1).

Introduction:
Case Study refers to the use of a descriptive research approach to obtain an in depth
analysis a person (individual), group, situation, event, or action, existing in a specific time
and place that has been studied. Case studies may involve both qualitative and quantitative
research methods. A variety of techniques may be employed including personal interviews,
direct observation, psychometric tests, archival records and triangulation. Case studies are
generally a single case design, but can also be a multiple case design, where replication
instead of sampling is the criterion for inclusion. Case study can be useful for the
development of future research. Yin (1991) has defined case study as “an empirical inquiry
that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real – life context, especially when
the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which
multiple sources of evidence are used.”

2).Characteristics of Case study:

1. It studies whole units in their locality and not the same selected aspects or variables of
these units.
2. It employs several methods in data collection to prevent errors and distortions.
3. It perceives the respondent as a knowledgeable person, not just as a source of data.
4. It often studies a single unit: one unit is one study.
5. It studies a typical case.
Analysing a case study helps to practice applying own knowledge and own thinking skills to a
real situation. According to Kardos and Smith (1979), to learn from a case study analysis you
will be "analysing, applying knowledge, reasoning and drawing conclusions."

3).Advantage of Case study in Inclusive Education:

1) Case study is such a research method where there is an advantage to check out the
student with child with special needs.
2) The case study can provide detailed descriptions of specific and rare case.
3) Case study also help us especially the teachers to find out the ways to teach a child
with disability.
4) By analysing any problem one can go for right treatment.
5) Case study can also identify the problem – if it is in mild, moderate, severe or
profound and if she/he is educable or trainable or any custodial case.
6) For inclusive education case study offers a fruitful method by offering a detailed case
upon child with disabilities. It will bring them to the mainstream of society.

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4).Case study of a child with Hearing Impairment:
Hearing impairment refers to a defect in or damage to the hearing mechanism. This defect
or damage may occur in any part of ear – outer ear or middle ear or inner ear. Hearing
impairment leads to hearing disability or loss of hearing. Hearing disability or loss of hearing
may range in severity from mild to moderate to profound. A person may become deaf or
hard of hearing depending upon the nature of impairment and the degree of hearing loss.
According to USA Public Law (94-142), “Deaf means a hearing impairment which is so severe
that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or
without amplification, which adversely affects his educational performance. Hard – of –
hearing means a hearing impairment, whether permanent or fluctuating, which adversely
affects a child’s educational performance but which is not included under the definition of
deaf”.

5).Types of hearing impaired based on the degree of hearing

loss:
The hearing impaired children are also classified into the following five sub-groups
depending on the degree of hearing loss or hearing sensitivity. Hearing loss or hearing
sensitivity is measured in decibels (dB).
Hearing impairment categories based on the degree of hearing loss as per the Ministry of
Welfare (Govt. of India), Notification No. 4283HW, dt 6.8.86 are given in the table below:
CATEGORY TYPE OF Db LEVEL IN PERCENTAGE OF
IMPAIRMENT BETTER EAR IMPAIRMENT
I Mild Db 26 to 40 Less than 40%
II Moderate Db 41 to 55 40%-50%
III Severe Db 56 to 70 50%-75%
IV Profound Db 71 to 90 75%-100%
Near total Db 91 and above 100%
Deafness
Total Deafness No hearing 100%

6).Symptoms of Hearing Impairment:

Hearing impaired children are not easily noticeable unless someone talks to them. However
these children show certain symptoms which are as follows:
1) Observable deformity of the ear,
2) Discharge from the ear,
3) Frequent pain in the ear,
4) Scratching the ear frequently,
5) Asking for repetition of instruction,
6) Turning the head frequently towards the speaker,
7) Inability to follow instruction,
8) Focusing on the speaker’s face while listening to him.
9) Restlessness and inattention,
10) Asking for help from peers for taking notes in the classroom.

