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4. HEARING LOSS CATEGORIES Hearing impairments are not only defined by the terms deaf and hard of hearing. They are traditionally divided according to the degree of the impairment. This can be assessed according to a person's sensitivity to loudness (sound intensity) and pitch (sound frequency). Deafness is defined by extreme hearing loss which represents a hearing loss of 90 dB or greater. Hearing loss has been organized traditionally into five categories which consider the range of sounds used in speech: 1. Normal hearing: Students can detect all speech sounds even at a soft conversation level. The student's hearing would be plotted in the -10 to +15 decibel range on an audiogram. 2. Minimal hearing loss: Students may have difficulty hearing faint or distant speech. Peer conversation and teacher instructions presented too rapidly, particularly in noisy classrooms, are likely to result in missed information. Loss is between 16 to 25 decibels. 3. Mild: Student may miss up to 50% of class discussions especially if voices are soft or the environment is noisy. Students will require the use of a hearing aid or personal FM system. Loss is between 26 to 40 decibels. 4. Moderate: Classroom conversation from 3 to 5 feet away can be understood if the structure and vocabulary is controlled. Hearing aids and/or personal FM systems are essential. Specific attention will need to be directed to language development, reading and written language. Loss is between 4l to 55 decibels. 5. Moderate to severe: Without amplification students with this degree of loss can miss up to 100% of speech information. Full time use of amplification is essential. They will probably require additional help in all language based academic subjects. Loss is between 56 to 70 decibels. 6. Severe: Students can only hear loud noises at close distances. They require individual hearing aids, intensive auditory training and specialised instructional techniques in reading, language, and speech development. Loss is between 71 to 90 decibels. 7. Profound: For all practical purposes these students rely on vision rather than hearing for processing information. If you have a student in this category, he or she is usually a candidate for signing systems and specialised instructional techniques in reading, speech, and language development. A loss of 91 decibels or more is described as profound. It is also useful to remember that sometimes loss of hearing can be only at high or low frequencies. This can interfere with the ability to hear specific speech sounds. Also, hearing can fluctuate depending on the student's state of health or upon differences in the environment. These sample audiograms may help in further understanding your student's loss. MM: CHYBĂ GRAFY (NEZOBRAZILY SE ANI V POSKYTNUTĂM WORDU)
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