Abstract:

Children with hearing impairment using hearing aids or cochlear implants do not have the same listening experience as their hearing classmates, even their communication skills without recognizable characteristics of hearing impairment. Children with hearing impairment need an accessible acoustic environment for proper communication development. The accessible environment makes the learning process easier for the child. Children with hearing impairment can focus on speech recognition and understanding instead of listening in a noisy place. The other part of the accessible environment is to use specific communication strategies such as repeating answers from other students. Teachers who educate the child with hearing impairment in mainstream schools face many challenges because the school is not just about education but also about gaining social skills among students. The education of a child with hearing impairment holds specifics and needs connected to hearing impairment and individual characteristics of child teachers should acknowledge. However, the teachers can not learn everything about hearing impairment and correctly adapt their teaching methods and support social gatherings. The research shows what is necessary to communicate to the teachers in the mainstream classes about hearing impairment and how to adapt their teaching methods to create an accessible environment. In the first place, the teacher should get to know the child, how the child hears in a different school setting such as a classroom, gym, or lunchroom, and how is the child´s communication and cognitive development affected by hearing impairment. The second part focuses on adjusting teaching methods that support the child with hearing impairment in knowledge and social skills and what to do with the classroom environment.

Keywords:

Inclusive education, hearing impairment, teaching methods, communication strategies, primary school.