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If a child shows any four or five symptom, hearing impairment can be suspected.
7).Causes of Hearing Impairment:
Hearing impairment may be caused both by heredity and environmental factors:
1) In some cases hearing impairment is inherited from parents. Particularly the
congenitally deaf children who are born with impaired hearing inherit the
impairment from the parents. Similarly the pre-lingual deaf children are born with
little or no hearing. Pre-lingual deafness is also inherited from parents.
2) Structural defects in the hearing mechanism also cause hearing impairment.
Structural defects may occur in any part of the hearing mechanism – outer ear,
middle ear, inner ear or the auditory centre in the brain. Conductive loss which is the
result of defects in the outer ear and middle ear, sensory – neural loss which is the
result of defect in the auditory centre of the brain are largely hereditary in nature.
3) Hearing impairment may be also caused due to environmental factors such as
infection and disease in the ear, injury or damage to the hearing mechanism due to
accident, sudden blow to the ear and high amplification of sound close to ear.

Here, I would like to do an in depth study on child named, Soham Laha, who is having
degree of hearing loss or hearing sensitivity ranging from 71 to 90 Db which means he is
suffering from profound or near total deafness hearing impairment.

8).Background of the study:

Soham Laha, is a seven-year-old student with a hearing impairment in 2nd grade. Soham’s
hearing loss is considered severe to profound because he cannot hear clearly until sounds
reach a 71 to 90 db. He is being assisted by an audiologist who ensures his devices are
working properly or not. He is under medical treatment in Durgapur. He has difficulty in the
areas of vocabulary and language skills and needs support to participate in class and
complete assigned academic tasks. He misinterprets information and does not ask for
help/clarification. He has difficulty in the area of conflict resolution and needs to continue
developing problem-solving skills. He relies solely on her hearing aids. Soham has difficulty
in understanding the content of the teacher’s instructions and often misinterprets what is
said as a result unable to begin or work on a task. Apart from all such difficulties Soham is
bright student with good academic and non – academic achievement. His interests are in
drawing and playing football.

9).Objectives:
1. To find out the problems faced by the subject.
2. To find the strength and weakness of the subject.
3. To explore the effect of his disability on parents, school, community and on himself.
4. To find the needs of the subject.

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10).Information about the subject:

10.1. INITIAL DATA OF THE SUBJECT

Name : SOHAM LAHA
Date of Birth : 22.11.2011
Age : 7 YEARS
Sex : MALE
Education : CLASS – II, KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA
Father name : DEBRARPATA LAHA
Mother name : RANU LAHA
Address : BOLPUR KUMOR PUKUR SOUGH
Siblings : NO

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 10.2. FAMILY BACKGROUND OF THE SUBJECT
Number of family member: 3
i) FATHER
NAME : DEBRARPATA LAHA
AGE : 38 YEARS
EDUCATION : MASTERS
OCCUPATION : LIC AGENT AND TUTION TEACHER
ii) MOTHER
NAME : RANU LAHA
AGE : 32 YEARS
EDUCATION : GRADUATE
OCCUPATION : HOME MAKER
SOURCE OF FAMILY INCOME : FATHER’S SALARY AND TUTION FEES

10.3. HEALTH HISTORY OF THE SUBJECT

Height: 3feet 6 inches
Weight: 20 kg
General health: Over all good
Physical health: affected by hearing impairment

10.4. CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF THE FAMILY

This family consist of 3 members. All of them in the family respect each other. They belong
to Hindu religion. They celebrate all the Hindu festival like Narayan puja, saraswati puja,
laxmi puja, maha shiva ratri,etc. And the most beautiful part is they distribute “Prasad” to all
the house of the locality. They also participate in all socio-cultural programme in locality.

10.5. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STATUS

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As a teacher and LIC agent Soham’s father is well known in the locality and has a good
reputation. Economic condition of this family is satisfactory. They live a happy and
prosperous life.

11).Problems of the subject

Soham Laha is having degree of hearing loss or hearing sensitivity ranging from 71 to 90 Db
which means he is suffering from profound or near total deafness hearing impairment. He
has difficulty in the areas of vocabulary and language skills and needs support to participate
in class and complete assigned academic tasks. He misinterprets information and does not
ask for help/clarification. He has difficulty in the area of conflict resolution and needs to
continue developing problem-solving skills.

