How to Teach a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Student

Co-authored by Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA

Last Updated: May 26, 2020

When teaching a deaf or hard of hearing student, it’s essential that the student be given the tools they need to reach educational standards. Although they may need accommodations, deaf and hard of hearing students can be successful in whatever program they choose to attend. While teaching a deaf or hard of hearing student may seem difficult, there are a lot of great strategies available to help both you and your student be successful.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Communicating With Your Student

1
Avoid making assumptions. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can communicate in several ways. Some will wear amplification devices and communicate through speech, while others may use sign language, an interpreter, or speechreading/lipreading. Many individuals choose to communicate in a variety of methods.
- Ask the student how they want to communicate with you.
- Consider that the student may prefer different communication modes under different circumstances. For example, they may like to use an interpreter during whole class instruction but speechreading/lipreading while speaking one-on-one.
2
Speak directly to the student. Face the student so that the sound of your voice is not muffled. Altering the pitch of your voice can be helpful. Hearing loss can vary among individuals. They might find it easier to understand some frequencies over others depending on what type of hearing loss they have. If they struggle with high-frequency sounds, lower your voice, and vice versa if they struggle with lower sounds. Enunciate and make your lip movement noticeable.^{[1]
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- Don’t stand in front of a light source because it will make it hard to see your lips.
- Trim facial hair.
- Don’t cover your mouth.
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3
Coordinate with the interpreter. If the student has one, the interpreter will help the student understand what is being said in class. You should act as though the interpreter is not there when speaking to the student. Always look at the student when speaking to them, and address any questions to the student. Additionally, allow time for the interpreter to finish translating what you’ve said before you begin calling on students.
- Never ask an interpreter to do anything other than interpret.
- Expect the interpreter to stand near you so that the student can see both of you at the same time.
- Don’t say anything in front of the interpreter and student that you don’t want interpreted.
4
Use visual aids. Visual aids will support the student’s understanding and provide some relief from keeping up with signing or speechreading, if applicable. Aids can include anything from PowerPoint notes to a word wall. The type of aid used will vary depending on the lesson and the grade level.
5
Make sure videos are captioned. Before you show a video in class, check to make sure it’s captioned. You will need to order movies with captioning and ensure that your technology is able to show the captioning.
- Check your videos before class so that the student will not feel singled out if you can’t show the video because it isn’t captioned.
6
Provide prompts and explanations. Explain the parts of the lesson and classroom shifts to the class before they happen. This will help your deaf or hard of hearing student anticipate the change or activity, while also supporting the other students.^{[2]
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7
Avoid creating unique signs for words or concepts. Students need consistent signing that is universal in meaning. While it may be tempting to create a special sign for your student to allow for quicker communication about common topics, this will make it harder for the student to communicate with others. Additionally, everyone who works with the student should be using the same signs for the same words and concepts.
- When students fingerspell words, they likely don’t understand that word and need more assistance with it.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Including the Student in the Class

1
Avoid singling the student out. Provide the student with any accommodation that helps them learn, but don’t separate them from the rest of the class. They should feel like one of the group, so treat them equally to your other students. For example, don’t repeatedly ask them if they need assistance in front of the other students.^{[4]
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2
Meet with the child’s parents and previous teachers. You can learn a lot about how the student prefers to learn by talking to those who have experience. The more information you have about your student, the easier it will be to help them be successful.^{[5]
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- Ask questions about the classroom climate, accommodations that have worked in the past, and the student’s learning style.
- If the student has worked with any specialists, contact them as well.
3
Partner the student with someone they can communicate with. The student will benefit from having someone that they can talk to throughout the day. Their partner can also help reinforce the everyday language and concepts that the student may struggle with because of limited hearing.^{[6]
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4
Encourage the student to communicate to the larger group. It's best for the student to be comfortable communicating with others and sharing ideas. Speaking in class helps all students learn better, and it prepares them for their post-school lives.
- Assign presentations to the entire class, including the student who is deaf or hard of hearing.
- Include group assignments and partner work that requires working with others to complete the assignment.
- Some students may not be able to speak with a hearing class, but they can communicate through an interpreter who is able to translate aloud to the class what the student is signing.
- If the student is giving a formal presentation through an interpreter, make sure that the student has time to work with their interpreter in advance so that the interpreter understands the presentation material.
5
Schedule check-in times. Deaf and hard of hearing students will need assistance and mental breaks from the stresses of constantly deciphering language, though they may not always request help. To make sure that your student has opportunities for your help, designate regular check-in times.^{[7]
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6
Don’t talk while the students are reading. Your deaf or hard of hearing student will need to watch either you, the interpreter, or both of you. If you begin speaking while they are reading, then the student will be left out of instruction. Instead, work out a system with your student so that they can let you know when they are finished reading and are ready to continue.
- The signal to continue the lesson can be as simple as the student looking up at you.
- If you are concerned about the student taking more time to read than the rest of the class, plan differentiated questions for the students to begin working on in their notebooks so that class time is not wasted. Each student can begin work as their own pace. Later, have all of the students review their answers and fill in gaps with a partner.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Accommodating Amplification or Assistive Listening Devices

