Can my child go to a normal school despite hearing loss?

Hearing loss in childhood is a shock for many parents at first. What to do? How can they help? How does everyday life work? These questions also include the topic of school with hearing loss. A helpful overview.

The kindergarten

Whether a child with hearing loss should go to a regular kindergarten or to a facility with special support options depends on each individual case and should be carefully considered by the parents in consultation with the caring professionals such as early intervention specialists.

Here are a few points to help you make your decision:

• What has hearing and speech development looked like so far?
• What kindergartens are there in our area?
• What services are available in kindergarten? Do we need more support?
• How big is the kindergarten group?
• What educational concepts are used in the kindergarten?
• How high are the costs?

In any case, the child's hearing impairment should be openly discussed when registering for kindergarten so that the appropriate preparations and support can be organized in good time.

The school

Good communication and cooperation between parents and teachers is required in order to cope with everyday school life with hearing loss in the best possible way. Even if a child's hearing impairment is not obvious at first glance (e.g. if the CI's audio processor is hidden under their hair), it is still advisable to pay attention to certain things during lessons.

A personal meeting in advance gives the teacher a better understanding of the technology and any questions can be clarified in advance.

There are several options for children with hearing impairments to attend school:

On the one hand, individual integration in a regular school class is possible. This means that the child attends a regular class and receives additional support in the form of support teachers or individual lessons as required. The role of the parents is particularly important here, as they are best placed to know and assess the child's development.

On the other hand, there are inclusion classes for children with different special educational needs. These have fewer pupils and are supervised by several teachers, one of whom has general special educational training. Children with different support needs are in the same class as children without disabilities.

Alternatively, there is an inclusion class with a focus on hearing impairments. This type of school can also be used as preparation for children who subsequently wish to be integrated individually.

Tips for teaching with hearing loss:

• Curtains and drapes absorb sound.
• Front seat for better eye contact
• The right floor finish to avoid background noise
• Swivel chair facilitates orientation to the source of noise
• Rubber attachments on the chair legs and carpets reduce background noise
• Quiet neighbors are an advantage.
• Use of an FM system - a miniature transmitter transmits the teacher's voice directly to the child's audio processor.
• Class microphones and loudspeakers facilitate intelligibility.
• Smartboards/whiteboards, e.g.: to illustrate the subject matter
• Written language interpreters or classmates as mentors can help with taking notes.