OSAT Deaf/Hard of Hearing (030) cheat sheet

IDEA recognizes 'deafness' and 'hearing impairment' as separate disability categories; eligibility requires an adverse educational impact, not merely a measured hearing loss.

Degree categories by pure-tone average in the better ear: slight 16–25 dB HL; mild 26–40; moderate 41–55; moderately severe 56–70; severe 71–90; profound >90.

Conductive loss involves the outer or middle ear; sensorineural loss involves the cochlea or auditory nerve; mixed loss involves both; central auditory processing disorder is not a peripheral hearing loss.

Permanent congenital hearing loss occurs in about 1–3 per 1,000 newborns; NICU graduates have much higher rates, roughly 2–5 per 100.

About 50–60% of congenital hearing loss is genetic; about 30% of genetic cases are syndromic, such as Usher, Waardenburg, or Pendred; CMV is a leading nongenetic cause.

Historical markers: American School for the Deaf founded 1817; Gallaudet University 1864; Milan Congress 1880 endorsed oralism; Deaf President Now 1988.

Deaf culture views deafness as a cultural-linguistic identity; ASL is a complete language with its own grammar, not English on the hands.

EHDI benchmarks: hearing screening by 1 month, diagnostic audiologic evaluation by 3 months, early intervention by 6 months.

Legal access mandates include IDEA for FAPE, IEP, and LRE; Section 504 for disability nondiscrimination; ADA Titles II and III for public accommodations and communication access; FERPA for education records privacy.

ASL phonology has five parameters: handshape, location, movement, palm orientation, and nonmanual markers; a change in one can create a different sign.

Typical signed language milestones: manual babbling around 6–10 months, first signs around 10–12 months, two-sign combinations around 18–24 months.

Typical spoken language milestones: canonical babbling 6–9 months, first word near 12 months, two-word combinations near 18–24 months; accessible language drives timing more than hearing status.

Language deprivation is risked by delayed access to a complete language; it can affect literacy, theory of mind, and social-emotional development.

Bilingual-bimodal programs use ASL as a full language and English print or spoken English as a second language; they are not the same as simultaneous communication.

Total Communication uses speech plus sign together, often Signed English; it may support access but does not guarantee ASL grammatical input.

Cued Speech uses handshapes and placements to make spoken English phonemes visible; it is not a signed language and does not replace ASL for ASL users.

Auditory-verbal and auditory-oral approaches prioritize spoken language through listening and amplification; auditory-verbal typically excludes sign, while auditory-oral may use speechreading and residual hearing.

Speechreading is an unreliable sole channel because many phonemes are invisible or look alike; context and residual hearing are needed.

Audiologic test battery: pure-tone audiometry, speech reception threshold, word recognition, tympanometry, OAE, and ABR; each answers a different question.

Visual reinforcement audiometry uses conditioned head turns reinforced by animated toys for infants; play audiometry uses a game task for preschoolers.

OAE screens outer hair cell function; ABR estimates auditory pathway response; neither alone determines educational eligibility.

Norm-referenced tests standardized on hearing students can be invalid for deaf and hard of hearing students; use deaf and hard of hearing norms, language-matched comparisons, or interpret cautiously.

Alternative assessment methods include dynamic assessment, language samples, portfolios, curriculum-based measurement, and classroom observation.

The IEP team must include the parent, a regular education teacher if appropriate, a special education teacher, an LEA representative, and someone to interpret evaluation results; the student attends when appropriate.

For deaf and hard of hearing students, the IEP team should consider a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, audiologist, interpreter, and the student's language and communication needs.

The communication plan addresses mode or modes, peer and staff communication opportunities, direct versus interpreted instruction, and accommodations such as captioning, FM/DM systems, or note-taking.

IDEA transition planning begins no later than age 16 and includes measurable postsecondary goals, transition services, and agency linkages.

UDL provides multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement; it reduces barriers without lowering content standards.

FM/DM systems improve signal-to-noise ratio; the teacher wears the transmitter, the student wears the receiver, and a pass-around microphone supports peer discussion.

Daily FM check: verify battery, receiver, settings, and clarity; the teacher speaks at a normal level while the student reports comfort and intelligibility.

Interpreter access: interpreter near the teacher and key visuals, good lighting, no backlighting; the teacher speaks to the student in first person and pauses for interpretation.

Avoid asking the interpreter to teach, discipline, or serve as an aide; educational interpreters convey communication and manage turn-taking.

Captioning should be synchronized, readable, and include relevant sounds; it is an access accommodation, not evidence of reading comprehension.

Classroom acoustics: reduce background noise and reverberation; use carpet, curtains, acoustic panels, and sound-field amplification where appropriate.

Language-rich content areas such as math word problems and science texts require explicit vocabulary, visual models, and background knowledge building.

Literacy instruction for deaf and hard of hearing students should include visual phonemic awareness, morphology, ASL-English contrastive analysis, and extensive print exposure.

LRE requires education with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate; placement is based on individual needs, not diagnosis or availability.

Section 504 is a civil rights law; IDEA is special education law; ADA extends communication access to public and many private settings.

Educational interpreters follow confidentiality, impartiality, and role-boundary standards; they do not disclose student information or perform non-interpreting duties except for emergency safety.

Effective collaboration uses scheduled planning time, clear role definitions, shared data, and parent participation.

Paraprofessionals support materials, supervision, and practice under teacher direction; they do not replace certified instruction or qualified interpreting.

Cultural competence includes recognizing audism, respecting family language choices, and presenting balanced information about communication options without coercion.

Transition collaboration may involve vocational rehabilitation, independent living centers, deaf community organizations, and postsecondary disability services.

Confidentiality: FERPA governs education records; HIPAA covers health information; share only with legitimate educational need-to-know.

An inclusive environment includes access to announcements, extracurricular activities, assemblies, and social language, not just classroom instruction.