Educational Audiologist

Terms of Employment
Part-time (.4 FTE), 187 days (Depending on start date). Salary is based on education and experience and will be prorated per our Certified Salary Schedule not to exceed letter I ($41,500 to $70,643). The District provides its employees with a comprehensive benefits program including medical, life, and dental insurance. The District provides three medical plans for which it pays the full premium for employees, and a fourth option is a buy-up plan for which the district pays the majority of the premium. In addition, the District pays the full employee premium for dental insurance and life insurance. The District contributes to PERA on each employee's behalf and offers additional retirement savings options as well as optional supplemental insurance. Employees also receive paid time off. Worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance are provided in accordance with State law.

Position Purpose
Under the general supervision of the Director of Special Education the Educational Audiologist is responsible to support students with hearing difficulties in an educational setting and evaluate the student’s hearing, listening, and auditory processing deficits that can affect their academic success and communication abilities. The Educational Audiologist is uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive services including assessment, direct/indirect services, in-service activities and consultant for individuals, birth through age 21 years and their families/caregivers. The Educational Audiologist participates in the evaluation of children identified and referred through child find, and or through the educational process. The audiologist is guided by best practices and codes of ethics that are outlined by the professional organizations.

Essential Functions
Professional Competencies
As a skilled professional, the educational audiologist should demonstrate competency in the following areas:
Identification/Prevention Programs:

• Establish, administer, and/or coordinate identification programs including pure tone audiometry, ABR, OAE, APD and immittance screening.
• Train and supervise audiology support personnel or other appropriate personnel for hearing identification programs and assistive hearing device monitoring.
• Establish, manage and implement prevention hearing conservation programs.

Audiological Assessments:

• Perform threshold pure tone air and bone conduction measures, speech reception and word recognition testing, immittance measures, otoscopy, special tests (e.g. auditory processing assessments), electro physiological tests, and differential determination of auditory disorders.
• Perform comprehensive educationally and/or developmentally relevant audiological assessments using procedures that are free of cultural bias and are appropriate to the child’s receptive and expressive native language skills, cognitive abilities and behavioral functioning.
• Evaluate the need for, selection of and functioning of hearing aids, individual and/or group amplification systems, cochlear implants, vibrotactile devices and other hearing assistive technology (HATS), including making earmold impressions and modifications.
• Provide written and/or verbal interpretation of audiological assessment results, functional implications, and management recommendations appropriate to the intended audience such as parents, guardians, physicians or other professionals.

Referrals:

• Make appropriate referrals for services needed for the identification and management of children with hearing loss and/or APD.

Educational Management:

• Demonstrate an understanding of general child development and management, auditory skill development, and the relationship of hearing and hearing loss to communicative, physical, psychosocial, cognitive, academic and vocational development.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of the learning environment, school systems, multidisciplinary teams and community/professional resources.
• Demonstrate an understanding of legal issues and procedures, especially the legal rights (and due process for) students, parents, teachers, administrators and school boards, including the implications of the ADA, IDEA, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and any additional federal, state or local initiatives and mandates.
• Demonstrate an understanding of state mandates and laws that concern the health, development and education of children.
• Demonstrate an understanding for and participation in the IFSP, IEP and transition planning processes and procedures.
• Demonstrate an understanding of, and provide recommendations for, educational options for individuals with hearing loss, including appropriate intensity of services, vocational programming and HATS as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Participate in team management of communication treatment for children with hearing loss or APD.
• Provide collaborative consultation with classroom teachers, other professionals, school support personnel, administrators and/or parents/ caregivers regarding the needs of a specific child with hearing loss or hearing loss and educational management in general.
• Case management/care coordination with family, school, medical and community services to facilitate transitions between levels, schools, programs agencies, etc.
• Maintain written records and appropriate/required documentation.
• Provide counseling for families/caregivers and students using effective interpersonal communication skills with sensitivity to family/caregivers’ system.

Direct Educational Audiology Services
Provide a continuum of auditory services, in the child’s school or natural environment (if appropriate), that may include, but are not limited to:

• Listening and auditory skill development.
• Communication strategies.
• Self-management of hearing needs.
• Orientation to, and use and maintenance of, appropriate amplification instrumentation and other HATS.
• Reinforcement of speech skills including phonology, voice and rhythm.
• Visual communication including speech reading and manual communication.
• Expressive and receptive oral, signed and/or written language development.
• Selection and use of appropriate instructional materials and media.
• Structuring of the learning environment including analysis of classroom noise and modifications to improve the listening environment to ensure acoustic accessibility.

Additional Duties

• Performs other related tasks as assigned by the Director of Special Education.
  Note: The above description is illustrative of tasks and responsibilities. It is not meant to be all inclusive of every task or responsibility.

Confidential Information

• Staff members shall not access, receive, transmit or retransmit material regarding students, parents/guardians or district employees that is protected by confidentiality laws.
• If material is not legally protected but is of a confidential or sensitive nature, great care shall be taken to ensure that only those with a “need to know” are allowed access to the material.
• Staff members shall handle all employee, student, and district records in accordance with applicable district policies.
• Staff members who intentionally disclose student records, other confidential student information and/or district information may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Equipment

• Uses standard office equipment such as personal computers, printer, copy and fax machines, and telephone.
• Use amplification instruments, assessment instruments including pure tone audiometry, ABR, OAE, APD and immittance screening.

Travel Requirements
Travels to school district buildings and professional meetings as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Must understand IDEA and ECEA rules and expectations.
Ability to implement behavior plans, progress monitor IEP goals, and collaborate with other members of the IEP team.

Physical and Mental Demands, Work Hazards

• The physical requirements indicated below are examples of the physical aspects that this position classification must perform in carrying out essential job functions. 
• Persons performing service in this position classification will exert 5 to 25 pounds frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
• This type of work involves sitting, walking, and/or standing.
• Perceiving the nature of sound, near and far vision, depth perception, providing oral information, the manual dexterity to operate business related equipment, and handling and working with various materials and objects are important aspects of this job.

Qualifications Profile
Education/Certification/License

• Master’s or Doctoral degree in Audiology from an accredited University
• Valid Colorado Department of Education (CDE) license to practice Audiology
• Motor Vehicle Operator's License or ability to provide own transportation.

Experience
Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and skill is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and skill would be: Successful completion supervised clinical experience.

FLSA Status: Exempt