Office of Children's Health
Sensory Program
What is the Sensory Program?
The Sensory Program supports hearing and vision screening for children. Hearing screening statutes legislatively mandates all Arizona educational institutions to provide hearing screening and referrals to school-aged children. The mandate requires that all private, charter and public schools make available to its students a systematic screening for hearing disorders in order to allow early identification and appropriate intervention. The Sensory Program in conjunction with others:
- maintains hearing screening rules,
- funds a hearing and vision screening train the trainer program,
- provides an annual hearing screening report form, and
- loans hearing screening equipment to trained screeners to screen Arizona's children.
The Arizona Department of Health Services, in conjunction with others, have developed Vision Screening Guidelines. Vision screening is suggested for all children.
Why is this program needed?
Hearing and vision loss can have devastating effects on academic, social and communication development.
There is a lack of known referral sources for both hearing and vision screening. There also continues to be a lack of standardized, detailed, and timely data on children with hearing loss throughout Arizona. This makes an analysis of the effectiveness of current delivery systems difficult to attain and evaluate.
What are the goals of the program?
- Identify children with hearing and vision impairments and refer them to intervention services in the community.
- Annually increase the numbers of schools complying with the hearing screening mandate.
- Annually increase the number of hearing and vision screenings performed on school-aged children.
- Develop curriculums for hearing and vision screening and training that will enhance performance and outcome with any student population.
What has the program achieved?
Offer Train the Trainer classes for hearing and vision screening through the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Train the Trainer Program.
Hearing screening equipment is now available at three (3) different locations in the state. Equipment is loaned out free of charge to screen Arizona's children.
There are 114 (T?) Trainers throughout Arizona that provide hearing screening training.
The Sensory Program in conjunction with others, has developed Vision Screening Guidelines.
Hearing and Vision Screening Training
To become a trained hearing screener, hearing screening trainer, trained vision screener, or vision screening trainer, click on the training website link below. To renew your hearing screening training online or with a trainer, click on the training website link below. In the upper left hand corner of the web page for the University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension T3 web page, you have a choice of "find a trainer", "become a trainer", or "online course". Click on the appropriate button and follow the instructions.
Hearing Screen Equipment
There are three (3) locations that will loan hearing screening equipment to schools who do not have access to them:
Phoenix: Arizona Department of Health Services
Bureau of Women's and Children's Health
150 North 18th Avenue, Suite #320
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 364-1400
Flagstaff: Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind
1000 East Butler
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
(928) 774-0655
Tucson: Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind
1200 West Speedway Boulevard
Tucson, Arizona 85745
(520-770-3199)
Screening Report Forms
- Sensory Program Policies & Procedures for Hearing Trainers and Screeners
- Hearing Screening Report Form, 2011-2012
Hearing Screening Statutes and Rules
- Statute: Title 36. PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, Chapter 7.2 ARTICLE 1. PROGRAM OF HEARING EVALUATION SERVICES
- Rule: Title 9. HEALTH SERVICES, Chapter 13. ARTICLE 1. HEARING SCREENING
Publications
View the Sensory publications, including the Vision Screening Guidelines, Resources for Parents, and Newsletters, on our Publications & Reports page.