Transcript Hearing Disability

Hearing Impairment
‘Matatizo Ya Kusikia’
Definition:
• Hearing impairment is when an
individual loses the ability to hear in
either one or both ears.
• The level of impairment can vary from
mild to severe or total loss of hearing.
What causes a hearing loss?
• Inherited (‘Kurithi’)
• Premature birth (‘Kuzaliwa Mapema’), Certain
conditions during birth like lack of oxygen to
breath.
• Certain drugs can cause deafness.
• Head injuries (‘Majeraha Ya Kichwa’)
• Excessive loud music
• Old age
There are two types of
hearing impairment:
• one is called conductive hearing impairment which is
when the outer (‘Nje’) or middle (‘Katikati’) ear is
damaged. This can be medically treated.
• The second is sensorineural and this is when there is
damage to the inner (‘Ndani’) part of the ear. In most
cases, this is irreversible (‘Malena’) and cannot be
healed.
Types of Hearing Impairments
The Ear structure
Important details:
• The Normal Ear can notice sounds between 2020,000 HZ
• The most sensitive area is 500-4000 HZ
(Human voice)
• Average conversation volume: 50 DB
• Levels of hearing loss:
• 0-30 DB: Mild loss
• 30-60 DB: Moderate (‘Kadirifu’)
• 60-90 DB: Severe (‘Kali’)
• 90-120 DB: Profound (‘Makubwa’)
• How we Hear?
Levels of Hearing Impairment
Important details:
• Nearly 300 million people worldwide
suffer from some hearing loss in both
ears.
• The majority of those people live in
developing or middle class countries.
Socially, deaf culture divides to two
groups:
• Deaf and deaf
• “Deaf” refers to an individual who identifies
himself as a member of the Deaf community.
• “deaf” with a small ‘d’ refers to individual who
see themselves as part of the hearing group.
Deaf Psychology
• There is a connection between the family’s status
(Deaf/Hearing) and the child’s personal/social
development.
• Deaf children that are born to a deaf family
(‘Viziwi Familia’) are raised in the deaf community
and are born to a feeling of belonging.
• Deaf children that are born to hearing family
(‘Kusikia Familia’) feel different, and are more
likely to have social emotional difficulties.
• In these kind of family’s an adjustment
(‘Marekebisho’) should be made to fit the child’s
needs.
Main obstacles (‘Vikwazo’) in
the Deaf child’s growth:
• Difficult relationships (mahusiano) with the
hearing parents/ Care givers.
• Communication difficulties: speaking the
Language.
• Lack of social interactions (mwingiliano wa
kijamii) – Due to over protection and low
expectations.
• Slower studying of social rules.
What can we do?
• Adjust the close environment like the family
and the school to the child’s needs:
• Getting use to the Impairment.
• Developing communication skills: Sign
Language, Eye contact, Etc.
• Proper Education.
Benefits (faida) of visual art
therapy
• visual art can be an alternatives to traditional talk
therapy. these type of therapy enables the deaf client
to gain deeper self-understanding by creating an object
or scene that reflects his inner and interpersonal
worlds.
• It allows access to feelings that cannot express because
of the difficult to use verbal way.
• Through the freedom experienced in expressive
therapies, the deaf can learn more about himself and
the facilitator can try to get access to his inner world.
Music Therapy & Deaf
• Deaf can feel music through vibrations- Low
pitch & high volume- Better!
• Materials (vifaa) that can pass better vibrations:
Wood, Glass, Lather, Balloons.
• Different vibrations can have different affects on
us.
• All types of rhythmic and sensitive Activities will
work with deaf children: Rhythmic
Improvisation, Rhythmic songs, Playing a feeling,
Etc.
Music Therapy & Deaf
• writing rhythmic songs with words in sign language.
• Music can develop the child’s hearing abilities that
remain.
• We can play music on the floor, on walls, empty
cans, Tables, recycled materials, Etc.
• Music can facilitate Deaf children’s vocalization
through musical games: Morse codes, vocal
production: tension and release, short/ long, loud/
soft, Vocal group work (Ostinato), Speech Therapy
(Aa, Oo, Uu, Ee, Ii).