Kansas Hearing Screening Requirements for Newborns and School-Aged Children
The following information summarizes hearing screening programs for newborns and school-aged children.
The information has been collected by researching individual state statutes, regulations, policy documents, and by contacting each state. The information is reviewed on an annual basis. Please be advised that regulations and policy may change at any time, so always check with your state for the most up-to-date information.
Every child born in the state of Kansas, within five days of birth, unless a different time period is medically indicated, shall be given a screening examination for detection of hearing loss.
Each primary medical care provider shall be responsible for the following:
- ensuring that the medical care facility implements hearing screening for the provider's patients according to accepted medical practices;
- ensuring that the hearing screening results are discussed with the parent;
- ensuring that the parent receives written information about risk indicators for hearing loss;
- monitoring for delayed-onset, progressive, and acquired hearing loss during the infant's routine medical care;
- assisting the parent of a newborn or infant who does not pass the hearing screening to obtain audiologic and other appropriate medical consultation, follow-up, and diagnosis for the child before the child is three months old;
- assisting the parent of a newborn or infant with confirmed hearing loss to obtain appropriate intervention services for the child before the child is six months old; and
- working with other health care professionals and with the newborn's or infant's parent in the coordination of care for a child with confirmed hearing loss.
Trained personnel at each medical care facility shall provide initial hearing screening using auditory brainstem response (ABR), automated auditory brainstem response (AABR), otoacoustic emissions (OAE), and automated otoacoustic emissions (AOAE), in combination or alone, which objectively assesses the physiologic status of the ear and which has no greater than a 30–40 dB HL (decibel hearing level) criterion for a pass result or a referral for additional screening.
Each person who screens the hearing of newborns and infants and who is not licensed in Kansas for hearing screening shall meet the following criteria:
- be 18 years of age or older;
- have a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- be current with the immunizations required by the medical care facility and be free of infectious diseases transmittable to newborns and infants; and
- complete the required training
Each manager or coordinator of the hearing screening program at each medical care facility shall report to the department the following:
- the program's protocol, policies, types of equipment, and personnel, which shall be reported annually;
- any changes in protocol, policies, and types of equipment, which shall be reported within 30 days of the change;
- the data for each newborn and infant, which shall be reported within seven days after the hearing screening;
- all cumulative data, which shall be reported annually; and
- the qualifications and training of the hearing screening administrative and support personnel, which shall be reported annually.
Every pupil enrolled in a school district or an accredited nonpublic school shall be provided basic hearing screening without charge during the first year of admission and not less than once every three years thereafter.
Who Can Screen
A person competent in the use of a calibrated audiometer and who has been designated by the board of education.
Training for Screeners
Training for screeners is not addressed in laws/regulations.
Type of Testing
Type of testing is not addressed in laws/regulations.
All tests shall be performed by a person competent in the use of a calibrated audiometer.
Follow-up Protocols & Documentation
The results of the test and, if necessary, the desirability of examinations by a qualified physician shall be reported to the parents or guardians of such pupils.
For further information on hearing screening requirements, visit these websites:
Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.