Parents and students are advocating for New York City’s public schools to resume universal hearing screenings for children, saying too many kids’ auditory challenges are going undetected.
Kim Williams’ daughter, Ezra, 10, lost her hearing gradually after an ear infection when she was younger. Williams only realized the depth of her difficulty when Ezra’s friends pointed out she wasn’t responding when they called her name at the playground.
Since then, Williams said, Ezra got a cochlear implant, and they’re waiting for a device that connects to a teacher’s mic so she can hear better in the classroom.
Williams said she’d love to see the schools resume universal screenings.
“ It's another way of catching hearing loss,” she said. “It would be great to have it back.”
New York City has been exempt from a statewide mandate that requires all other New York school districts to screen students for hearing. The city got a carve-out from the mandate in 2009 after a comptroller’s report found the screenings were not being conducted properly.
Infants are required to undergo hearing tests after they’re born, and pediatricians are supposed to test regularly throughout childhood.
The city’s public schools offer a range of support for hearing-impaired students, including schools specifically for deaf students, specialized classrooms, and a network of “hearing teachers” who go school-to-school offering hearing-impaired students extra help in general education classrooms.
The city’s education department said proof of hearing screenings is required for enrollment of new students. Additionally, students who are referred for special education evaluations always get a hearing test.
“Assessing hearing loss in special education evaluations are better indicators given school environments often lack the sound-controlled spaces needed for accurate results,” education department spokesperson Chyann Tull said. “We remain committed to working with families to ensure any student with a suspected hearing concern gets the assessment they need.”
But Laurie Hanin, executive director of the Center for Hearing and Communication, said many kids are falling through the cracks.
While it’s true many doctors check hearing, “some do it fine, some don’t,” she said.
Hanin said she sees many kids who have gone through the special education evaluation process without having their hearing screened, often leading to a misdiagnosis when they really need a hearing aid.
“There are great services for kids with hearing loss in the city, probably better than a lot of places, once they're diagnosed. But if you don't diagnose it till they're in 3rd or 4th grade, they're already behind,” she said.
A deaf student is circulating a petition calling on the school system to revive the universal screening program.
Emmanuelle Gabin said her 9-year-old son Princeton was far behind his peers and struggling to speak clearly when a therapist finally recommended a hearing test last year. He was already 8 at that point, with speech issues, and far behind in math and reading.
Gabin said Princeton has other academic challenges beyond his hearing problems, but getting him a hearing aid has been a game-changer.
”He hears a lot better, and he's able to pronounce certain things,” she said.
Hanin said she hears stories like Princeton’s frequently.
“There are great services for kids with hearing loss in the city, probably better than a lot of places, once they're diagnosed. But if you don't diagnose it till they're in third or fourth grade, they're already behind,” she said.
Daphne Syphrett counts her daughter Meela, 7, among the lucky ones. The doctors identified her hearing impairment just after she was born, still in the hospital, and she got a cochlear implant early on.
Speaking at a special field day event in Prospect Park for hearing-impaired students where Meela was making slime, Syphrett said her daughter’s school has gone above and beyond to provide her with resources and support.
She has received speech services and uses a device that helps her hear what the teacher is saying. This year, her teacher rearranged the classroom’s desks in a circle so she can always see who’s speaking.
“I’ve been fortunate to have the channels and the guidance,” she said.
But Syphrett worries that other children who do not get screened are falling through the cracks.
”There's a lot of channels out there,” she said. “If people know, if they’re educated, they'll be fine. But there are a lot of people who don’t know.”
