Standard 22: Continuum of Options

Communication Options

When a student is identified as deaf/hard of hearing, professionals are responsible for providing families with unbiased, research-based information regarding the communication options for students with hearing loss. Family commitment and involvement are key factors in the success of students who are D/HH, family is actively involved in selecting the most appropriate communication options for their child. The early intervention providers and school staff are responsible for providing families with information that will empower them to participate as equal members of the IFSP/IEP/504 Plan team in determining the communication option that is most appropriate to meet the needs of their child and their family. The early intervention providers and school staff also a share the responsibility of family education that allows families to develop the knowledge and skills they need to provide their child with a rich linguistic environment in the home.

The student/family may opt for more than one communication mode and strategy to be utilized. Communication modes and strategy options include but are not limited to:

• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Listening and Spoken Language
• Cued Speech
• Manually Coded English (Manually Coded English Systems I.e. Signed English, SEE I, SEE II etc.)
• Tactile Communication

American Sign Language. American Sign Language (ASL) is the natural sign language most commonly used by the North American Deaf community. ASL is a rich and complex visual- gestural language, with a grammatical structure independent of English.

Listening and Spoken Language. The Listening and Spoken Language approach helps children to develop spoken language and literacy primarily through listening. Hearing technology such as hearing aids and implanted devices are essential to maximizing hearing and listening. Family and caregivers are recognized as the child's most important teacher and are supported as part of the model.

Cued Speech. Cued Speech is a visual communication system that uses eight handshapes in four locations (“cues”) in combination with the natural mouth movements of speech to make all the sounds of spoken language visible. Cued Speech is generally considered a strategy for oral communication, but may also be used in total communication programs to promote speech development.

Manually Coded English. Manually Coded English (MCE) is a signed, visual communication system incorporating vocabulary of ASL, mouth movements, and fingerspelling which follows the grammatical structure of English.

Tactile Communication. Tactile communication is used to help a student with a dual sensory loss (vision and hearing) access language through touch. Some examples of tactile communication are fingerspelling and sign language in the hand.

Placement Options

Students who are D/HH represent a low-incidence disability population with unique and varied needs. To ensure an appropriate education for these children, the LEA provides access to a full continuum of placement, program, service, and communication options. Services to families of infants and toddlers must also be provided in accordance with the IFSP. In recognition of the difficulty of providing quality services to a low-incidence population, exploration of a collaborative/cooperative system of programs and services is recommended. This system enlists Part C and school district cooperation and collaboration.

The placement and service options include:

• Early intervention services provided by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
• General education, Day and/or residential placements, placements with appropriate instructional, technology, and support services
• Opportunities for direct instruction and direct communication with staff and peers
• Other placements as determined by the process directed by federal or state laws.

The selection of a particular program option is determined by the IEP team based on the unique communication, social, and academic needs of each student who is D/HH. For infants and toddlers, services are determined with the family and the IFSP team with Department of Developmental Disabilities. The IEP team is responsible for making placement and appropriate setting decisions for students (preschool through high school) and for determining the related services necessary to meet the unique, identified needs of the students.

Typical services include but are not limited to:

The following placement options should be available and considered for each child:

1. Early Intervention (Birth to 3)

The preferred setting for intervention is a "natural environment"" as outlined in Part C of IDEA. In addition to providing services that involve the family and people in the child's everyday environment, consideration should be made to surround the child with peers and adults who are deaf/hard of hearing, especially those who utilize the families preferred communication mode.

2. General Education Program for Preschool and School-Age Students

For some students who are D/HH, the general education classroom, with accommodations and/or modifications, may be the most appropriate placement. Some students may be best served in their neighborhood schools. Others may be better served in a general education classroom in a school where a collaborative program for students who are D/HH is housed. Access to special materials, equipment, instruction, and services is a critical consideration in the placement decision making process.

Instructional Support Services

Students who are D/HH who require specialized instruction will benefit from instructional support services from a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. Examples of ongoing services can include:

• Targeted direct instruction
• Observation of the student in their educational setting for access, participation in classroom, and self-advocacy
• Consultation with the educational team on accommodations, accessible teaching lessons
• Staff training on providing services to students who are D/HH

Factors to consider when evaluating a student's participation in the general education classroom:

• Does the student have full communication access in the classroom?
• Is the student able to receive and express language through listening and speaking or speechreading sufficiently well to have access to all information presented in the classroom?
• If not, is the student able to access information through sign language or an oral/or sign language interpreter, cued speech transliteration, speech to text services, hearing assistive technology and/or notetaking support?
• Is a licensed teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing available to provide ongoing direct and/or consultative services?
• Are licensed educational interpreters available for both classroom and extracurricular activities?
• Is an educational audiologist available to provide ongoing direct and/or consultative services?
• Does the general education/intervention specialist teacher receive sufficient support from a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing, speech pathologist, educational audiologist, and other necessary professionals?
• Does the general education class enrollment allow the teacher an opportunity to devote some of his or her time to assist the student who is deaf or hard of hearing to meet the classroom or course requirements?
• Is the student's social and emotional maturity level within the range of the students in the general classroom?
• Is the student able to direct his or her attention to the assigned work and follow the directions given for doing the work?
• Is the student's reading level at the approximate level of the general education class in which he or she is to be enrolled?
• Have environmental factors, such as lighting, ambient noise and reverberation, classroom location, and visual emergency warning devices, been considered?
• Are the students receiving accommodations and modifications being made to the curriculum?

3. Specialized Programs

There is a continuum of educational placements for the students who are D/HH. There are diverse educational placements for deaf and hard of hearing children. There are residential schools, charter schools specializing in bilingual/bicultural education, day schools where sign language is used, day schools for deaf children that emphasize spoken language only, and neighborhood schools, some of which have programs for students who are D/HH. The educational placement vary in emphasizing communication skills development, language acquisition, concept development, and development of academic skills using core and specialized curriculums.

• Residential schools- direct communication with the school personnel
• Charter schools- depending on the mission of the school, they may provide bilingual/bicultural education, education using total communication, or spoken language
• Home school districts- the student attending their home school district with the accommodations the student need to participate in their school
• Regional programming- the program supports several school districts attending one school district. The students participation in general education classes in selected academic subjects areas, in non-academic areas or both with resource classroom supported by teacher of deaf
• Specialized program, direct instruction that is provided by a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing in coordination with other appropriate specialists and general education teachers.

When transportation is included, the bus driver or other responsible adult should be able to communicate with the student(s) on the bus in a manner that is appropriate to the student's preferred mode of communication. Checking the transportation box on the IEP form will inform the bus driver of communication challenges such as distance between driver and student, darkness on early morning routes, background noise, etc. If the bus drivers and other responsible adults are not fluent in the student's communication mode, modified communication approach should be set up and practiced for safety.