The Association of Early Intervention with Academic Achievement in Elementary Students with Hearing Impairment in Ardabil

The present study was conducted to explore the relation of some early intervention on the academic achievement of hearing impaired children.

A descriptive-correlational research design was employed. The statistical population comprised 90 hearing impaired elementary school children (57 boys and 33 girls) attending special educational institutions in Ardabil during the academic year 1386-1387. Initially, 70 children were selected using H. S. Bola`s table and then using an appropriate stratified sampling method 45 boys and 25 girls were selected as the statistical sample for investigation. To collect the data, two questionnaires constructed by the researcher and reference to the children’s medical and rehabilitation records were used. As the criterion for academic achievement the average of the grades obtained by the students in the first and second semester of the academic year was considered. The research hypotheses were analyzed using the statistical test of Pearson` correlation coefficient.

Data analysis revealed a significant (inverse relation) between each of the variables of age at diagnosis of hearing impairment age when hearing aid use began and age when parental education began and academic achievement. Secondary research findings indicated that continuous hearing aid use degree of participation in hearing training and speech therapy programs extent of parental cooperation which the rehabilitation team educational status of parents and socioeconomic status of the family are associated with academic success as revealed by the significant correlations between these variables.

There exists an inverse relationship between early interventions and the academic achievement for hearing impaired children.