Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Educational Programs for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

SPEECH, LANGUAGE and AUDITORY SKILLS are the vital principles at the heart of all areas of the NIA Hearing Department curriculum, from parent/infant services through high school and multi-needs classrooms.

The NIA's Programs for Students Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing are built upon the philosophy of TOTAL COMMUNICATION. TOTAL COMMUNICATION helps hearing impaired children understand language. It is easier to learn new vocabulary when it is shown, as well as, spoken. A child can see the sign for an object. This helps the child understand and remember the word and its meaning. The process develops listening skills and visual attention. Both skills are important in the development of language. TOTAL COMMUNICATION helps the child learn a word's meaning and how to communicate it effectively.

• The development of SPEECH SKILLS is a part of every activity throughout the day. The speech teacher further enhances these skills during sessions focusing on specific articulation goals and the language development necessary for providing the student with skills critical for speaking and comprehending spoken language.
  
  
• LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT at NIA is a consistent focus across all areas of the curriculum. Language building provides the crucial foundation hearing impaired children need to be able to understand the world around them, communicate thoughts and ideas, and to understand concepts related to reading, language, social studies, science and math.
  
  
• AUDITORY SKILLS ENHANCEMENT occurs in every facet of the program. Teachers incorporate listening exercises into the curriculum on a daily basis. Individual or small group sessions with the auditory skills teacher allow for concentrated attention on specific aspects of listening used in all environments.

The children also benefit from other services and experiences which may include, but are not limited to:

• Educational audiologist services
• Mainstream activities
• Counseling
• Specialized evaluations
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy