Study Guide

Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Sample Questions

Expand All | Collapse All

Competency 0001
Understand the development and characteristics of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

1. Maternal exposure to which of the following environmental factors can cause sensorineural hearing loss in children?

  1. mononucleosis
  2. lead poisoning
  3. cytomegalovirus
  4. type 2 diabetes
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. One of the most frequently transmitted intrauterine infections is the cytomegalovirus (CMV). Sensorineural hearing loss in children can be a result of maternal exposure to CMV. Infants exposed to CMV during or shortly after birth often appear healthy; it may take months or years for a hearing loss to develop. Babies born with congenital CMV may also develop vision impairments.

Competency 0002
Understand the development of speech and language (including listening and spoken language, written language, and sign language) and factors that affect development, learning, and daily living in students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

2. Noam Chomsky advanced the linguistic theory of Universal Grammar. Which of the following statements best reflects the principles of this theory?

  1. An individual's language is developed through operant conditioning provided by external stimuli.
  2. An individual's language is biologically structured and determined irrespective of sociocultural differences.
  3. An individual's language is actively constructed and developed in four distinct cognitive stages.
  4. An individual's language development is driven by relationships and interactions the individual has within his or her environment.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. Noam Chomsky's linguistic theory supports the idea that the mechanism of language acquisition is derived from an innate process, and that there are properties that all languages share. Chomsky advanced the linguistic theory of Universal Grammar, which has influenced ideas about language acquisition in children, including acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) by children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Competency 0003
Understand procedures for selecting, adapting, modifying, designing, administering, and interpreting and communicating results of various types of formal and informal assessments used with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Quinn, a third-grade student with a severe bilateral hearing loss, uses a combination of American Sign Language (ASL) and listening and spoken language to communicate. She will begin attending a school for the deaf in which ASL is the primary mode of instruction. Quinn's teacher recently assessed her receptive skills in ASL at the start of the year using a checklist. An excerpt of the checklist is shown below.

Displays Receptive ASL Skills
1
Does Not Display		 2
Sometimes		 3
Usually		 4
Always
Grade-level vocabulary X
Fingerspelling X
Simple ASL sentences X
Complex ASL sentences X
Yes/No questions X
"Wh-" questions X
Negation X
Contrastive structure (e.g., time, intensity) X

3. Given these results, which of the following instructional supports would be most appropriate to plan to implement with Quinn?

  1. providing Quinn with frequent comprehension check-ins of language involving non-manual markers
  2. requiring Quinn to write down key words when attending to lessons
  3. presenting Quinn with a list of commonly used words and their corresponding meanings and signs
  4. giving Quinn explicit instruction in the meaning of idiomatic expressions
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. The assessment results shown indicate that the student would benefit from further instruction, practice, and support in understanding non-manual markers (e.g., yes/no questions, negation, "wh-" questions). Non-manual markers consist of facial expressions, shoulder raising, mouthing, and other signals that are added to hand signs to create meaning. Instructional supports involving frequent check-ins of language comprehension would be especially effective because such supports would enable the student to remain focused on watching and observing the speaker while signing.

Competency 0004
Understand strategies and procedures for developing, implementing, monitoring, and amending individualized programs and making placement and programming decisions for students who are deaf or hard or hearing.

4. Five-year-old Claudine has a severe bilateral hearing loss and attends an integrated kindergarten class. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team is meeting with Claudine's parents to discuss the continuum of program placements and services that are available to Claudine after kindergarten. When discussing program placements and services, the IEP team is required to:

  1. arrange for times for Claudine to participate in nonacademic activities with peers who have the same degree of hearing loss.
  2. plan for Claudine to receive instruction from a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing in a separate setting.
  3. consider opportunities for Claudine to communicate directly with peers and staff in her preferred mode of communication.
  4. ensure that Claudine is provided with modified curriculum standards in a general education class setting.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 identifies special considerations that an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team must consider when developing the IEP. For a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, the IEP team must consider language and communication needs, including opportunities for direct communication with peers, teachers, and staff in the child's preferred mode of communication and language; academic level; and full range of services. Also to be considered are opportunities for direct instruction in the child's preferred mode of communication. These considerations directly inform the program placement and services to be provided.

Competency 0005
Understand strategies and procedures for planning, managing, and modifying the learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

5. Ms. Wynn, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, is consulting with a middle school general education social studies teacher at the start of the school year. They are discussing how to set up the classroom to most effectively address the needs of a student with a moderate-to-severe hearing loss who uses listening and spoken language to communicate. Ms. Wynn recommends seating the student toward the center of the desks arranged in a semicircle. This would support the student's ability to participate in class discussions primarily by:

  1. improving the student's access to the teacher's voice regardless of the teacher's distance from the student.
  2. facilitating opportunities for the student to cue the teacher when the student needs a question or comment repeated.
  3. reducing competing background noise for the student so the student can monitor his or her voice quality.
  4. promoting the student's ability to utilize facial cues of the speaker to better understand speech.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. It is important for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing to see classmates' faces, enabling the student to utilize visual cues (e.g., movements of the speaker's mouth, facial expressions and gestures) to aid in his or her perception of speech. Seating the student toward the center of a semicircular arrangement of desks allows the student to best see the teacher as well as other students, facilitating the student's communication, understanding, and attention.

Competency 0006
Understand effective instructional practices for promoting success in the general curriculum for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

6. A fifth-grade teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing is beginning a science unit on the circulatory system of the human body. The teacher asks students to describe what they know about the word circulation before reading an introductory article on the topic. This activity promotes reading comprehension by supporting students' ability in:

  1. making inferences and drawing conclusions.
  2. relating to the topic of the text.
  3. summarizing important information.
  4. activating prior knowledge.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. Activating prior knowledge or schema is a research-based strategy designed to engage the reader in making connections with text to support comprehension. Effective vocabulary instruction supports text comprehension. In this scenario, through the introduction of key vocabulary prior to reading, the teacher can determine both the students' background knowledge of this topic and the level of vocabulary instruction that may be necessary either prior to or during reading.

