PowerPoint:

Sensory Impairments: Hearing Impairment, Vision Impairment, and Deaf-Blindness

This presentation provides an in-depth overview of hearing, vision, and deaf-blindness in infants and young children, connecting anatomy and physiology to developmental, educational, and family outcomes. It reviews relevant provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), emphasizing early identification, inclusion, and the importance of Part C early intervention services. The presentation explains the types, causes, and assessments of hearing and vision impairments, including audiograms, otoacoustic emissions testing, and vision screening protocols, while introducing technologies such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and visual aids that enhance access and communication. Learners explore the developmental effects of sensory loss on language, cognition, and social-emotional growth, and engage in case-based discussions highlighting family-centered service coordination. The presentation concludes by reinforcing the importance of multisensory approaches, interdisciplinary collaboration, and family empowerment in promoting learning, independence, and inclusion for children with sensory impairments.

Case Study: Hearing Loss

Ava is a 12-month-old girl with moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, showing limited responsiveness to sound and delays in early vocalizations. Follow Ava and her family as they navigate screening, diagnosis, assessment, IFSP planning, and home-based early intervention services.

Sample Learning Activities: Sensory Impairment

Video Library The video library is a compilation of almost 500 videos that may be used in early childhood intervention pre-service courses or in-service training. Each video contains the following relevant information:

• Title with a description
• Link to video
• Suggested citation
• Length of the video
• EI/ECSE standard
• DEC Recommended Practice

Resources to supplement the syllabus:

American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus: https://aapos.org/home

American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB): www.aadb.org/

American Federation for the Blind: https://www.afb.org/

American Speech Language Hearing Association, Hearing Screening and Testing Information: https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Hearing-Testing/

Better Hearing Institute: https://betterhearing.org/

Boys Town National Research Hospital Parent-to-Parent Hearing Impairment: https://www.babyhearing.org/parenting/parent-to-parent

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hearing Loss in Children Resources: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/parentsguide/resources/index.html

Central Institute for the Deaf: http://www.cid.edu/

Council on Education of the Deaf www.deafed.net/

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths & Adults: http://www.hknc.org/

https://teachblindstudents.org/

iCanConnect: The National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program http://www.icanconnect.org/

National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management Utah State University: http://www.infanthearing.org/

National Center on Deaf-Blindness http://www.nationaldb.org/

National Family Association for Deaf-Blind https://nfadb.org/

National Federation of the Blind: https://www.nfb.org/

National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) www.ntid.rit.edu/

Questar III BOCES, Itinerant Services: Teacher of the Visually Impaired video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNiFMEPcR0A&feature=emb_title

The American Academy of Ophthalmology: Eye Screening: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/children-eye-screening

University of Iowa Cochlear Implant Music Simulations: https://medicine.uiowa.edu/iowaprotocols/music-and-hearing-loss/cochlear-implant-ci-technology-and-music/cochlear-implant-ci-technology-and

Virginia Center for Sensory Disabilities: https://www.doe.virginia.gov/programs-services/special-education/specific-disabilities/autism-spectrum-disorders/sensory-disabilities