There are various goals that should be achieved by hearing-impaired children, especially because the child is only hearing impaired in the left ear. The goals that should be included in the child's IEP or IFSP program include establishing easy communication with peers, acquiring adequate language skills, establishing intelligible speech, and establishing sound mental health (Boavida, Aguiar, & McWilliam, 2014). The success of the child’s future is dependent on achieving the four goals described. Other goals may include the future enrichment of life, high employability, and job satisfaction. Some of the activities that can be done with the child pretend play, story time, classroom responsibilities, paired activities, and music. Hearing impaired children have normal intelligence levels as other children. Nevertheless, in the early years, they may struggle with communication and language. During pretend play, the child can use sign language rather than talk. Classroom responsibilities such as opening windows or cleaning the blackboard may assist the child to develop independence. The program should allow the child to narrate short stories in sign language. When the child is paired with another deaf child, it will assist the child to develop communication skills.
Since the child is only hearing impaired in the left ear, their pretend play, short stories, and music sessions can be modified. The child can hear with the right ear. Therefore, during pretend play, some sessions should include asking the child to use dolls to explain how they feel about certain things. It is obvious that the child is frustrated because of the hearing impairment, finds it difficult to follow instructions, and often becomes frustrated because of the situation. Simple child music may allow the child to relax because he can hear with the right ear. During short stories, the child can also tell short stories to improve his communication skills and reduce his frustration. Developing a play space for the boy involves a bit of energy and creativity. The play area should be both unusual and familiar. The toys should be arranged in such a way that it will invite the child to play freely (Boavida, Aguiar, & McWilliam, 2014). It should also be spacious to allow the child to play different games with toys.
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The guardians or parents may foster the independence of the child by arranging the play environment in a manner that encourages him to play with materials and toys without their assistance. Such an environment will promote independence because it will reduce his dependence on adults. It will also allow the child’s mind to be free while playing and allowing him to wander from material to material and from toy to toy. It will also give the boy the satisfaction of playing with different material and toys while making their own decisions. The child can easily be integrated into the program by evaluating the IFSP or IEP considerations for the hard of hearing or deaf (Boavida, Aguiar, & McWilliam, 2014). There are various considerations such as the communication and language at home, the use of assistive technology, identifying opportunities for direct communication, listing the qualified service providers, and identifying community activities and opportunities that the family may participate among many other issues. The action plan will be designed after considering all the issues mentioned above because it will influence the boy’s future.
There are minimal changes that can be done at the center to accommodate the needs of the child because the center was mainly designed for deaf children. However, since the child is hearing impaired in the left ear, the child may have a better chance of integrating with other people. The only modifications may be in teaching communication and language to the child to accommodate more hearing to allow the child to use his right ear. It may also involve talking to the child without sign language and teaching him to communicate with using both words and sign language. Having paired activities that involve children with disabilities and those who do not have disabilities benefits both groups. It allows the children with disabilities to feel accepted, improve their language and communication skills, and integration into the society (Boavida, Aguiar, & McWilliam, 2014). On the other hand, the children with disabilities will learn that there are people who are different especially when a child with a disability is placed in their class. It allows them to develop empathy, appreciation, and respect for people with disabilities.
Since the boy has challenging behaviors such as difficulty in following instructions and frustrations, they require a one on one paraprofessional. The paraprofessional will be specifically designated for the child, and they may accompany the child to field trips, speech therapy, school, and other areas with consent from the guardians/parents, and the center. The paraprofessional will provide the necessary support and observe the child's behavior while taking notes. The parents should be involved and consulted during the entire program. There are various techniques of involving parents in the program such as ensuring parents are aware of the meeting by making calls or sending notes with the bus driver. The center may also provide transportation to and from the activities if necessary. Parental participation in the programs and plans is mandatory (Boavida, Aguiar, & McWilliam, 2014). The parents and other siblings should also learn sign language so that they can easily communicate with the child. The facilitators should build a relationship with the parents because it encourages high parental involvement in the program. Also, the program should respect the family’s constraints and time. The program should be flexible enough for the parents to be involved. On the other hand, it should ensure the child receives the best care and support from the family and center.
References
Boavida, T., Aguiar, C., & McWilliam, R. A. (2014). A training program to improve IFSP/IEP goals and objectives through the routines-based interview. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education , 33 (4), 200-211.
