Writing IEPs for Student’s with Hearing Loss

Carrie Spangler, Au.D., CCC-A

Kirsten Marconi-Hutkay, Au.D, CCC-AStark County ESC

IEP Defined(ODE website)

• A written, legal contract, also known as an IEP, developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting of an IEP team to best identify the nature and extent of special education, intervention strategies, and related services that a school will provide for a child with a disability

Members of the Team for a child with Hearing Loss

• Parent and Child• Regular Education Teacher• District Representative• Educational Audiologist• Speech-Language Pathologist• Intervention specialist/DHH

teacher• Interpreter (if needed)• Private therapists (if applicable)• Counselor (if applicable)• Other related Service (OT, PT)

Access Operating Standards• http://www.ode.state.oh.us• Operating Standards and Related Guidance for Ohio Educational

Agencies Serving Children with Disabilities

– Ohio's updated special education rules, effective July 1, 2008, were adopted by the State Board of Education and filed with Ohio's Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), the Legislative Service Commission, and the Secretary of State. The rules were revised in response to changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004. The intent of these requirements is to ensure that children with disabilities have equal opportunity, full participation in education, independent living and

economic self-sufficiency.

Operating Standards Relating to DHH

• Definitions of “Deafness” and “Hearing Impairment” (pg. 17-18)– Deafness: means a hearing impairment that is so

severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Operating Standards Relating to DHH

• Definitions of “Deafness” and “Hearing Impairment” (pg. 17-18)– Hearing Impairment: means an impairment in hearing,

whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this rule.

Operating Standards Relating to DHH

• Eligibility criteria for hearing loss: pg. 122-123. – Decibel criteria using unaided results.

How Does a Child Qualify?

1. An average pure tone hearing loss of 50dB or greater for the frequencies 500, 1000 & 2000 Hz for the better ear

2. An average PTA (pure tone average) of 25dB which has an adverse effect on educational performance related to documented evidence of:

• More severe HL during developmental years• Hx of chronic medical problems resulting in fluctuating

hearing (ex: chronic ear infections)• Delay in diagnosis, provision of amplification, and/or initiation

of special programming

How Does a Child Qualify?

• “Blue Book Laws” (con’t)

3. Hearing loss of greater than 25dB for the frequencies of 1000-8000 Hz in the better ear with poor auditory discrimination that has an adverse effect on education.

Educational Audiology

• Related Service (pg 30)– Exception: services that apply to children with

surgically implanted devices; including cochlear implants

• Ex: mapping, maintenance & replacement of the device

• Still required to complete a daily listening check

New IEP forms!!!

• Mandatory to use beginning 2009-2010 school year

• Access the new forms and the Annotations at http://www.edresourcesohio.org

• Highlights on the IEP related to Hearing loss

2. Special Instructional Factors

• Does the child have behavior that impedes his/her learning of others?– Probably not going to be an issue, but may be

something for the team to consider

2. Special Instructions Factors• Does the child have communication needs

(required for deaf or hearing impaired)?– Communication needs must be addressed– Consideration of mode of communication used by the child to

receive information and/or provide information (communicate) to others, as well as the effectiveness of that mode of communication.

– Family input is critical

Questions for IEP team to consider re: Communication

• Has a communication plan been developed for the child?• See handout

Special Instructional Factors

• Does the child need assistive technology devices or services?– ALD does not include a medical device surgically

implanted or replacement of such a device– For HI, may include a personal FM system, classroom

amplification system, CART, captioning, etc.– Should include in the testing section also– Monitoring plan needs to be part of the IEP for

HA/CI/FM.– See handout

3. Profile• Include the strengths of child and how the

disability will affect the progress in the general curriculum:– Include information about type and degree of hearing

loss, type of hearing equipment child uses, how the child communicates, any safety measures,

– GreatResource:• http://kandersonaudconsulting.com/HANDOUTS.html

– Relationship of Hearing Loss to Listening and Learning Needs

• See handout

4. Postsecondary Transition

• Invite kids to participate in the IEP

• Pepnet.org great website for Deaf/HH transition information

• Start investigating BVR

5. Postsecondary Transition Services

• Transition checklists• BVR• Office of Accessibility• Scholarships for students with hearing loss• Self Advocacy for Students Who are Deaf or

Hard of Hearing by Kristina English

6. Measureable Annual Goals

• Present Level

• Measureable Annual Goal– Method for measuring progress

• Measureable Objectives– Method and Frequency for reporting progress

Goals:Preschool• Depending on the child, they may look

very different.– Early Identification– Early Intervention– Consistently worn amplification/CI– Don’t always follow a hierarchy of skills

Goals: Early Elementary

• Start to get the child involved in self-advocacy and maintaining equipment. – Child needs to understand their hearing loss – Child may want to participate in the

teacher/student inservice

Goals: Middle School • It’s never too early to start thinking about

the future

• Self-advocacy and maintaining equipment

• Consider social-emotional impact of the hearing loss: is that affecting academics?

• Counseling• Bullying/Teasing• Self-destructive Behavior

Goals: High School

• Transition Planning

• Self-advocacy

• Independence

• Counseling may still be necessary

12. Statewide and District Testing

• Details of Accommodations– Personal FM– Interpreter– Clarification of Directions– Extended Time– Small Group

Thank You for Listening!

Questions???

Contact Information

• Dr. Carrie Spanglercarrie.spangler@email.sparcc.org

• Dr. Kirsten Marconi-Hutkaykirsten.marconi@email.sparcc.org