An individualized education program, or IEP, is a process of evaluating an individual child's physical requirements that must be addressed to receive an education. An IEP is reviewed annually and everyone who is involved with that child's educational progress should be involved with the process. This includes parents, teachers and administrators. Through this process, goals are created, reviewed and revised each year. Special needs are addressed and provided for as a result of the process.
Children who are mainstreamed attend school with their hearing peers and receive no additional services. They are treated the same as any other student, with the same challenges and opportunities to succeed. These students may use hearing aids or other assistive devices. These are often students who suffer from a milder form of hearing impairment.
Some children are mainstreamed, attending school with their hearing classmates, and receive the assistance of an interpreter. The interpreter works with the student, communicating using sign language. These students are not isolated from their peers and still receive the same challenges and opportunities. The interpreter may communicate using sign language simultaneously with the teacher lecturing. Other times, the interpreter may work individually with the student.
Deaf and hearing-impaired children are often unable to hear the sounds that come out of their mouths. They may speak louder than their hearing counterparts or make guttural sounds rather than words when they talk. Speech therapy is often provided to assist these students in learning how to form words and to control their volume, even when they are unable to hear themselves.
Many states offer specialized schools where deaf or hearing-impaired children can attend. These schools use technologies and communication styles that cater to the needs of deaf or hearing-impaired children. Students can interact with others who relate to life with hearing loss and benefit from this social aspect as well.