Hearing losses can be easily confused with characteristics of other disabilities. The student may be judged as a slow leaner because of difficulties dealing with abstractions. He may seem to not pay attention or ask for repetition of directions from classmates. In others,hearing losses may be the cumulative result of a series of middle ear infections in early childhood,resulting in difficulty learning phonics. At times hearing losses are indicated by speech problems,as the student repeats sounds exactly as he hears them.