Practice Standards & Resources

Student & Family Support

Counseling, (re)habilitation, captioning, mentorship, and managing listening fatigue — the human side of supporting students who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.

Three Resources to Look at First

EAA Resource Members Only

Counseling

EAA guidance on counseling within the educational audiologist's scope of practice. Log in to access.

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External · Hands & Voices

Hands & Voices

A parent-driven organization supporting families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, with articles, advocacy tools, and community.

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External · NDC

National Deaf Center

Research-grounded resources, transition planning, and accommodations guidance for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Read more ›

Key Points at a Glance

Students Are the Center

Service planning works best when student preferences and self-advocacy are honored.

Listening Fatigue Is Real

Sustained listening drains cognitive energy, and accommodations make a real difference.

Captioning and Mentorship Help

Beyond technology, peers and tools create access to learning and community.

Families Are Partners

Engaged families amplify everything else the team is doing for the student.

EAA Position Statements and Standards

There is no EAA position statement on this topic yet. Given the audience, it is a strong candidate for future development.

EAA Practical Tools & Resources

EAA RESOURCE MEMBERS ONLY

Auditory (Re)Habilitation

EAA guidance on auditory (re)habilitation in school settings. Log in to access.

EAA RESOURCE MEMBERS ONLY

Counseling

EAA's primary counseling guidance. Log in to access.

EAA RESOURCE MEMBERS ONLY

Response to Intervention

RtI guidance for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Log in to access.

Educational Audiology Handbook book cover

Foundational Reference

Educational Audiology Handbook

Johnson & Seaton · Plural Publishing. The comprehensive reference for school-based audiology practice, and the foundational text behind nearly every topic on this page.

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Forms & Appendices for This Topic

Customizable forms, protocols, and checklists drawn from the Handbook. See the textbook for the full content.

Chapter 3 — Partnering With Families

  • Appendix 3–A — Resources for Parents of Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  • Appendix 3–B — Family Needs Interview for Families of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
  • Appendix 3–C — Childhood Hearing Loss Question Prompt List for Parents

Chapter 9 — Habilitation

  • Appendix 9–D — Listening Development Profile
  • Appendix 9–F — Parent Letter on Speechreading
  • Appendix 9–G — Classroom-at-a-Glance: Observation Checklist
  • Appendix 9–H — Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FAPI)
  • Appendix 9–I — Language and Communication
  • Appendix 9–K — Sample Index Card Handouts
  • Appendix 9–M — Reduced Hearing and Recorded Speech
  • Appendix 9–N — Early Auditory Skill Development for Special Populations
  • Appendix 9–O — Auditory Response Data Sheet

Chapter 10 — Supporting Wellness & Social-Emotional Competence

  • Appendix 10–A — The Self-Determined Model of Instruction
  • Appendix 10–C — Student Accommodations Notification Templates
  • Appendix 10–E — Audiology Self-Advocacy Checklists (Teacher Forms) and "I Can" Self-Advocacy Checklist (Student Form)
  • Appendix 10–F — Guide to Setting Up Student Support Groups

EAA Research & Evidence

Peer-reviewed articles from the Journal of Educational, Pediatric & (Re)Habilitative Audiology.

External Resources

External links are informational and not endorsements.

EXTERNAL · HANDS & VOICES

Hands & Voices

A parent-driven support and advocacy organization for families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

EXTERNAL · AG BELL

AG Bell Association

Listening and spoken language community, advocacy, and family resources.

EXTERNAL · ASDC

American Society for Deaf Children

Deaf community and signed-language perspective for families and educators.

EXTERNAL · DCMP

Described and Captioned Media Program

A free library of captioned and described media for eligible students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

EXTERNAL · NDC

National Deaf Center

A resource hub on access, transition, and support for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

EXTERNAL · UMT

Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FAPI)

Stredler-Brown & Johnson 7-category integrated auditory-skills profile (Handbook Appendix 9–H).

EXTERNAL · ANDERSON

Audiology Self-Advocacy Checklists ("I Can…")

Anderson & Spangler checklists, by grade band: Elementary, Middle, and High School (Handbook Appendix 10–E).

EXTERNAL · ANDERSON

Inventory of Independence & Self-Advocacy Skills

An informal inventory of independence and self-advocacy skills for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

EXTERNAL · KU CDD

Self-Determined Learning Model — Teacher's Guide

Shogren et al., KU Center on Developmental Disabilities (Handbook Appendix 10–A).

EXTERNAL · HANDS & VOICES

Parent Resources Hub

Hands & Voices' curated portal of parent resources for families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (Handbook Appendix 3–A).

EXTERNAL · VANDERBILT

Vanderbilt Fatigue Scales

Validated scales for measuring listening-related fatigue in school-age students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Beyond the Audiogram

The educational audiologist's role extends beyond hearing technology to counseling, fatigue management, captioning, and family partnership.

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Members-Only Discussion

In the EAA Community

On the EAA listserv, members regularly discuss student and family support. Recent threads have covered:

  • Safety, mental health, and identity
  • Social stories and student-facing tools — hearing test social story template
  • Auditory-verbal therapy in schools — SSD CI students, AVT lesson plan templates
  • Teletherapy and alternative delivery — limitations for D/HH students, family delivery tips, progressive HL via remote therapy
  • Co-occurring conditions — CI + ASD caseload management, sound desensitization
  • Community events

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Related Topics

Collaboration & Team Roles ›

Counseling and support are team work.

Early Intervention & Transitions ›

Family partnership during transitions.

Amplification & Hearing Technology ›

Counseling on technology use and identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help with listening fatigue?

Build in listening breaks, optimize the listening environment, and help the team understand that fatigue is a real, accommodable concern. The JEPRA article "How Hard Can It Be to Listen?" is a helpful primer.

What captioning options are available in schools?

Schools can use live human captioners (CART), automated speech-to-text, and pre-captioned video. Each option has accuracy and access trade-offs that depend on the student and the activity.

How do I support families during transitions?

Provide clear roadmaps, warm introductions to the next team, and resources tailored to the upcoming setting. Connect families with parent-led organizations like Hands & Voices.

What's RtI for students who are deaf or hard of hearing?

Response to Intervention is a tiered support framework. EAA's member resource walks through how RtI applies in the context of hearing differences and access needs.

Have a resource to suggest?

Help keep this page current. EAA members are welcome to suggest resources to add.

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