Upcoming Webinar: Identifying Children with Hearing Loss: The Key Roles of Speech-Language Pathologists and Educational Audiologists in Evidence-Based Screening and Follow-up
When: October 23rd, 2024 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm MDT
Webinar Description:
Undetected hearing loss in school-aged children can severely impact their academic performance and social-emotional development, with lasting consequences. As the prevalence of hearing loss dramatically increases during the school years, regular, evidence-based mass screenings are valuable. Additionally, children undergoing assessments for speech, language, learning, or developmental delays should always receive hearing screenings or full audiological evaluations, although this is not necessarily standard practice.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), screening methods like otoacoustic emissions and pure tone audiometry fall within the roles of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educational audiologists. This webinar will explore the increased prevalence of hearing loss in school-aged children and emphasize the importance of early identification and timely intervention. Without appropriate screening, children may go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed or receive services without considering how hearing issues may be impacting their overall development.
Although many schools conduct screenings, there is often insufficient follow-up for children who do not pass initial screenings. This webinar will highlight the need for improved communication with school staff, healthcare providers, and parents about the implications of not passing a hearing screening, the importance of ensuring follow-up evaluations occur, and the role of SLPs and audiologists in advocating for evidence-based screening and follow-up practices and in tracking screening results to inform diagnosis and intervention. Attendees will learn about evidence-based screening methods, follow-up protocols, and resources to enhance their practice and better meet children’s hearing needs.
After participating in this webinar, participants will be able to describe:
- The increasing prevalence of permanent hearing loss throughout childhood.
- How determining the status of children’s hearing abilities relates to the overall academic and social functioning of children
- Current evidence-based practice recommendations for conducting hearing screening using pure tone audiometry and otoacoustic emissions (OAE) screening methods
- Recommended follow-up protocol for when children do not pass the hearing screening
- Strategies for garnering support and assistance in ensuring children receive the necessary follow-up
- How SLP’s and audiologists can advocate for evidence-based hearing screening and follow-up practices in school settings
- Available training and implementation resources in evidence-based practices
Presenters:
William Eiserman, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University and is co-director of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention - National Technical Resource Center. Dr. Eiserman has over 25 years of experience developing and leading the Early Childhood Hearing Outreach (ECHO) Initiative which focuses on implementing evidence-based hearing screening and follow-up practices for young children with a primary focus on Early Head Start and Head Start and other community-based settings. Along with his ECHO Initiative colleagues, Dr. Eiserman has provided training and technical assistance to thousands of programs across the country and in international settings which have demonstrated the efficacy of early identification of hearing loss in pediatric populations.
Terry Foust, AuD, CCC-A/SLP is a pediatric audiologist and speech language pathologist who has been a key member of the ECHO Initiative team since its beginnings in 2001. Dr. Foust has provided intensive training and technical assistance to staff in early childhood programs in nearly every state, including Head Start, early intervention programs and community health centers. Dr. Foust has also provided technical assistance in a variety of international settings including in India, Ghana, Georgia and Kenya.
This is a webinar sponsored by The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) in collaboration with American Speech-Hearing-Langauge Association (ASHA) and Educational Audiology Association (EAA).
Certificate of Participation: After participating in this webinar, all participants will be provided with a Certificate of Participation.
Note: The webinar will be recorded and posted online for later access. If you are unavailable at either of the scheduled times, please register for one of them so we can send you the link to the recorded version.
- Register Now
- Live captioning will be available for this webinar
- For your convenience, this webinar will be recorded and posted on this page within 72 hours following the webinar presentation.
- Questions about or Technical assistance prior to or during the webinar: contact Gunnar Thurman
