Deaf & Hard of Hearing Program (D/HH)

Maple Grove Elementary: Auditory/Oral Center-Based Program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Students D/HH State Wide Events: D/HH Calendar Colorado Hands and Voices D/HH


Maple Grove Elementary is home to one of Jeffco’s Auditory/Oral Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) center-based programs.  A center-based program has the advantage of having qualified professionals who provide services to students with hearing loss.   Professionals include Teachers of the Deaf, Educational Audiologists, Speech Language Pathologists, and a a Mental Health Provider.  In addition to these professionals, students may work with an experienced and trained para-educator/notetaker to provide them with extra support within the general education classroom.  


A benefit of our program is that we are located within a regular elementary school, allowing students to be placed within the general education classroom and the D/HH classroom. This allows the students to be educated within the Least Restrictive Environment.  Programming and instruction are individualized to meet each child’s needs.  The goal of the program is to provide D/HH students with the knowledge necessary to become independent in regard to academics, social skills and self-advocacy with their hearing loss. 

General education teachers at Maple Grove participate in annual professional development and work collaboratively with D/HH teachers on a daily basis to provide D/HH students with specific strategies to enhance their ability to access to the curriculum.  These strategies may include preferential seating, comprehension checks, clarification and rephrasing, pre-teaching and re-teaching, and the use of assistive technology such as a personal FM system.

The Auditory/Oral (A/O) approach used at Maple Grove teaches children, beginning as early as infancy, to use hearing and speech to develop spoken language for communication and learning. Sign language is not used in the A/O approach; however, natural gestures that are used in typical conversation are included. Visual support of written materials or pictures to help students understand new classroom information is used extensively.  A/O education can be used with most children, regardless of where that child’s hearing loss is in the mild through profound range. Families who choose A/O commit to helping children use their hearing and speech for language and communication.  Professionals work closely with families to help them use hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM systems or whatever hearing technology is appropriate for the child.


Mission Statement

The mission of the Auditory-Oral, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center-Based Program at Maple Grove Elementary is to provide students with hearing loss support within a language-rich environment that fosters academic excellence, social skills, and self-advocacy.


Who Makes Up Our Team?

Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Models, implements and provides intervention services in the areas of  learning, speech and language, auditory training, and social skills to meet the educational needs of deaf/hard of hearing learners.  In addition, the teacher of the deaf monitors and troubleshoots hearing assistive technology.

Speech-Language Pathologist: A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a professional who administers speech, language, and vocabulary evaluations and tests.  The SLP utilizes the results to create and work toward appropriate communication goals for children with a hearing loss who have difficulty with speech or language.

Educational Audiologist: An educational audiologist performs evaluations and consultation regarding auditory functioning. In addition, he/she monitors the student’s use of hearing technology, and coordinates and facilitates maintenance of auditory equipment.

Mental Health Provider: The Mental Health Provider is responsible for monitoring and assessing the emotional and behavioral health of the deaf and hard of hearing students.  In addition, he/she promotes a strong self-concept and age-appropriate social skills.

Paraprofessional/Notetaker: Supports students in the general education setting through clarifying, rephrasing, and checking for understanding.

General Education Teacher: Collaborates closely with Teacher of the Deaf in order create and implement appropriate accommodations and modifications based on a student’s IEP in order to ensure that D/HH students can be given a maximum amount of access to the curriculum.

Occupational Therapist: Occupational therapists lead the process of developing, implementing, and coordinating the occupational therapy program.  In addition, occupational therapists screen, evaluate, and develop therapeutic interventions for students who are challenged by basic daily life activities (e.g., writing, cutting, and fine motor activities).

Physical Therapist: School physical therapy focuses on a child's ability to move as independently as possible in the school and home environments. The school physical therapist evaluates the child's ability to participate in classroom activities and change positions in the classroom; as well as manage stairs, restrooms, and the cafeteria. The goal is for the child to use what they have learned to move around in their home environment.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher: Determines and evaluates whether a child’s language difficulties originate from being an English learner.

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