To schedule a hearing test for your preschool-aged child, contact your regional Heartland AEA office.

AEA Audiology: Range of services for 3-5 year old preschoolers

• Hearing staff (audiologist and/or audiometrists) provide individual hearing testing for any 3-5 year old child who has been referred by parents, doctors, or outside agencies. Individual testing for preschool age children is generally carried out at the local elementary school, preschool center or regional Heartland AEA 11 office.
• Hearing staff (audiologists and/or audiometrists) provide group hearing screenings to Head Starts and 4-year-old preschool programs that are sponsored by the local school district. 
• Audiologists provide follow-up testing to identify children with hearing loss as referred from the school-based hearing program, AEA early childhood staff, parents, teachers and doctors.
• Audiologists refer the child to the medical home for medical intervention regarding the hearing loss as needed - or for consideration of person amplification (hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc) if appropriate.
• Audiologists work collaboratively with preschool teachers and multi-disciplinary teams to provide appropriate assessments, interventions, and education plans for students with hearing loss.
• Audiologists assess the need for school-owned assistive listening devices for students with hearing loss (individually worn systems or classroom sound systems), and assist the schools in the selection, fitting, monitoring and maintenance of those devices.
• Audiologists provide initial and on-going training to teachers and school personnel regarding the child's needs in regards to hearing loss, hearing equipment and educational strategies. 
• Audiologists advocate for good acoustics in preschools; for a quality hearing, listening, and learning environment for all students, and especially for those students with hearing loss. Audiologists provide basic acoustic screenings of classrooms and general recommendations for improvement.