Does the Office of School Health recommend hearing screening?
Yes. Rationale: As with vision, vital hearing evaluation should be done before reaching school age. However, children who have not had a hearing examination can still benefit from screening in early school years. Guidelines: The Office of School Health recommends screening all children within the first year of entering or transferring into school. In addition, consider screening children who may have exposure to loud noises that could damage hearing. For example, entry into middle school and or high school could represent a good time to screen for and educate about potential hearing loss resulting from loud music or job-related noise. NASN position statement on Noise Induced Hearing Loss is available at no cost. NASN screening guidelines are available for purchase. If you do not have updated screening guidelines and have no funds to purchase them, you can find many free resources available online.