12).Cause of the problem

1) He was born with normal hearing but later lost hearing ability due to infection,
disease or some damage to the hearing mechanism.
2) Prolonged vowels, rhythmic abnormality, excessive nasality, imperfect joining of
consonant and defective articulation are some the reason which lead to problem in
vocabulary and language skill.
3) Due to neglection and ignorance of parents.

13).Procedure of data collection

Method Used: Survey Method
Techniques: Interview and Observation
Tool Used: Questionnaire
Observation method is used to observe the behaviour of Soham with his teachers, friends
and society. Questionnaire and interview is used to analyse the behaviour and to find the
objectives of the case study.
CONFIDENTIAL
NAME OF THE RESPONDENT:
AGE: GENDER: CLASS:
INSTRUCTION: The subject is requested to sit down comfortably. Then the researcher
(interviewer) will ask some frequent question to the subject about his daily life style. The
response should be only in “yes or no”. All responses will be kept confidential.

QUESTIONS YES NO

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1.Please sit down soham. I am going to ask some questions to you
about your daily life style. You have to response in only yes or no .Are
you feeling comfortable?
2.Do you hear completely without your hearing machine(H:M)?
3. Your family is together for a meal at home or at a restaurant.
Someone across the table says something or asks you a question. Are
you able to hear/understand those words without H:M?
4. You are watching a TV show or video (not cartoons). Are you able
to hear and understand what people are saying on the TV show (not
closed captioned) without H:M?
5. Mom or dad call you from another room. You can’t see them and
you are busy playing or doing homework. . Are you able to hear them
and know they are calling you without H:M?
6. It is time to get up and get ready for school. . Are you able to hear
an alarm or clock radio go off so you wake up without H:M? (or a
parent telling you it is time to wake up, but not touching you?)
7.You are playing outside with other children (riding bikes, playing
ball, skateboarding, playing on swing). . Are you able to hear and
understand what other children are saying when you are outside and
they are not close to you without H:M?
8.You and a family member are talking. It is quiet and you are able to
see the person’s face as they talk. . Are you able to hear and
understand what is said without H:M?
9.You are in the classroom with a group of children. It’s noise. . Are
you able to understand what the children are saying without H:M?
10. Some day you have to seat in the back bench of the classroom. .
Are you able to understand the teachers words from the blackboard
side without H:M?

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14).Analysis:
After analysing his problems we can say that he has a severe hearing loss between 70 and
90 dB but with the help of hearing aid he can perceive any aspect of spoken language. The
hearing aid is simply an amplifier of sound. It enables a person to hear sound louder, but
does not restore hearing acuity as glasses do for individual who are near sighted or far
sighted. As he can adjust with his friends, environment of school teachers so he is educable
to a normal school. Using simple communication strategies can enhance communication
access for a deaf student and ultimately, result in a positive learning experience. His parents
are quite supportive and school teachers are cooperative. He is good in studies but
sometimes face difficulty in understanding and problem solving.

15).Individualised Education Programme (IEP)

An IEP is a written plan. It is a working document which describes the strengths and needs
of an individual exceptional pupil, the special education program and services established to
meet that pupil’s needs, and how the program and services will be delivered. It also
describes the student’s progress. An IEP should be based on a thorough assessment of the
student’s strengths, interests, and needs. It should identify specific goals and expectations
for the student, and explain how the special education program will help the student
achieve the goals and expectations set out in the plan. The special education program and
services the IEP describes should be modified as necessary by the results of continuous
assessment and evaluation. This guide recommends that a student’s IEP be developed,
implemented, and monitored in a collaborative manner. The educational growth of a
student is best accomplished through the mutual efforts of, and close communication
among, the student, the student’s parents, 1 the school, the community, and other
professionals involved with the student. The IEP provides an opportunity for all those
involved with the student to work together to provide a program that will foster student
achievement and success.

