By Monica Gallien
This article is a part of the January/February 2023, Volume 35, Number 1, Audiology Today issue.
Most children spend a significant amount of time inside a school building. Today’s classrooms are not the traditional image of decades past; a teacher standing in front of rows of desks with a pointer and a chalkboard is generally a thing of the past. Today’s classrooms are dynamic, fluid, interactive, technologically advanced, fast-paced workspaces. Children who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) are often placed in learning spaces that are inherently inhospitable to their specific hearing needs.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the 2020–2021 school year only 1 percent of students receiving special education services were identified as DHH (2022). Because hearing loss is such a low-incidence disability in schools, administrators and general education staff may struggle to grasp the significance of accommodations and services necessary for these children. Audiologists are in a unique position, not only to provide appropriate technology for these children and support to their families, but also to offer guidance to schools where implementation of this technology is occurring without the on-site assistance of the child’s family or guardian. In many cases, classroom teachers must help re-insert hearing aids when a child has not yet mastered that skill.
Speech-language pathologists must understand, perform, and report on equipment sound checks. Many school nurses must change hearing aid batteries. When an educational audiologist is not available, this support and coordination must often come from the clinical or managing audiologist. At the very least, having a better understanding of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)/special education process as it relates to children who are DHH as well as open communication with your local school district(s) will lead to improved services and educational outcomes for your pediatric patients.
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