School-Based Audiology Advocacy Series
These short statements are intended for use with administrators, general and special education educators, other school professionals, and parents to increase awareness about the topic and implications for communication and learning for students who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide documentation of appropriate practices to serve and support these students.
Hearing Screening – In today’s classrooms, typically 60% of instructional activity involves listening (ANSI S12.60-2010). The ability to hear is not only critical for instruction, but it also provides the foundation for the development of spoken language and subsequent literacy, particularly the acquisition of phonemic skills. Consequently, children who have reduced hearing need to be identified as early as possible so that appropriate measures to provide access to communication, language and learning can be implemented. Log in to read more…
Hearing Assistance Technology – Hearing assistance technology (HAT) continues to evolve and improve hearing accessibility for individuals with hearing and listening problems. As required by IDEA, audiologists must “determine the child’s need for individual amplification, including selecting, fitting, and dispensing of appropriate listening and vibrotactile devices, and evaluating the effectiveness of those devices” [34CFR300.34(c)(1)(vi)]. Therefore, to ensure appropriate services, educational audiologists must have an active role in candidacy determination, device selection, fitting, validation, and management of appropriate hearing instruments for children/youth. Log in to read more…
Auditory Processing Assessment – Listening difficulties in the classroom may result from deficits of attention, global cognitive function, language, auditory processing, hearing loss or a combination of these disorders. The complexity of an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) justifies the need for a collaborative approach which incorporates a multi-disciplinary team in the evaluation process. Through this approach, students receive an appropriate evaluation insuring the development of an effective intervention plan. Log in to read more…
Counseling – As professionals providing hearing health care to children and their families, school-based audiologists routinely provide counseling that is family centered. This may be information counseling and/or personal adjustment counseling. Referrals to other professionals in the local community are made when more involved counseling is indicated. Log in to read more…
Response To Intervention – Response to Intervention (RTI) is a model to improve classroom instruction with roots in No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The core features of the RTI model are intended to increase performance of all students, including those with learning disabilities and behavior problems, and address over referral for special education services caused by inappropriate or poor quality instruction. The core components are: (1) providing high quality research-based instruction and/or intervention in the general education classroom, (2) continuous monitoring of student progress, (3) screening for academic and behavioral problems, and (4) using multiple levels or tiers of instruction that progressively increase in intensity based on the individual’s response to instruction (OSEP, 2011). RTI is not special education. This intervention model is not designed for students with sensory, cognitive, or physical disabilities and it cannot be used to delay or deny a special education eligibility evaluation for any student suspected of having a disability (OSEP, 2011). Log in to read more…
Assessment – Audiologists working in the schools have the unique opportunity to evaluate students across multiple settings as they progress through each grade level. This flexibility allows measurement of hearing as well as the students’ ability to function in a variety of learning environments. Classroom acoustics, extraneous noise, teacher vocal quality, classroom management and the composition of students within a classroom grouping all impact how students are able to hear and utilize their listening skills with or without the benefit of amplification. Log in to read more…
Classroom Audio Distribution Systems – A classroom audio distribution system (CADS), as defined by ASA/ANSI s12.60.2010, American National Standard Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools, Part 1 Permanent Classrooms, is a system whose primary design goal is to electroacoustically distribute the audio portion of spoken communications and curricular content throughout the learning space or targeted listening area. This content may include, but is not limited to, live voice sources from teachers and peers, as well as prerecorded and/or streaming media content from various sources, or both. The systems are not typically designed for public address purposes (such as building-wide announcements) or for the delivery of alert or warning signals, though they may include these capabilities. Classroom audio distribution systems may also include provisions to assist persons with low-amplitude voice levels or those with certain hearing conditions (p 4-5). Log in to read more…
Audiology Services Under 504 – Audiologists diagnose children with a full range of hearing disorders and auditory processing deficits. Due to early identification and effective intervention services many of these children may not be eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) because they demonstrate age-appropriate developmental and educational milestones. These students do require, however, the support of an educational audiologist to identify and manage accommodations that are necessary for them to continue to make these benchmarks. Often these accommodations and supports are provided under a 504 Plan. Log in to read more…
Auditory (Re)Habilitation – Auditory (re)habilitation uses various approaches to assist individuals with hearing, listening and auditory processing problems to maximize their auditory capabilities for communication and learning. For children, auditory (re)habilitation is a vital step in the process of gaining spoken language skills. According to IDEA, the educational audiologist is required to address (re)habilitation of children with auditory problems by “providing habilitation activities, such as language habilitation, auditory training, speech reading, (lipreading), hearing evaluation, and speech conservation” (34CFR 300.34(c)(1)(iii). Log in to read more…
Educational Audiology Services Under IDEA: Pertinent Regulations – This document is part of the School-Based Audiology Advocacy Series. Please see additional statements on School-based Audiology Services, Auditory (Re)habilitation, Audiology Services Under 504, Classroom Acoustics, The Educational and Clinical Audiology Partnership, Hearing Assistance Technology, Hearing Screening, Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention, Role in EHDI and On-Going Hearing Loss Surveillance in Young Children, and References and Resource Materials. Log in to read more…
16 Reason Why Your School Needs an Educational Audiologist – Students with hearing and listening problems may perform well below their academic potential simply because they cannot hear clearly enough to understand the instructor or the material. Poor classroom listening environments exacerbate this problem. Management of all systems which impact communication and learning for these students is necessary to assure every child has the opportunity for an appropriate education. To accomplish this goal, Educational Audiologists are employed by schools to… Log in to read more…
The Educational Audiologist’s Role in EHDI and On-Going Hearing Loss Surveillance in Young Children – The ability to hear is a critical advantage in the development of spoken language and subsequently literacy, particularly to the acquisition of phonemic skills. Children who have hearing loss need to be identified at birth, or as early as possible, in order to implement appropriate measures to provide access to communication to minimize the impact of hearing loss on language development, learning, and literacy. Monitoring young children for hearing loss is an essential role of educational audiologists to ensure the earliest identification. Log in to read more…
Effects of Noise Exposure and Implications for Wellness – Overall daily noise pollution is an issue affecting individuals of all ages from the fetus to the older adult (Chepesiuk, 2005). Rapid urbanization, wind turbines in rural areas, industrial machines, vehicles, entertainment activities, and personal and audio devices are all responsible for the increase in the omnipresence of noise (Gupta et al, 2018). Statistics from Pew Research Center (Faverio, 2022) indicate that 95-96% of U.S. adults ages 18-49 own a personal smartphone, with most users connecting via earbuds or headsets that funnel the sound directly into the ear canal. With this significant use of personal devices, its effect on hearing health must be considered. In addition to noise exposure causing hearing loss, there is growing evidence of the potential harmful effects of noise on general wellness (Eichwald & Scinicariello 2020). Log in to read more…