AJ is a second-grade student who is deaf in his right ear (sensorineural hearing loss) and due to a physical deformity (conductive hearing loss) is hard of hearing in the left ear. However, he is scheduled for surgery on his left ear because doctors are hopeful that once the physical problem is corrected, he may have partial hearing in that ear. He uses sign language to communicate, but neither his mother nor his siblings know or use sign language. He attended preschool, kindergarten, and first grade at a residential school for the deaf, but he is being transferred to a public school due to the closing of the residential school. Mr. Hanks is the second-grade teacher who will have AJ in his class. This school has never had a student with hearing loss as significant as AJ's. Prior to AJ's arrival, a team of professionals met in order to make his transition as smooth as possible. The following questions were the topic of the meeting:
a. How has AJ's hearing loss affected his communication and experiential learning?
b. What are some of the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic characteristics of students with hearing loss? How do these characteristics affect the interactions between students with hearing loss and their peers?
c. What are some recommended educational practices for students who are deaf or hard of hearing?
d. What does his teacher need to do before the IEP meeting scheduled next month?