Social Emotional
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Students: Navigating Complex
Social Environments
Maine Educational Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Conrad Strack M.S. Ed.
Public School Outreach Consultant
Conrad.Strack@MECDHH.org
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4/9/2015
Goals
Develop an understanding of the
relationship that incidental learning and
communication access has on
social/emotional growth
 Gather suggestions and ideas to help
mitigate the extra challenges that Deaf and
Hard of Hearing face in accessing
incidental learning

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4/9/2015
Topics

Importance of social/emotional growth

Social/emotional growth takes place
where, how

How Deaf / Hard of Hearing needs differ
from hearing classmates
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4/9/2015
Topics

Deaf needs, Hard of Hearing needs

Encouraging social/emotional
development

Opportunities available through MECDHH
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4/9/2015
How important is social growth?
School success
 College success
 Work success
 Relationship success

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4/9/2015
How does social development
happen?
Books? Classroom?
 School hall, cafeteria, recess?
 Friends? Family?
 Social Media?
 Communication?

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4/9/2015
Communication

Formal classroom communication
(teaching)

Informal/Incidental communication
(between peers / classmates and at home)
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4/9/2015
Deaf or Hard of Hearing needs
differ from those of their
hearing classmates?
Brief interactions with other students
 Smaller vocabulary base especially
pragmatic language due to missing
incidental learning
 Limited number of communication contacts
 Communication often superficial in nature
 Less access to social groups

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4/9/2015
Differences continued
Use of a different language (ASL)
 Not hearing or mishearing what was said
 Using assistive technology that no one else
in their class or family has – helps in class
 Less exposure to TV, radio, music, etc.
 Fewer friends

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4/9/2015
Differences can lead to:
Frustration in dealing with hearing loss
24/7
 Anger at being different, struggling to
understand what is said, missing
information
 Feeling embarrassed
 Becoming extremely tired from working
twice as hard to make sense of fragmented
language

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4/9/2015
Differences can lead to
continued:
Not asking questions due to
embarrassment, struggle or fatigue
 Withdrawing because communication is a
struggle
 Isolation
 Low self esteem
 Emotional health

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4/9/2015
Two types of learning

Effortful (Intentional) Learning
– Learning that is consciously undertaken, with
intention of retaining information for later use

Incidental (Unintentional) Learning
– Acquisition of information without directed
effort
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4/9/2015
Incidental learning
Foundation for inferential learning and
executive functioning
 Incidental learning forms the neural and
cognitive basis on which formal academic
learning is built
 The brain is designed to learn incidentally

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4/9/2015
How does the social
needs/opportunities of students
who are deaf differ from those
who are hard of hearing?
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4/9/2015
Deaf social development
• Has its own subculture in US and world
• Has its own language – Pride
• Has its own sports programs, community,
events, social gatherings (all wonderful
opportunities for informal social learning)
• Students are visibly “different”
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4/9/2015
Hard of Hearing social
development
• Same language as family
• Hearing assume hard of hearing are the same
as hearing
• Limited positive role models
• Language, socialization and incidental
learning can be a struggle
• Inconsistent access to pragmatic/social rules
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4/9/2015
Encouraging communication
with deaf and hard of hearing
students
Small group work
 Allow student to go to peers/classmates for
help
 Lunch buddies
 Involvement in organized clubs, sports
teams ***
 Teach ASL as a class
 Encourage all informal communication
 Permit use of social media **

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4/9/2015
Encouraging communication
with deaf and hard of hearing
students
Formally teach incidental learning
 Explain to class how to include hard of
hearing student
 Encourage friends
 Formally teach social skills/emotional
skills
 Push student out of comfort zone

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4/9/2015
Encouraging Self-Esteem and
Confidence
Belonging to a group, club, team
 Having a unique skill
 Develop advocacy skills
 Encourage sense of worth
 Feeling competent
 develop hobbies
 Encourage taking risks and challenges

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4/9/2015
MECDHH Programs
W.I.S.E.
 Kids Like Me (1st-5th grade)
 Kids Like Me (6th-12th grade)
 Participation in GBSD school sports activities
 Special Events at GBSD
 Student Awareness Programs
 Social/Pragmatic language skills class

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4/9/2015
How important is
social/emotional development?

More important than academic ?

EQ > IQ
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4/9/2015
Summary

Need for Social/Emotional growth

Importance of incidental learning

Providing access to incidental learning

Every student is different
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4/9/2015
 “Intellectual
growth should
commence at birth and cease only
at death”
• Albert Einstein
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4/9/2015
 Social/Emotional
growth should
commence at birth and cease only
at death
• Conrad Strack
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4/9/2015
Resources







Self-Science:The Emotional Intelligence Curriculum, Karen
McCown
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
Social Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
Executive Functioning in Education: From Theory to
Practice, Linda Meltzer
Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate
Inner Strength in Children, Linda Lantieri, Daniel Goldman
Family Learning Day, Amy Szarkowski, BCH, June 21
Successforkidswithhearingloss.com
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4/9/2015
 Those
that know………….. Do
 Those
that understand …….Teach
• Aristotle
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4/9/2015