16).Objectives of IEP
The purpose of an IEP is to meet the child's needs based on the child's development rather
than predetermined expectations based on grade level. The IEP takes both strengths and
challenges into consideration, using a child's strengths to improve his or her challenges. The
IEP Team must determine the proper placement for a child using the environment that is
the least restrictive possible. A child is pulled out of a regular classroom and put in another
environment only when absolutely necessary for the child's education. Any time spent
outside

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17).Individualised Education Programme for hearing impaired
child:
Hearing impaired children differ from one another in many ways. They may differ in the
degree and type of hearing loss, the age of onset of deafness, intelligence, parents’, ability
and attitude, home environment and nature and amount of their home training, if any. The
care, training and education need to be rendered to such children. (For the purpose of this
case study, the term "deaf" will refer to a person with a severe/profound hearing loss who
prefers oral communication. These communication tips are also helpful for many deaf
students who use sign language interpreters, as well as others with varying degrees of
hearing loss).

 Ask the deaf student to choose the best seating for communication. Typically, this
means a seat near the instructor so that the student can see the instructor's lips.
Whenever possible, especially in small groups, use a round table or semi-circular
seating arrangement which enables the student to see everyone's face. Usually, the
person with a hearing loss will know best where to sit. It is helpful to take into
consideration the area's lighting, so the instructor is illuminated clearly.
 Avoid unnecessary pacing and speaking when writing on a chalkboard/dry-erase
board. It is difficult to speech read a person in motion and impossible to speech read
one whose back is turned. Write or draw on the board, then face the group and
explain the work. If using an overhead projector, do not look down at it while
speaking.
 Use visual aids. For a person with a significant hearing loss, or who is deaf, vision is a
primary channel for receiving communication. Make full use of available aids,
including films, videotapes, overhead projectors, Power Point, diagrams, and
chalkboards/dry-erase boards. Give the student time to read/analyze before
speaking.
 Make sure the student doesn't miss vital information. Write out any changes in
meeting times, special assignments, and additional instructions. Allow extra time
when referring to manuals and texts since the deaf student must look at what has
been written and then return his attention to the instructor. Following up with e-
mail is an excellent way to communicate vital information.
 Slow down the pace of communication slightly to facilitate understanding. Do not
talk too fast. Allow extra time for the deaf student to ask or answer questions.
 Repeat questions or statements made by other students and point to the person
speaking. Remember that many deaf students are cut off from whatever happens
outside their visual area.
 Allow full participation of the deaf student in the discussion. It is difficult for deaf
students to participate in group discussions because many are not sure when
speakers have finished. Recognize the deaf student from time to time to allow full
participation by that person. Be aware of turn taking and give the deaf student a
chance to look at the various students before each speaks.
 Use hands-on experience whenever possible in training situations. Like other
people, deaf people learn quickly by "doing." What may be difficult to communicate
verbally may be explained easily by hands-on demonstration.

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Every child whether he is abled or disabled, has a right to education and every society must
grant this right to the hearing impaired children to receive appropriate training and
education so that they become useful members of the society and participate in nation
building instead of being a burden for the parents. The care and training of hearing impaired
children should match with their degree and type of loss. Moreover, care and training of
hearing-Impaired children should be joint responsibility of the home, school, community,
health and social welfare personnel.

18).Parent’s responsibility:
Care and training of a hearing impaired child should start in the home. Parents, siblings and
other members of the family have a major and crucial role to play in the care and training of
the disabled child. Parents’ responsibility lies in:
1) Early identification of hearing impairment based on the child’s developmental
responses to sound and speech.
2) Referring the suspected cases to the ENT specialists and the audiologist for
assessment.
3) Accepting the impaired child and showing love and affection to him like other
normal children in the family.
4) Consulting the specialists and the teachers and sharing the responsibility for the
training of the child.
5) Encouraging the child to use the hearing aid regularly. A single cord hearing aid
should be used by the child if one ear is affected. If both the ears are affected then a
V cord hearing aid should be prescribed for him.
6) Teaching the child verbal skills, writing skills, reading skills and stimulating their
language development.
7) Encouraging self playing, playing with siblings, playing with the peer groups and
developing singing, saying rhymes, listening to stories and the habit of sharing and
taking turns.
8) Creating conditions for social normalisation of the child in the home.
9) Acting as per the advice of specialists.
10) Preparing the child for integration in the school.

