Degree of hearing impairment:
• healthy hearing (distinction between sounds up to 25 dB, whisper)
• light loss of hearing (hearing loss in the range of 26–40 dB, silent conversation)
• hard of hearing:
- light: hearing loss in the range 42–55 dB, common spoken speech
- moderate: hearing loss in the range of 56–70 dB, radio music, vacuum cleaner
- heavy: hearing loss in the range of 71–90 dB, TV
• practical deafness: more than 91 dB, loud disco music, jet airplane.
Hearing impairment above 55 dB makes it harder to hear, understand, and learn speech.
Supporting children with hearing impairments in kindergarten
Early intervention provided by the Center for Early Intervention and special pedagogical counseling is followed by pre-school preparation of the child in kindergarten.
Support should be directed primarily at applying the principles of the facilitation of communication between the teacher and the hearing-impaired child. These primary principles include, above all:
- the child should know in advance what the communication (topic) will be,
- the speaker should have a well-lit face, should not stand in the dark,
- the speaker waits until the hearing-impaired person makes eye contact,
- speak correctly and articulate properly,
- speak in short sentences,
- the hearing impaired child knows at what time to speak.
We must ensure the other children and kindergarten staff are informed on how to properly communicate with the child.
For children with compensatory aids (ear trumpet, cochlear implant) we should perform regular checks of their function.