• Understanding Auditory Processing Disorder
• Auditory Processing Disorder simulation

• Captioning

• The purpose of Hearing Assistance Technology is to prioritize the speaker’s voice (Teacher/Peer). Students with hearing loss or auditory processing disorders may require the use of HAT for the teacher’s voice to remain constant, audible and accessible as they move around the room and ambient noise levels change within the classroom. Professionals and families are encouraged to refer to the educational audiologist serving the child for more in depth information on specific hearing technology recommendations.
• Hearing Loss in the Classroom 
• Compare how your student hears with and with out hearing assistance technology
• Attitude is taught, not caught handout

• Hearing Loss Simulation 
• Unilateral Hearing Loss
• Hear What Your Student is Hearing in the Classroom 
• Relationship of Hearing Loss to Listening/Learning (Please refer to your educational audiologist for specific information regarding your students specific hearing needs.)

This Ted Talk discusses how acoustics impact our listening experience.

This article and embedded video talks about how the various types of masks impact listening. By knowing how your mask impacts listening, you can implement the appropriate strategies to improved communication.

This video talks about strategies to improve communication when wearing masks.

Resources:

Classroom Acoustics

CiTi Hear Me Now Poster

Listening Fatigue

In response to COVID-19, taking time to learn about how children listen and learn in the classroom will help to improve the outcome for all your students.  Wearing masks and social distancing makes communication difficult for everyone, including you and all the students in your classroom.  The educational audiology team at CiTi BOCES is here to assist in any way with addressing concerns related to classroom acoustics and communication strategies to improve auditory access to the curriculum.  We hope the information in these frequently asked questions (FAQ) helps to alleviate some concerns, reinforce good teaching strategies already in place and spark creative ideas on how to help all the students within your in-person and virtual classrooms.  

Frequently Asked Questions

The information provided is compiled from resources from the American Speech/Hearing Association (ASHA),  the Educational Audiology Association (EAA), Technology Considerations to Improve Access, Involvement, Outcomes-Tech Talk, and leading manufacturers of Hearing Assistance Technology.

1. Communicating with Masks

2. In-Person Listening-Learning

3. Virtual Instruction

4. Virtual Instruction

5. HAT

6. HAT Cleaning

Contact your School District CSE chairperson and/or school psychologist if you require assistance with the district referral process.

• 16 Reasons for Educational Audiology
• Cascading Effects of Hearing Loss