19).Schools’ responsibility:
In addition to parent’s responsibility the school has a major responsibility in the care and
training of hearing impaired children. The major problem of hearing impaired children lies in
their deficiency in speech and language development and communication. There are three
methods of training deaf children – the oral method, the manual method and the total
communication approach. Finger spelling and sign language are examples of manual
method. Lip reading or speech reading and auditory training are examples of oral method.
The manual method is appropriate for severely and profoundly deaf children. The oral
method is best suited for mild-to-moderately hearing handicapped children.
1) Orientation program, workshop, special training should be organised for teachers so
that they can tackle children with certain disabilities.
2) Special Trained teachers need to be recruited.

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 3) School environment needs to be learner friendly with full equipped aids and
appliances to meet the needs of children with hearing impaired child.

20).Teachers responsibility:
The regular teacher may at one time or another have hard-of-hearing children in his class.
He has an important role to play in managing such children in the class:
1) There are behavioural characteristics or symptoms of hearing impairment which the
regular classroom teacher should watch for. He should refer suspected cases or
advise parents to consult with specialist doctors for medical treatment.
2) He should develop a positive attitude and show love and affection towards such
children. The impact of the teacher’s behaviour will be reflected in the behaviour will
b e reflected in the behaviour of his peers.
3) Successful inclusion is the product of careful planning, preparation, and team work.
Key team members are the school principal, the classroom teacher, the parents, and
the. Additional help and input should be obtained from available support personnel
in psychology, speech and hearing, and medicine. Team members must meet
regularly and co ordinate their efforts in planning the child’s program, objectively
assessing his progress and evaluating the appropriateness of his current placement.
4) The child with a hearing loss is, first of all, a child. Treat him as you do other children
in the class. Expect him to meet general classroom standards for both behaviour and
for both behaviour and academic work.
5) Parent involvement is absolutely essential to successful inclusion. Frequent parent-
teacher communication will help parents realize that their home provides unique
opportunities for social, emotional and linguistic development that go beyond the
scope of what is possible in the classroom. Inform and involve parents: use home-
school notebooks; send home advance information on upcoming class topics and
new vocabulary; arrange parent teacher teleconferences and meetings; encourage
parents to involve their child in extracurricular activities church groups, sports,
Guides and Scouts etc.
6) Amplification, when prescribed, is essential for effective classroom participation.
However, amplification, unlike eye glasses, does not bring about normal hearing.
Unfortunately, all sounds are amplified equally by a hearing aid. As a result, the
background noise level may exceed the level of conversation. This can be distracting
to the child and make it difficult for him to discriminate speech sounds, particularly
during group discussions. An FM amplification unit often reduces some of the
background noises and distortions picked up by a personal hearing aid. However, no
hearing aid guarantees automatic understanding of everything said.
7) The teacher should encourage the child to ask questions when he is unsure of what
is being told. When it is necessary to repeat something the teacher should try to
rephrase the instruction. There are some words and phrases that are easier to lip
read than others, and rephrasing increases the chances that the child will be exposed
to words he can comprehend.

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21).Conclusion:
Soham is an intelligent chid who gives full concentration on his studies apart from his loss of
hearing. He has a very good academic performance in class 1 which shows that he is
dedicated towards his studies. He is regular in his class, punctual and sincere child. As his
family members are supportive and school teachers are cooperative. He has no problem
with normal school. He has the capability of adjust with friends, family members. His
parents and some teachers are the main motivator in his life. With the help of assistive
device like hearing machine he can carry out his daily work. If the individualised education
programme are applied and implemented properly in different institution for such child
then they can led a more prosperous life. They can get better learning friendly environment
to carry out their studies more fruitfully without any hindrances.

22). Reference:
1. Dash, N. and Dash, M.(2009) essentials of exceptionality and special education,
ATLANTIC(P)LTD
2. https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu:181723/datastream/PDF/view
3. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED030092.pdf
4.http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/423/433278/13%20HS%20Case%20Studi
es.pdf

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