School-Based Audiology

Book excerpt: School-Based Audiology takes the reader through the history of audiology in the schools, focusing on legislation that has shaped the face of school-based audiology as it is practiced throughout the United States. Core concepts involving academic achievement in students who are deaf/hard-of-hearing, classroom acoustics, hearing screening programs, hearing loss prevention programs, diagnostic evaluation protocols, hearing aid and FM system verification procedures, and classroom amplification are covered throughout the chapters. Concepts regarding collaboration with other school-based professionals and classroom accommodations and modifications are outlined and provide examples for real-life application. Each chapter of this textbook concludes with a list of vocabulary words and terms used in the educational environment. Practice management concepts not typically discussed in textbooks on this topic are presented, including minimum competencies, third-party billing, program outcome evaluation, mentoring, and preceptoring. Recently qualified and even seasoned audiologists will appreciate attention given to recent advances in areas like cochlear implants, auditory processing disorders, and auditory dys-synchrony as they relate to managing students with hearing loss. The varied and ever-changing roles of audiologists in the educational setting are described and highlighted with “vignettes,” or short personal statements describing real practitioners’ degree and training information, work settings, job description within their school districts, and day-to-day responsibilities. These personal accounts allow the AuD student an “inside look” at what audiologists do in the schools. Students are able to experience through these readings how different, exciting, and even challenging school-based positions can be. Instructors using this textbook will be able to supplement their lectures with the information described here, and will appreciate the structured approach wherein concepts contained in the chapters progressively advance in tune with the reader’s knowledge. Instructors’ goals will be met, as well as KASA requirements, because this textbook provides students the necessary knowledge needed to serve in an educational audiology position.