It is natural for people with normal health to hear even the quietest sound of 40 db to 70 db with their better ear. Moderate hearing loss is felt when the person cannot keep up conversation without a hearing aid. Educationalists are very much concerned about the hearing loss of all types among students. Teacher s speech cannot be understood by students with moderate loss of hearing in the absence of a hearing aid. They have to depend on speech reading cues if they don t wear hearing aid. This may be done for a short while but becomes an obstacle to concentration over long period. In effect the student lays behind in comprehension, limited vocabulary, poor pronunciation of words and speech sounds, feeling of fatigue at the end of class which requires more than usual concentration. Such students in addition to misinterpreting verbal speech often misinterpret written lessons and reading material.

Implications for Teacher

Fully aware of the disadvantages encountered by students with moderate hearing loss in the class room, teachers should offer them maximum hearing ambience to give to all equal benefit. Simple but helpful strategies can be set up by teachers in physical environment . They should allow students to use hearing aids and create suitable non verbal communication helpful to all students. In language classes focus should be specific on pronunciation of words and sentences with a falling intonation.

Acceptance of Moderate Hearing Loss

It is observed that those with moderate hearing loss tend to deny the necessity of help from others. They are also un willing to use hearing aids, imagining that it would be of no help to them. In fact, the use of hearing aid in early hearing loss makes the treatment easier. It is in no way different from vision impairment that worsens if glasses or lenses are not used. Therefore it is of paramount significance for hearing loss patients to accept the condition and adjust with the treatment recommended by the audiologist. You should not forget that hearing aids do not restore normal hearing but help the person to wear with out difficulty.

[tags]Profound Hearing Loss, Speech Cues[/tags]