Liam is a Year 9 student in a large metropolitan secondary college. He wears hearing aids as a result of his diagnosis with a mild sensorineural hearing loss.
Liam’s hearing loss is permanent and may deteriorate in the future. He undergoes annual re-assessment of his hearing thresholds to ensure his hearing aids continue to meet his needs. The major difficulty for Liam occurs when there is a large amount of background noise, making speech difficult for him to differentiate.
Liam is consistently and independently able to wear and maintain his hearing aids. He is also able to alert teachers when increased background noise prevents him from being able to differentiate instructions.
All of his teachers now ensure that the class is quiet prior to providing important instructions or sharing information. This class behaviour is encouraged and reinforced throughout the school as an active listening skill.
The school team, in consultation with the student and parents, has agreed that Liam’s needs are being met through quality differentiated teaching practice.
While he is managing his hearing impairment independently, and there is no current need for the school to provide additional adjustments, Liam’s condition needs to be monitored every year. If Liam’s hearing deteriorates or his educational needs change, it may be necessary to implement additional educational adjustments.