Did You Know: Educational Audiology - An Interview with Dr. David Hsu
Can you tell us about your background and what made you want to become an educational audiologist?I had a very circuitous route to becoming an educational audiologist, but I couldn’t see myself being anywhere else. I’ve always had a connection with kids, and I believe this is because I am still a kid at heart.
One of my first interactions as an educational audiologist was getting down on my hands and knees to sing songs for circle time with our DHH (deaf and hard of hearing) students. Prior to this, my interactions with children with hearing loss had always been inside a testing booth. I had so much fun and was in awe of how much these kids loved to hear with the benefit of their hearing aids. Now, seeing the students I work with have success in and out of the classroom and meeting their full potential is why I show up to work every day.
I also must give a shout out to the CAA convention because if it weren’t for sitting next to a fellow educational audiologist, Mr. Louie Interiano, I would have never known about a job opening and would most likely never have ventured outside of private practice. So I highly encourage new and old audiologists alike, strike up a conversation with your fellow clinician and you never know what learning and or opportunity you might unlock!
Can you describe your role as an educational audiologist and the types of services you provide?
My primary role as an educational audiologist is to translate the clinical audiological profile of the student for the teacher as it pertains to their functional hearing capabilities and identifying and implementing the necessary supports and accommodations in the classroom and for their school day. What this looks like in the classroom is helping our students succeed in learning novel language and concepts amidst background noise and supporting teachers to provide the best auditory signal for the student.
Aside from educating teachers on how hearing loss impacts a student’s hearing and learning, our best audiological support is in the form of FM systems, whether that’s a speaker for the classroom or direct ear-level input. Nothing improves the signal-to-noise ratio like FM. That of course piggybacks off the great support and fit of the clinical audiologist.
Do you need to acquire any additional credentialing, certifications, or education to become an educational audiologist?
A teaching credential special to SLPs and audiologists is required. The process is simple as the Au.D. does a lot of the heavy lifting to qualify for it. Then it is a matter of going through the proper fingerprinting and completing a background check as is required for all those that work with children in the school system.
Are there any current policies or laws that significantly impact the services provided to students with hearing loss?
Oh boy… how long do you have for this interview? The short answer is IDEA (individual with disabilities education act) [2004] and ADA.
I would have to say the more important piece to learn are the policies and procedures of the district and/or SELPA (special education local plan areas), especially in how the IEP (individualized education plan) is documented and presented to parents as well as how services are delivered and documented. It’s important to know what the guiding laws and principles are but it’s even more important to know how to execute them effectively and properly, especially since you are a team member in the special education team and not just a sole provider like a lot of our education and training is typically geared towards.
What changes or improvements would you like to see in terms of policy or public awareness about hearing loss in children?
Just like with hearing loss in adults, I think it is really important to understand the nuances of hearing loss and communication needs. This is even more important for children as they are in the learning phase of building language and learning how to communicate. Fortunately, I do feel like there has been a big push in public awareness for cities and schools to provide all that they can to help children as early as possible.
One of the challenges that I’ve seen recently is the mandate for universal TK, which is a great support for kids and families. But it seems like this was rolled out without much time for schools to prepare for the influx of students, so it’s been a challenge to find the right fit for children who are on the edges of an already vast spectrum of capabilities and the support they require.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an educational audiologist?
Two of the biggest challenges have been the learning the ins and outs of how the education world works and then there are the parents that mean well but their attitude or approach is less than desirable. What I mean about how the education world works, there is a lot of bureaucracy (as would be expected with a large organization) and a lot that happens behind the scenes that we as the professionals or even the teachers are not privy to. This makes it difficult because the landscape can shift, and we must be flexible to adapt. I am fortunate to be in a place with a lot of DHH needs so my job is definitely secure but we are also dealing with some growing pains.
What are some misconceptions about educational audiology?
I would have to say that educational audiology is misunderstood and probably seen as boring. I remember back from my Au.D. program that my class was mostly on the laws and regulations surrounding educational audiology and about all the steps in IEP meeting to meet compliance. While this is true and an important part of my job, I love the part where I get to work with students and teachers in the classroom to identify and implement solutions and strategies. This would be like getting to take a patient out to restaurant as part of the fitting and acclimatization process. How much more fun (and delicious) would the clinical audiologist job be then?!
Interestingly, one aspect of educational audiology that I just realized recently is I have the benefit of watching a child grow and mature, all the while making the most of their hearing technology. Whereas working with the geriatric population, a lot of the time your goal is just to hit some plateau of functioning or stave off the unfortunate decline that comes with aging.
Are there any considerations that audiologists should keep in mind before selecting a specific type of hearing aid that in your experience has the potential to help students in the classroom?
This is a great question because usually as the educational audiologist I am “stuck” with working with whichever device the clinical audiologist has chosen for the student. For the most part the audiologists we work with fit Oticon or Phonak and that’s what I recommend as well. These 2 companies come out as the front-runners because they have dedicated pediatric lines with extended warranties along with robust ear-level FM systems to support our students in the classroom. And last, but not least, encourage the child to pick his or her own color of hearing aid and earmold so they have some sense of ownership of their device.
One final thought, I think the push for more integration of children with special needs into the general education population is great in theory but very difficult to actually accomplish successfully in practice. This requires a great deal more effort on the parts of the teachers and services providers, as well as more in the way of costs, i.e. building or developing classrooms to be acoustically friendly and installing the necessary hearing/FM technology for our DHH students. But the payoff that I am envisioning is that through more and early exposure to hearing loss, not only will the field of audiology grow and gain more interest, but also the destigmatizing of hearing loss can begin with the children in school right now.
Dr. David Hsu has worked as an Educational Audiologist with Garden Grove Unified School District in Los Angeles since 2021. He received his Au.D. from Northwestern University in 2011 and completed his externship at Yale Hearing and Balance. After working in private practice for several years, Dr. Hsu was inspired to venture into Educational Audiology in 2019.