#39: What You Didn’t Know About Hearing Loss and Learning With Deanna Barlow
Imagine trying to learn in a classroom where half the words sound muffled or distant. For many students with hearing loss, this is their daily reality. What looks like inattention or reading struggles may actually be a child straining to hear. The good news? With a few small adjustments, you can create a classroom environment where every student—regardless of hearing ability—can fully engage and thrive.
That’s why I’m so excited to share insights from my conversation with Deanna Barlow, an expert in supporting students who are deaf or hard of hearing. In our chat, we uncovered some surprising truths about hearing loss and what teachers can do to make their classrooms more accessible.
Understanding the impact of hearing loss in the classroom
Hearing loss isn’t just about volume—it’s about clarity. Many students can detect sound but struggle to distinguish specific speech sounds, which directly impacts their ability to develop phonemic awareness, an essential building block of reading.
Here’s what that means for our students:
- Missed Instructions – If a student struggles to hear high-frequency sounds like s, th, or f, they might miss key parts of your directions.
- Delayed Vocabulary Development – Since so much language is learned incidentally, kids with hearing loss may have gaps in their word knowledge.
- Phonemic Awareness Challenges – If a student has difficulty distinguishing sounds, they may struggle with decoding, spelling, and overall reading fluency.
Most children undergo hearing screenings at birth, but hearing loss can be progressive or acquired later. And here’s the tricky part: teachers often misinterpret signs of hearing loss as inattention, behavioral challenges, or even learning disabilities.
Simple Classroom Strategies That Make a Big Difference
Once we recognize the challenges, we can take small but powerful steps to make learning more accessible for students with hearing loss. The best part? These strategies help all students, not just those with hearing difficulties!
1. Reduce Background Noise
Ever tried having a deep conversation at a loud restaurant? That’s what school can feel like for a child with hearing loss. Try these quick fixes:
- Close the door to cut down hallway noise.
- Use rugs, felt pads, or tennis balls on chair legs to soften sound.
- Position the student away from fans, air vents, and other noisy distractions.
2. Make Sound More Accessible
Since students with hearing loss often struggle with distance hearing, we need to bring sound to them.
- If a student has a hearing aid or cochlear implant, make sure they’re on and working daily.
- Use a classroom microphone or FM system—it amplifies your voice so students can hear you clearly, no matter where they sit.
- Face your students while speaking so they can see your mouth and pick up on visual cues.
3. Emphasize Visual Learning
If you say it, show it. This is a golden rule for all early learners but is critical for students with hearing challenges.
- Use gestures, pictures, or written instructions to reinforce spoken language.
- Keep captions on when playing videos—even strong readers benefit!
- Point to key words when reading aloud so students can match spoken and written language.
4. Teach Explicit Phonemic Awareness
Students who struggle with sound discrimination need extra practice hearing and manipulating phonemes.
- Have students touch their throat to feel vibration when pronouncing voiced vs. unvoiced sounds.
- Use a mirror so they can watch their mouth movements when forming tricky sounds.
- Slow down and exaggerate articulation when introducing new phonemes.
5. Build a Supportive Classroom Culture
Kids are naturally curious about differences. Help them understand and normalize hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assistive devices.
- Have a quick, age-appropriate conversation at the start of the year about hearing differences.
- Encourage students to be patient and use clear communication with classmates who have hearing challenges.
- Foster a classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking for repetition when they miss something.
Collaboration with families and Specialists
Supporting a student with hearing loss isn’t something teachers have to do alone. Partnering with families and specialists ensures the best possible learning environment. Here’s how to foster that collaboration:
- Communicate with Parents – Check in regularly with parents or guardians about their child’s hearing needs. They can provide valuable insights into how their child hears best.
- Work with Specialists – If a student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan, connect with their speech-language pathologist, audiologist, or teacher of the deaf to implement recommended accommodations.
- Encourage Self-Advocacy – As students grow, they should be encouraged to express their needs. Teach them simple strategies for asking for clarification or requesting accommodations.
- Create a Consistent Plan – Ensure all educators, including substitutes and support staff, are aware of a student’s hearing needs and accommodations.
When teachers, families, and specialists work together, students with hearing loss are far more likely to succeed academically and socially.
Your Next Steps: Small Tweaks, Big Results
The best part about these strategies? You don’t have to overhaul your teaching to see results. Just start small. Maybe this week, you test out a simple tweak—facing the class more often, turning on captions, or doing a quick sound check on a student’s hearing device.
The ripple effect is powerful. When students can fully access what’s being taught, they thrive. And when we, as teachers, feel equipped to support every learner, we do too.
What’s one strategy from this list you’re going to try this week? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear how it goes!
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