[SE-Dir] Hearing Impairment Eligibility Revisions to OAR 581-015-2150

[SANDBERG Ruby - ODE]

TO: District and ESD Special Education Directors

The message below is being sent to you on behalf of:

Sarah Drinkwater, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent
Office of Student Services

September 11, 2017


Hearing Impairment Eligibility Revisions to OAR 581-015-2150

The National Committee on Infant Hearing declared that all infants with confirmed permanent hearing loss should receive early intervention services as soon as possible after diagnosis, but no later than 6 months of age. In order to address this need, the Oregon Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Committee (EHDI) a group made up of parents, students, audiologists, speech therapists, health care providers, and educators submitted an OAR 581-015-2150 revision request to ODE.

OAR 581-015-2150 governs the process and criteria used to establish special education hearing impairment eligibility. EHDI requested that specific hearing loss criteria be established for early intervention and that the terminology used in the early childhood special education (ECSE) and school age hearing impairment eligibility be updated.

The early intervention revisions to OAR 581-015-2150 will mean that infants diagnosed with minimal hearing loss will be able to access early intervention special education supports early in the child's life, likely preventing delays in language and communication development. The ECSE/school age revisions to OAR 581-015-2150 do not change the process utilized to identify hearing impairment eligibility for these groups.


How are the EI and ECSE/School Age Eligibility criteria different?



*         The threshold and decibel levels reflected in the EI eligibility are more encompassing, meaning more children will qualify for Special Education services in the area of Hearing Impairment.



*         Instead of using the term pure tone averages, the EI eligibility uses the term hearing threshold which is the softest sound an individual can hear. Pure tone average refers to the average hearing threshold levels.



*         The EI eligibility considers the 25dBHL level at the 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz, 6000 Hz, and 8000 Hz or greater at two or more consecutive frequencies which mean that the hearing loss is considered across two or more hearing ranges while the ECSE/school age eligibility seeks a higher level of 35 dBHL for frequencies of 3000Hz, 4000 Hz, and 6000Hz.



*         The EI eligibility considers the hearing loss in at least one ear while the ECSE/school age eligibility considers the hearing loss in the better ear.



*         The EI eligibility considers either sensorineural or untreatable conductive loss, while the ECSE/school age eligibility considers sensorineural and the conductive hearing loss only after a physician has determined the loss to be untreatable.

Prior to bringing this OAR revision request to the State Board of Education, input regarding this revision was requested from the Regional Management Team, EI/ECSE Contractors, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Professional Learning Committee, Deaf/Blind Professional Learning Committee, and the State Interagency Coordinating Council. Each of these groups was supportive of the revision requests made to OAR 581-015-2150.

On June 22, 2017 the State Board of Education approved the requested revisions to OAR 581-015-2150.  This OAR revision takes effect on 7-1-17.

OAR 581-015-2150 link <http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/rules/oars_500/oar_581/581_015.html>

For additional, information contact Linda Brown at 503-947-5825 or linda.brown at state.or.us









[cid:image001.jpg at 01D27BBF.8C867E00]  Ruby Sandberg, Executive Assistant
  Oregon achieves...together!       to Assistant Superintendent Sarah Drinkwater
                                                      Office of Student Services
                                                      503-947-5738  www.oregon.gov/ode<http://www.oregon.gov/ode>

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