Competency 0007
Understand strategies for promoting the language and communication skills of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, including language, speech, and auditory skill development.

7. Jack, a tenth-grade student who was recently diagnosed with a severe bilateral hearing loss, is being fitted with binaural hearing aids. His teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing is planning activities to utilize Jack's residual hearing. Which of the following skills in auditory processing would be considered most complex to attain?

  1. recognizing differences between speech sounds
  2. identifying pitch and tone in speech
  3. using voice feedback to change speech production
  4. detecting sound to locate the source of speech
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. Residual hearing, or the hearing that remains after a hearing loss, can be maximized through auditory training and may be used in combination with assistive hearing devices (e.g., cochlear implants, hearing aids). Several skills determine an individual's ability to process sounds. A general hierarchy of auditory processing skills (from least to most complex) includes auditory awareness, auditory discrimination, auditory identification, and auditory comprehension. Using auditory feedback to self-monitor and change speech production involves auditory identification skills that would generally be considered more complex than skills involved in auditory awareness or discrimination.

Competency 0008
Understand strategies for fostering students' social skills and for providing positive behavioral supports and interventions for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

8. Maria, a fourth-grade student with a mild bilateral hearing loss and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who attends a general education class, demonstrates difficulty staying focused when completing independent work at her instructional level. Her Individualized Education Program (IEP) team has developed a plan to reinforce her focused behavior at five-minute intervals. Maria has achieved success with this behavioral intervention plan (BIP). The next step for the BIP would most appropriately support:

  1. increasing the amount of time Maria remains on task before a reward is provided.
  2. decreasing the difficulty of the task Maria is expected to complete during a five-minute interval.
  3. decreasing the amount of work Maria effectively completes during a five-minute interval.
  4. increasing the level of accuracy Maria must achieve before a reward is provided.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. In this scenario, the student demonstrates difficulty with sustaining focus on an independent task (problem behavior), and the team identifies a strategy to reinforce (reward) an alternative behavior at specific time intervals. The next logical step would be to increase the amount of time Maria is required to remain on task before the reinforcement is provided. When defining alternative behaviors to reinforce with a student, it is important to select an alternative behavior that is achievable and that will support the student's ability to function effectively in the everyday environment. In this scenario, increasing the amount of time Maria is required to engage in an independent task is important to her continued school success.

Competency 0009
Understand strategies for promoting independent living skills and successful transitions for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

A sixth-grade student with cochlear implants who recently transitioned to middle school attends general education classes for the majority of the school day. The parents of the student have some concerns regarding the frequent transitions in middle school. The teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing conducts a survey with the student to gather information related to the parents' concerns. An excerpt of the survey results is shown below.

Transition Proficiency Emerging Developing Proficient
Understands roles of various staff who work at the school X
Understands cues that transition time between classes has started X
Able to transition between classes in 3–5 minutes X
Understands behaviors expected at start of class X

9. The results of this survey would be most effectively used by the teacher in identifying:

  1. accommodations to recommend to the student's general education teachers.
  2. communication strategies to implement with the student.
  3. instructional methods that have been effectively used with the student.
  4. appropriate skills to target for instruction for the student.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. Transitioning between settings is a frequent source of anxiety for students with disabilities and their families. The ability to make effective transitions requires many skills, including skills that address time management, interpersonal relationships, verbal and nonverbal communication, and safety. In this scenario, the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing can use the information gathered by the student survey to determine the appropriate skills to target for this student to promote the student's success in the middle school setting.

Competency 0010
Understand philosophical, historical, legal, and ethical foundations of the field of deaf education.

10. The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) was first established in 1969. The committee consists of representatives from across the medical, research, and education communities. Which of the following best describes the efforts of the JCIH regarding early detection and intervention for infants with hearing loss?

  1. providing parents/guardians with current information regarding medical advancements in cochlear implants
  2. creating community-based hearing detection and intervention systems to provide universal newborn screening before hospital discharge
  3. identifying technology development, along with software and hardware designs, to be used for early detection and identification
  4. requiring that newborns admitted into hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICU) be screened prior to discharge by NICU staff
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) has been a leader in the study of the complexities of hearing loss and its effect on a child's development. As early as 1970, in its first statement, the JCIH highlighted the need for mass hearing screenings but acknowledged the lack of appropriate and effective test procedures and equipment. With the tremendous improvements in technology and medical science in the last 30 years, the JCIH has consistently advocated for the creation of reasonable, cost-effective procedures for community-based, family-centered universal newborn screening and early intervention programs.

Competency 0011
Understand professional roles and responsibilities of the teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing and strategies for working in a collaborative professional environment.

11. Larry is a ninth-grade student with a moderate bilateral hearing loss who attends general education classes with consultant support from Ms. Reidy, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. Which of the following actions is most important for Ms. Reidy to take when collaborating with Larry's general education teachers to monitor the progress Larry makes toward his Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals?

  1. reviewing Larry's performance on work samples relevant to his goals on a regular basis
  2. comparing Larry's achievement of curriculum standards to that of his hearing peers
  3. evaluating Larry's performance on pre- and post-tests at the start and end of each instructional unit
  4. considering Larry's sense of achievement of his goals on teacher-assigned evaluations
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. Students with Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals are continuously monitored for their progress. Collaboration between the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and the general education teacher is valuable in progress monitoring. By reviewing Larry's work samples relevant to his IEP goals, both teachers can effectively and efficiently meet Larry's needs should additional needs be determined.