Assessments
There is a lot for an educator to take into consideration
when assessing a child with a hearing loss.
They need to have background information on the child in order to know
how the child may perform on the assessment and what they child may need in
order to perform their best. Some things that need to be considered are the
type and degree of hearing loss, environment, appropriateness of the
assessment, and modifications that may need to be implemented. The question is: should one use only tests
designed for this population? I believe
the answer is no. This population should
take assessments that their typically developing peers are taking. I think it is a good idea to see where they
are at in comparison to their peers.
Modifications can still be made, however I think it is good they
experience the same assessments as their peers.
I also recently learned that many of the assessments designed for this
population are old and that there are not very many of them. So again, it is
good that this population is exposed to these updated assessments. However, taking the assessments that are
designed for them can still provide very useful information.
Communication
It is necessary for good communication in this field.
Teachers and staff need to be constantly communicating in order to stay up to
date on things. Today there are many
ways to stay in touch with others. But
what is the best way to stay in touch with teachers and staff? Should it be face-to-face or through
email? I believe that it all depends on
what is being communicated and who it is between. It is important to determine this early in a
relationship among teachers. I think everyone has a preference on when to email
and when to use face-to-face communication.
There are definitely more appropriate times to use face-to-face rather
than email. This can be determined after
getting to know staff members. I plan on
getting to know my staff and peers before determining which method to use more
often. I know I want to make sure I
communicate effectively and appropriately at all times. It will depend on what is being discussed
that will help me determine whether to use face-to-face or email.
I like how you mentioned that deaf or hard of hearing individuals should be exposed to the same assessments as their normal hearing peers. Also as you stated, unfortunately the assessments that are designed for individuals with a hearing loss are outdated. Although we would still gain useful information through these assessments, it would not be as valuable as we need to get a clear snapshot of the child’s strengths and weakness. I do agree that some modification are needed to ensure that the child has enough time to process the questions that are being asked and maybe modification in the wording of the questions to ensure the child is able to understand the language, but not too much modification that the answer is given away.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important to ensure that you are able to work out a communication method that works best for both individuals involved. There are definitely times when communicating face-to-face is more appropriate than communicating through email. Some situation may only allow communication through email unfortunately, which means that as future professionals we need to learn to communicate effectively through written text to ensure our thoughts are being heard accurately. Great post thank you for sharing! ☺