Mitigation - Hearing Loss

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Nibbles
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:30 pm

Mitigation - Hearing Loss

Post by Nibbles »

My daughter got 120 and 113 in the 11 plus. The Head is strongly supportive and gave her a 1 and 1. She is predicted to get level 5 sats and is already there in literacy. She has always scored around mid 120's in VR tests at school and is in the top set for everything.

My question is should we mention the fact that she has a mild to moderate hearing loss which she has had since she was a toddler, she has refused to wear a hearing aid since year 1 although she needed one. She had an operation in August to repair one of her perforated ear drums and her hearing has improved and once the other ear is done her hearing should be almost normal.

Its hard to say the effect this has had on her, we know she does mis hear things. We were thinking along the lines of - she's very bright to have managed so well with an uncorreted loss. Her ENT consultant is going to write a letter for us but I'm not sure what he is going to say as it han't arrived yet.

I would appreciate your view - is it worth mentioning or will the panel think we are clutching at straws.

We have no reason why her second score was only 113, which is going to be a problem I think.

Thank you.
hermanmunster
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Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/diso ... ffects.htm
http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/hearingtesting.asp


Hi - don't know about the appeals but as far as hearing impairment is concerned there is plenty of evidence that it affects attainment. The articles above are from the US where I don't think they have comprehensive screening programmes - all I could find before wizzing out to work. The consultant's eveidence will hopefully quote the levels of loss as this will give more weight to the argument. The second article above is based on sensorineural loss - not conductive, on the whole not going to affect the outcome other than the fact that something can generally be done about conductive loss - ie the recent surgery.
If I get some P&Q later I will try and find a few other bits of info.
Sally-Anne
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Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Nibbles

With 120, a 1:1 recommendation, 3 x Level 5s, top sets and good VR scores you have very, very little to prove indeed.

If the ENT consultant's letter contains nothing untoward, I would simply attach it to the other evidence. Make a very brief comment in your letter to the effect that your daughter has achieved a very high academic standard despite having some hearing loss (see attached letter from consultant).

Then, at the hearing you can put a little more detail in your presentation (no more than you have said above) and leave the panel to draw the rest out of you.

I think that as all the evidence seems to point towards the 120 score being most representative of her ability, the panel will probably discount the 113 score as "just one of those things". I think they will ask the question, and you can say that you have no idea. Panels like honesty and straightforward answers.

Sally-Anne
Etienne
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Post by Etienne »

I agree that you should play it down. How would you convince a panel that hearing seems not to have affected her SATs, but has affected the 11+?
Etienne
Sally-Anne
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Post by Sally-Anne »

Exactly. The best use of the hearing evidence is to show that her very good academics so far have been achieved despite the hearing loss, which should give the panel confidence that there is even more to come in future.

If you try to relate it to the 11+ you could get very bogged down!
Nibbles
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:30 pm

Mitigation - Hearing Loss

Post by Nibbles »

Hi,

Thanks for your comments. they are really helpful.

I know there would be no point in trying to tie the 11 plus results to the hearing loss - its more her overall academic performance, despite the problem I was thinking of.
I don't want the panel to just think we are making excuses though, we don't make a big thing of it genarally as she is very self consious about it and does not like to draw attention to it.

Thanks
Nibbles
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by Nibbles »

Hi,

I am finding all the information on this forum very useful thanks to all, although I am having trouble differentiating the sucessful from the unsucessful as everyone seems to have the same high standard of academic evidence - 3 predicted level 5 SATS etc. - its making me panic a bit.

I would appreciate a bit of feedback on my appeal speech which I am composing for our appeal on Wednesday following on from my original post above about DD's hearing loss. Below is the relevant exerpt apologies as its a bit long - do you think I am overdoing it? A view from someone with more experience of these things would be much appreciated.

...'As you can see from the ENT consultant letter '... has had a significant period of hearing impairment during her early education years up to and including her 11 +... this level of loss would cause difficulty following the teacher without hearing aid use’. The hearing loss can affect speech and language development e.g. tendency to mishear or mispronounce - see bottom of note from Learning Support. She does mishear words and unfamiliar words do cause problems sometimes, although she has developed a range of strategies to compensate for this.

It is a credit to her that she has managed to achieve high academic results despite the hearing loss and she has been able used her natural intelligence to compensate for the disadvantage, something that many other children would not manage. Once both ears are repaired (as they will be by the end of yr6) she will no longer be at this disadvantage.'
Sally-Anne
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Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Nibbles

I think that is the right level to go in at. You are bound to get questions, but I feel sure you are equal to them, because this is a genuine reason for a slight under-performance.

The only phrase I would remove is this one:
something that many other children would not manage
That is an assertion on your part, and not a fact.

Hope that helps - and very good luck!

Sally-Anne
Nibbles
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by Nibbles »

Hi Sally- Anne,

Thank you for your encouraging words, I will take out the comparison with other children as you suggest, you are right it is an assumption on our part, we don't have any evidence to back that up.

Thanks again

Nibbles.
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