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Educational audiologists are versatile professionals in schools and districts across the United States. Despite their valuable services, an entire district may employ or contract only one audiologist; other districts may have no educational audiologists at all. Administrators and educators may be unaware of the valuable services educational audiologists provide—where audiology services are offered in school settings, students, teachers, and parents reap the benefits.
Educational audiology services translate into the school setting in a variety of ways, and are shaped by tremendous changes in demographics, technology, and education law. Thanks to early hearing detection and intervention programs, many newborns with hearing loss are now identified, giving them the opportunity to acquire better language skills. These children are benefiting from advances in technology for both hearing aids and cochlear implants.
The Individual with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) specifies that students with hearing loss, as part of their free and appropriate public education, receive school-based services, and that other services, such as hearing loss prevention programs, should be accessible to all students in public education. Educational audiologists play an integral role in ensuring that school meet the intent of IDEA.
The following stories illustrate the experiences of clinicians in three states—and reflect, on a broader scale, a national trend as educational audiologists become more integrated into the related-services programs in school systems across the country.
Iowa: A Different Challenge Every Day
Educational audiologists use their talents to help children and families and the rewards come back tenfold.
Arkansas: Raising Awareness of Educational Audiology
The author will build a new school-based audiology program this year within the second district in the state that has employed a school-based audiologist.
Massachusetts: Garret's Story: Moving to a State-Wide Strategy for School-Based Audiology
One mom's inquiry about educational audiology prompted this district to contract for educational audiology services.
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