Congenital Hearing Impairments

Congenital Hearing Impairments

Monica Williams

Grand Canyon University: SPE 358

September 29, 2013

Congenital Hearing Loss

Congenital hearing loss entails that hearing was loss at birth. This also means that the hearing loss was hereditary or loss due to other issues that were present in utero or at the time of birth (American, n.d.). More than 50% of all cases of congenital hearing loss derive from genetic factors that can be prevalent by the age of 4 (American, n.d.). If this condition is not due to heredity, it could be a result of prenatal illnesses, toxins during the mother’s pregnancy, or other conditions during the time of birth (American, n.d.). This essay will show goals and objectives in an IEP of a 12 year student that has been diagnosed with a congenital hearing loss.

Hearing loss can have an effect on communication and sometimes interfere with learning and social development. Jenny has been placed in a general education 6th grade class. Her parents were able to start Jenny early in school at the age of 3. They did not want Jenny to be in a deaf school because the world was not deaf, so Jenny was placed in a normal environment. There are varying degrees of hearing loss which range from mild to severe to deaf. Jenny was in the more severe category. Jenny was on grade level with the other students and her speech was comprehendible, but she also used assistive listening devices. This year Jenny is starting to fall behind because she is not being able to overhear conversations, the language is getting more complex, and there is less visual cues. Jenny is shy and does not want to speak much due to her voice being different because of her hearing loss. One of the goals for Jenny is to verbally communicate more and to respond to others with appropriate questions and ideas. The teacher works with Jenny during independent practice. Jenny will be given a story to read aloud and she must retell the story from the beginning to the end. She has also...