The U.S. Access Board, a little known Federal agency that facilitates access to public buildings, has published guidelines and presented resources to make public spaces, specifically schools, more acoustically sound for students with disabilities. It is easy to overlook the importance of acoustics which center on two key concepts, Signal to Noise Ratio ("SNR") and Reverberation Time. SNR deals with how available sound is to a listener in an environment (classroom) and reverberation rates deal with the amount of sound reverberation that occurs even after a given sound stops. Download AcousticsTR.pdf
The primary culprits that affect SNR ratio and reverberation are the
design of the building, sounds coming from heating and ventilation
systems (HVAC), computer noises, hallway sounds and sounds from within
the classroom. Obvious measures to address these issues are to consider
sound quality when the school is being built, but short of that, use of
carpeting, scheduling/location of classes to address needs of students
who require better SNR, muffling sounds from the HVAC, tennis balls on
classroom chairs and FM closed circuit systems
to focus sound. FM systems are commonly used with children with hearing
loss but I have seen it used very successfully with a large variety of
students.
The Access Board noted that sound affects children more than adults because their listening experience is not as well-developed:
"Research indicates that levels of background noise and reverberation
little noticed by adults, who are mature and skillful listeners,
adversely affect learning environments for young children, who require
optimal conditions for hearing and comprehension."
Bad
acoustics mostly obviously effects students with hearing loss, cochlear
implants, and hearing aides. However, other students with Central
Auditory Processing difficulties, learning disabilities, attentional
issues and ELL students learn better in classroom where steps have been
taken to maximize the acoustics. The American Speech and Hearing Association
(ASHA) is another important source of information on issues related to
classroom acoustics and remedial means of correcting audiological
issues.
At your next IEP meeting consider asking for the school’s
audiologist to attend and consider issues like SNR, reverberation rates
and ways to improve overall acoustics. It just might be an important
part of getting an appropriate education this coming year.