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Audiology
Ann GearAudiology Coordinator(847)986-2343No Charge to Families- Serves 31 member districts in Lake County
- Requires action request from member district
- 6 licensed Audiologists on staff
- Locations in Gages Lake and Vernon Hills
Purpose
Hearing problems are common among children. Two to three of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing, and more lose their hearing later during childhood. (NIH Fact Sheet)
Research has indicated that even a very mild hearing loss or fluctuating hearing can interfere with a child’s ability to learn. A variety of audiological diagnostic services are provided through SEDOL Audiology for children in our 31 Cooperative Member Districts at no direct cost to the child’s family.
Service Area
SEDOL Audiology is a cooperative agreement between 31 member districts in Lake County, IL. Children in this area are eligible for a hearing evaluation from birth through graduation from high school, or their 22nd birthday, if enrolled in a self-contained special education program.
Test Booth Locations- SEDOL – Gages Lake
- Powers Center – Vernon Hills
Audiology Services- Comprehensive audiological assessments, including screening, evaluation, and consultation for auditory processing disorders.
- Parent guidance and counseling, including referrals for medical, educational, and speech-language pathology services.
- Audiological Review Services.
- Outpatient newborn hearing screenings, including coordination of diagnostic assessment if needed.
- Selection, recommendation, monitoring, and maintenance of hearing aids, FM systems, and other auditory assistive technology.
- Loaner library of personal hearing aids, cochlear implant accessories, and FM systems for diagnostic purposes and for loan during periods of equipment repair.
- Comprehensive cochlear implant management program for students in both self-contained and regular education settings.
- Case management services for educational follow-up, including referral for initial educational evaluation. Educational Audiological Review (EAR) Team monitoring, participation in IEP conferences, team meetings, annual reviews, and teacher consultation.
FM/DM Assistive Technology Program- Provision of FM/DM technology to students to insure optimal auditory access in the educational setting.
- Coordination and maintenance of member school district and SEDOL FM/DM inventories.
- Candidates for FM/DM technology participate in diagnostic trials, supported by team members, including the student's SEDOL audiologist, classroom, and hearing itinerant teachers and parents.
Cochlear Implant Program- Provision of follow-up care, performance evaluation, and troubleshooting of all cochlear implant processors.
- Evaluation, recommendation, and troubleshooting of FM/DM systems for students with cochlear implants.
- Screening and counseling of candidates for cochlear implantation.
- Close communication with cochlear implant centers to provide our students with coordinated care.
Referral Process
- Birth to 3 years: Parent initiates call to SEDOL Audiology Services. Children birth to 3 years of age can be served if the child lives in a member district and is not receiving any services through the Illinois Early Intervention Program.
- 3 to 21 years: Parent should contact their district of residence Special Education Coordinator. An Action Request for services must be initiated by the school district
Eligibility for Referral- Any child who has failed school hearing screening procedures.
- Parent/physician request.
- Concerns about hearing loss, high risk factors for hearing loss, recurrent middle ear pathology, academic progress, and/or speech/language development.
- Newly enrolled students with previously identified hearing loss.