Intermediate School District 917 CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTION Educational Audiologist Department: Special Education

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1 Title of Immediate Supervisor: Assistant Director of Special Education Intermediate School District 917 Department: Special Education FLSA Status: Exempt Accountable For (Job Titles): None Pay Grade Assignment: Teachers General Summary or Purpose Of Job: Ensures that deaf and hard-of-hearing children are able to hear to the greatest extent possible, in order to maximize learner potential and success. Assesses and monitors students hearing status at school, or at home, as well as through evaluation and management of assistive listening devices. Consults with parents, teachers and local district special education staff. DUTY NO. ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (These duties are a representative sample; position assignments may vary.) FRE- QUENCY 1. Conducts formal hearing evaluations for students entering the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Program to determine eligibility, as well as to determine the impact of the hearing loss on the student s ability to hear and understand speech in school or the home environment. Examples of tests conducted include pure-tone testing, word-recognition testing, evaluation of amplification, such as Real-Ear measures, and electroacoustic analysis of hearing aids, Tympanometry testing, Otoacoustic Emissions Testing, informal assessment of auditory skills, and review of information provided by clinical audiologists. 2. Conducts classroom observations to determine how effectively a deaf or hard-of-hearing student is using his/her hearing to gain information. Conducts sound-level measurements to determine whether background noise is negatively impacting how a student is hearing in the classroom. Examines the physical environment of the classroom to make recommendations about what adaptations can be made to improve listening conditions, such as seating arrangements, noise management and teaching strategies. 3. Conducts assessments in order to determine whether a student would benefit from an assistive listening device (ALD); determines which type of ALD would be most beneficial to meet the student s needs, such as personal systems or classroom amplification systems. Fits the student with the device, if a personal system, or installs the classroom amplification system, when recommended. 20% 15%

2 4. Manages assistive listening devices. Monitors the effectiveness of the ALD in the school environment in a variety of settings throughout the school year. Troubleshoots and fixes problems with the devices. Makes earmolds annually, or more often if needed, for students who use ALD s. Maintains the inventory of all ALD s used by member districts. Order and distributes supplies such as batteries, chargers, earmold materials, and ALD equipment. Coordinates summer repairs and contract servicing of the ALD s. 5. Conducts monthly middle-ear monitoring, using Tympanometry and otoscopy, for students with chronic middle-ear problems. Consults with parents and nurses to facilitate medical management, when needed. Consults with teachers to ensure that the student has access to information in the classroom while hearing is temporarily decreased due to middle ear problems. 6. Consults with school nurses regarding daily checks of FM systems, middle-ear monitoring, referrals for deaf and hard-of-hearing services, or for and educational audiology assessment. Consults with parents, teachers and the special education staff regarding the student s level of auditory skill development, the impact of hearing loss on language development, the benefits of hearing aids, academic performance, whether students meet entrance criteria for deaf and hard-of-hearing services, and adaptations that can be made in the classroom to ensure that the deaf and hard-of-hearing student has access to information. 7. Conducts evaluations for students suspected of having auditory processing disorders. The evaluation includes tests such as pure-tone testing, word-recognition testing, Screening for Auditory Processing Disorders, the Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills, The Listening Test, classroom observations, and evaluation with ALD s, when necessary. Semi-monthly 5% Attends Child Study, IEP, and three-year educational evaluation meetings. Writes reports regarding test results. For students, ages birth to three, provides parent education, works with clinical audiologists in providing young children with appropriate amplification, monitoring early auditory skill development, helping parents overcome problems with keeping amplification on infants, and so forth. Performs other duties of a comparable level or type. Participates on interview teams, when requested. Mentors new employees, when requested. Must be responsible for arriving at multiple work sites; this usually means driving between various work sites. As required

3 Minimum Qualifications: (necessary qualifications to gain entry into the job not preferred or desirable qualifications) Requires a minimum of a graduate degree in communications disorders or audiology, including one year of clinical fellowship; or an equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience necessary to successfully perform the essential functions of the work. Certification or Licensing Requirements (prior to job entry): Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology, and a Minnesota license to practice audiology issued by the Minnesota Department of Health. Knowledge Requirements: Requires knowledge of: Audiometric procedures, anatomy of the ear, causes of hearing loss, hearing aids and current fitting strategies, and evaluation techniques to verify the hearing aid fitting. Technology to measure noise levels, acoustics and factors that impact reverberation or sound transmission. Speech perception tests, current technology in assistive listening devices, computers and software programs designed to program ALD s, electronics, test procedures to verify fitting assistive technology. Spreadsheet programs, such as Excel, technology to measure hearing aid performance, such as real ear measures, electroacoustic analysis of hearing aids, and soundfield aided testing, and how to repair and troubleshoot equipment. Tympanometry testing, and how to interpret results, middle-ear disorders, and anatomy of the ear. ALD s and how to instruct staff on daily monitoring, Tympanometry, deaf and hard-ofhearing (D/HOH) entrance criteria, language development and impact of hearing loss, and effective teaching strategies for D/HOH students. Auditory processing disorders, and test protocols to evaluate them. Due process, test procedures, and report writing. Normal child development, auditory skill development, language development, use of hearing aids by infants, and cochlear implants. Skill Requirements: Skilled in: Conducting Audiometry test procedures, such as pure-tone testing, word recognition testing, Tympanometry, Otoacoustic emissions testing, real-ear measures, and electroacoustic analysis of hearing aids, and interpretation of results. Using behavioral observation techniques, using a sound-level meter, consulting with classroom teachers regarding adaptations in the classroom to decrease noise levels. In real-ear measures, electroacoustic analysis of hearing aids, making earmold impressions, writing classroom systems, and in software programs designed for ALD s.

4 Using Excel software, word processing programs, Excent software for IEP s, writing up purchase orders and negotiating purchases on large amounts of equipment. Teaching staff to troubleshoot ALD equipment, discussing the impact of hearing loss on language development, academic performance and adaptations that need to be made in the classroom. Conducting, scoring and interpreting tests related to auditory processing disorders. Being a team member and educating staff on hearing loss. Ability to judge what information parents of a newly-identified deaf or hear-of-hearing baby needs at any particular time. Ability to discuss technical results in non-technical terms. Some counseling skills. Physical Requirements: Indicate according to the requirements of the essential duties/responsibilities Employee is required to: Never 1-33% Occasionally 34-66% Frequently Stand Walk Sit Use hands dexterously (use fingers to handle, feel) Reach with hands and arms Climb or balance Stoop/kneel/crouch or crawl Talk and hear Taste and smell Lift & Carry: Up to 10 lbs. Up to 25 lbs. Up to 50 lbs. Up to 100 lbs. More than 100 lbs. General Environmental Conditions: % Continuously Work is performed under normal office or classroom conditions and there are minimal environmental risks or disagreeable conditions associated with the work. Occasionally, there is exposure to hazardous weather conditions when traveling between school sites. Except when testing, the typical noise level is considered to be moderate. During testing, the typical noise level is considered to be very quiet, as in an isolation booth for hearing tests. General Physical Conditions: Work can be generally characterized as: Medium Work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

5 Vision Requirements: Check box if relevant Yes No No special vision requirements Close Vision (20 in. of less) Distance Vision (20 ft. of more) Color Vision Depth Perception Peripheral Vision Job Classification History: Classification reviewed and revised by Penn, Inc., Human Resource Management Consulting, April 16, District Revision August 3, 2004.