school bell let alone a whisper They ve expanded educational and social opportunities by making it possible for more of these children to learn in a mainstream classroom and attend school closer to home As an educator you ll play an instrumental role in your pupil s academic journey and lifelong personal growth We hope this guide has given you insight into the experience of learning for a pupil with a hearing implant and we wish you a productive and successful school year ahead If you have any questions or would like to request educational materials for your classroom please contact us we look forward
10. ng them for a spare user manual which you can reference for more detailed information throughout the school year Until then this guide should be enough to get you started Overview An audio processor Is a battery operated device Your pupil s hearing implant system works when the audio processors are activated turned on and connected to the implant and the batteries are charged and properly inserted Keep in mind that if your pupil s audio processors fall off he won t be able to hear until the processors have been put back on Batteries EN The audio processor batteries will most likely outlast the school day depending on the processor model and your pupil s usage habits To prevent your pupil from ever missing out on a lesson you may want to ask the parents to provide you with backup batteries If you do change the batteries for your pupil avoid touching the battery contacts inside the battery pack frame Want more tips on audio processor handling You ll find troubleshooting tips and more on medel com Notifications Most audio processors have alert functions such as indicator lights and acoustic signals These features are designed to indicate that the processor is functioning properly Your pupil s parents may have had these signals deactivated because they don t want their child s processors continually flashing or beeping In such cases the parents may devise their own methods for checking processor function Ale
11. plans she may be able to integrate vocabulary words and other curriculum targets into therapy sessions She ll assess and may volunteer to discuss your pupil s linguistic and communicative skills These insights may influence what you decide to reinforce with classwork or homework IMPROVING LISTENING Improving the Listening Experience Which sounds do you find the most distracting The ringing of your mobile phone The hum of traffic For a child with a hearing implant background noises can be particularly troublesome In order to focus on important sounds your pupil probably uses assistive listening devices ALDs with their hearing implant in certain situations That means that you ll want to get to know ALDs too Assistive Listening Devices ALDs are devices that make it easier to focus on a particular sound source such as music a movie or a teacher s voice They can help people with any degree of hearing loss Because hearing loss is SO common many public places such as cinemas Er FM Systems FM systems are portable wireless ALDs that provide clear sound input even from across a room These systems have two parts a microphone transmitter and a receiver To use an FM system you would wear the remote microphone on your clothing while your pupil will wear a small receiver When other pupils present to the class they should also use the remote microphone This type of system is a good choice for classroom us
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13. rt signals vary from processor to processor so check with the parents about the particulars of your pupil s processors Daily check Especially if you have a young pupil you may want to check the audio processors daily and learn how to spot signs that the devices aren t working If your pupil seems less attentive than usual or isn t responding to instructions or questions empty batteries may De the culprit If he ever resists wearing his processors this could be a sign that they aren t working properly or that there s a problem with the audio processor program Discuss any concerns with the audiologist if available or the parents Other considerations Find out whether your pupil s processors are water resistant waterproof or neither If the processors aren t protected against water and they get wet they will likely get damaged Take a few extra precautions If your pupil is involved in sports Before swimming lessons or other water activities remove the processors or use a waterproof accessory Make sure he wears a helmet before playing sports that typically require one Preschoolers If you teach preschool and your pupils take a nap at school you ll want to help him with one extra step To prevent damage to his processors help him remove them before he lies down Store the processors in a safe place Note that if your pupil has bilateral hearing loss hearing loss in both ears he won t be able to hear much or anything
14. to hearing from you References De Raeve L 2010 Education and rehabilitation of deaf children with cochlear implants a multidisciplinary task Cochlear Implants International 11 11 7 14 doi 10 1179 146701010X12671178390717 Spencer L Tomblin J B Gantz B J 2012 Growing up with a cochlear implant education vocation and affiliation Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 17 4 483 498 No doi Lederberg A R Schick B Spencer P E 2013 Language and literacy development of deaf and hard of hearing children successes and challenges Developmental Psychology 49 1 15 30 doi 10 1037 a0029558 Argentina medel medel com ar Canada officecanada medel com Colombia office colombia medel com Mexico office mexico medel com United States implants us medel com ASIA PACIFIC Australia office medel com au China office medel net cn Hong Kong office hk medel com India implants medel in Indonesia office id medel com office japan medel com Malaysia office my medel com Philippines office ph medel com Singapore office sg medel com South Korea office kr medel com Thailand office th medel com Vietnam office vn medel com Austria office at medel com Belgium office be medel com Finland office fi medel com France office fr medel com Germany office medel de Italy ufficio italia medel com office pt medel com office es medel com South Africa custome
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