School Health Vision and
Hearing
School Health Vision and
Hearing
Program Purpose:
To discover hearing and vision deficiencies at an early age and refer into medical
treatment so that developmental progress is not diminished.
Target Population:
All children of school age up to the eighth grade.
Description of Services:
Both the Children's Vision Screening Program and the Children's Hearing Screening Program
are mandated programs of Michigan's Health Code and are also requirements of Michigan's
Education Laws. Each year approximately 6,000 children participate in these programs
conducted in area schools by certified technicians. Costs for each program are shared by
the health department and school district.
The four vision tests performed are:
Hearing screening is done in two stages which includes an individual sweep check. A threshold test is completed within four weeks following the sweep check to eliminate over referrals due to transient middle ear conditions. False positives are further reduced when children attend the diagnostic otological clinic. These clinics are held at least four times a year in physician's offices.
Benefits of Services:
Both programs has been very successful in identifying children with vision and/or hearing
problems. Approximately 8% of all children screened in the vision program are referred to
an ophthalmologist, while 7% of all children screened in the hearing program are referred
to the otology clinic. Of those numbers, 80 to 90% of these children are found to have
medical conditions requiring treatment. These services are very efficient and cost
effective programs that have improved the developmental progress of children that may have
otherwise been delayed due to the inability to see or hear properly.
For more information on this program, please contact:
Marnie Besonen |
Last UPdate: 06 January, 2005