Causes of Hearing Loss

Adapted from Felicia Mode Alexander
and Jack R. Gannon, Deaf Heritage: A
Student Text and Workbook (1984):
National Association of the Deaf, p. 62-63.


People can lose their hearing at any age - before they are born, as infants, during childhood, or as _____1_____. Each age of onset has a different name and the deafness may have different origins.
Prenatal deafness means that a baby is born deaf. There are several reasons why this can happen. If parents are deaf, they may have a deaf baby. There are genes related to deafness that hearing parents can also pass on to their child. Genes control the way we look and all of our characteristics. If the baby gets the right genes from hearing parents, it will be born deaf. Other prenatal _____2_____ of deafness can include: accidents; medicine or drugs that the mother takes; illnesses; and genetic syndromes.
Genetic syndromes are a group of characteristics that a child inherits from its parents. There are two very common types of genetic syndromes related to deafness. One is Waardenburg's Syndrome. Its characteristics are very ____3______. The person may have pigment disorders: a streak of white hair; two different color eyes; or streaks of white in a man's _____4_____. Most residential schools have children with these characteristics. It is possible to have the physical traits of Waardenburg's Syndrome but not be deaf.
Usher's Syndrome is also fairly common. Children with Usher's Syndrome are born with a hearing loss and later lose their vision. The first symptoms of this genetic syndrome occur at _____5_____. A person with Usher's Syndrome will experience problems seeing well in the dark. Later, they will lose their peripheral vision and see only within a tunnel area in front of them. This is called "tunnel vision." Persons may eventually lose more and more of their vision and become blind or partially blind.
If you notice that a deaf person does not see you when you stand at his or her _____6_____, that person may have this syndrome. The best way to communicate with a person who has Usher's Syndrome is to stand directly in front and to sign _____7_____.



Choose the correct answer for each blank line.

1 People can lose their hearing at any age - before they are born, as infants, during childhood, or as __________.
adults
friends
relatives
students
citizens

2Other prenatal __________ of deafness can include: accidents; medicine or drugs that the mother takes; illnesses; and genetic syndromes.
benefits
causes
degrees
tests
results

3The characteristics of Waardenburg's Syndrome are very __________.
rare
valuable
old-fashioned
obvious
dangerous

4The person may have pigment disorders: a streak of white hair; two different color eyes; or streaks of white in a man's __________.
smile
clothing
picture
glasses
beard

5The first symptoms of the Usher's Syndrome occur at __________.
night
home
dinner
rest
recess

6If you notice that a deaf person does not see you when you stand at his or her __________, that person may have this syndrome.
window
rear
side
door
mirror

7The best way to communicate with a person who has Usher's Syndrome is to stand directly in front and to sign __________.
politely
clearly
quickly
quietly
English

source:
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/exercises/exreading/hearingloss.htm

reflection:
the topic of this reading its very interesting and I learn more things about that.
kisses.