Dear Friend,
Did you know that NYC public schools no longer provide hearing screenings for their youngest children? The practice of screening children who enter kindergarten and first grade was discontinued in September.
This is an issue that concerns us deeply. The screenings played a critical role in identifying children who have a hearing loss and require further testing. The diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss is essential because a child with even a mild hearing loss can miss as much as 50% of what goes on in a classroom.
I had the privilege of participating in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's podcast on the issue of school screening and encourage you to check it out.
Our friends at ASHA have also created a forum for you to take action. Visit takeaction.asha.org to send Mayor Bloomberg a message urging him to reinstate public school hearing screening.
We appreciate your attention to this very important issue. Thank you for caring.
Sincerely,
Laurie Hanin
Executive Director