1
Monitor noise levels. The devices pick up noise from throughout the room, which can make it difficult to understand what you are saying. Help them hear you by minimizing other classroom noises, such as fans, classroom technology, student conversations, and music.
2
Know how to help with hearing aids. Some students who are hard of hearing may wear a hearing aid that allows them to hear more of what is being said, though they may still mishear pronunciations. Be prepared to help them with their amplification device and have any necessary supplies, such as extra batteries.^{[8]
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- If the student hears well with their assistive device, then you should teach them as you would a hearing child.^{[9]
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3
Use a microphone. Many assistive listening devices transmit your voice directly to the student through a microphone you wear near your mouth. This can help them pick your voice out from the competing classroom sounds.
4
Repeat questions from other students. If you are using an assistive listening device, then your student will likely not hear speech from anyone but you. Make sure that they know what you’re talking about by repeating the questions you’re asked before you answer them.
5
Check to make sure that technology is compatible. If you are using technology in class, make sure that it is Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) before using it, particularly if it is handheld or something the student must use with their device, such as a tablet or headphones. If it isn’t, then the technology could interfere with the hearing aid.^{[10]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Teaching Language and Reading

1
Connect the student with a deaf mentor. Students need to frequently sign with a person who is fluent in sign language. Younger children also benefit from storytime in sign language because they are able see how the words are signed while also looking at the printed words in the storybook.^{[11]
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- Mentors are especially important if the student’s parents are not fluent in sign language.
- Parents who are fluent in sign language can act as mentors to their children.
2
Know how to cue your student. Cued Speech and visual cues are both useful in helping deaf or hard of hearing students understand how letters sound. Cues should be used as you speak to the student or show them the corresponding letter or word.
- Cued Speech is a communication system that uses 8 hand shapes and 4 indicators near the mouth to represent the 45 phonemes of English.
- Grapheme cues visually represent sound, showing what it looks like.
- Hand cues mimic the sound that a letter might make so that students can see it.
- Speechreading/lipreading cues help students understand how the mouth looks when saying a sound.^{[12]
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3
Vary how loudly you speak. Emphasize the sounds you want students to pick up on by saying the sound louder or whispering it, depending on the type of sound.^{[13]
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- Whispering works when you have a silent consonant sound because it creates an emphasis on the consonant sound.
- You can also stress a syllable.
4
Break down words into syllables. Called syllabication, breaking words into syllables can help students understand how sounds blend together. You can convey syllables using rhythm, mouth movements, and finger signing.
- To finger sign syllables, break the word into syllables and sign each letter of the syllable. Teach the students to wait in between syllables so that they can connect the letters as one sound.^{[14]
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5
Address the differences between sign language and written language. Sign language presents words and ideas differently than written language. For example, signs can represent a concept, or words may be presented in a different order than they are written. Because of these differences, students who sign can struggle with reading because the words are arranged and presented differently.^{[15]
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- Be aware of this difference and discuss it with the student.
- Make sure that the student understands the text the class is reading.
- Ask the student to highlight areas that they’re having trouble reading. Discuss how those sentences would be communicated through signing, then compare it to how they look on paper.
6
Use the bilingual method. The bilingual method is a great option for helping students who sign better understand written language. The goal is to help them master both sign language and written language, which are considered two different languages. The method works by having a teacher or mentor sign with the student as they read a printed text. The student is able to see both the sign that corresponds with the word and how it looks on paper.
- Incorporate Cued Speech and fingerspelling into your teaching sessions that use texts.
- Act out the text with younger children to boost understanding.
- Reread the text multiple times so that the student is exposed to the material several times, allowing them to learn it.^{[16]
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7
Pre-teach vocabulary. Provide students with different types of exposure to new vocabulary, such as repetition, word maps, and classroom discussion. Deaf and hard of hearing students may require pre-teaching of words that other students have encountered via overhearing conversations or participating in activities that are inaccessible to individuals who have reduced hearing.^{[17]
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Warnings

Students must learn how to sound out words in order to fully understand how to read.

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Learning to read is typically harder for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they really need those skills to allow them to communicate through written language.^{[19]
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If students are not able to pick up language skills incidentally by being exposed to conversations their parents and others are having, then it’s much harder for them to learn the rules of the language.^{[20]
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