Who should I see for my child’s hearing concerns?
Educational audiologists, like those who work at Heartland AEA, are members of school multidisciplinary teams who:
- Identify children with hearing loss needing early intervention or special education as part of Child Find
- Evaluate learner needs to facilitate listening, learning, and communication
- Provide services and supports
- Recommend, fit, and manage school-owned hearing assistive technology
- Recommend resources
- Advocate on behalf of learners
When educational audiologists identify any new hearing concern as part of Child Find, a family is encouraged to consult with their child’s medical provider. In some cases, it may even be necessary to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician for any ongoing or recurrent medical issues related to the ears. Most ENT physicians work with clinical audiologists who may need to complete additional testing for any medical intervention your physician might recommend. Educational audiologists do not routinely follow up on recurrent infections or other middle ear (medical) issues.
Although both educational and clinical audiologists hold a master’s or doctoral degree, maintain appropriate professional licensure and counsel families, the chart below may help you determine who to contact when follow-up testing is needed.
| Who Should I Contact? | |
|---|---|
| Educational Audiologist | Clinical Audiologist & ENT |
| Identify, locate and evaluate all children (Child Find) with hearing loss who may need Early ACCESS or special education services | Interpret audiology/ENT reports for families |
| Interpret audiology/ENT reports for families, school staff and other IFSP/IEP/504 team members | Conduct clinical assessments for the treatment and monitoring of hearing loss/medical concerns and hearing device management |
| Conduct functional assessments to determine a learner’s listening needs in the educational setting | Make recommendations and monitor the treatment of middle ear concerns and permanent hearing loss |
| Make recommendations about accommodations and supports needed for a learner’s access to verbal instruction | Make recommendations for, fit and ensure proper functioning of family-owned amplification and cochlear implants |
| Make recommendations for, fit and ensure proper functioning of school-owned hearing assistive technology to support a learner’s access to instruction | Monitor for CMV/chemo/family history of hearing loss |
| Serve as a member of IEP/IFSP teams for learners who have permanent hearing loss | Evaluate for balance, dizziness and tinnitus concerns |
| Train school staff on the use of hearing assistive technology and other learner accommodations due to hearing loss | |