Hearing Screening in the Educational Setting

Abstract

The introduction of hearing screening in the educational setting is not recent. It has progressed through approximately 50 years of evolution. Although there has been significant change, both in procedures and in equipment for administering the tests, many of the original problems remain. They include test protocols, personnel, test environment, referral criteria, and other areas. The goals of school screening programs have also undergone somewhat of an evolution. Public Law 94-142 has recently, although indirectly, become another substantial factor in refocusing the goals of these programs. It is our purpose in this article to discuss the goals of a school hearing screening program, some history of screening in an educational setting, and the implementation of hearing screening in the schools. We will first direct our attention to the interrelationships between the expressed goals of the program and the resources that school districts must provide in order to develop and maintain effective programs.