Pre-K Nurses HelP!!

I really don't have a recommendation for a different audiometer. I use an ANCIENT hand held audiometer. Unfortunately there is no way my district could afford a Pilot Test.

But just putting this out there that you can be successful screening pre-K kiddos with a regular audiometer if you incorporate some "play audiometry" techniques. My preschool has 43% SPED population and I only have to refer about 12 % of my total population for further testing.

Here is an example of play audiometry with a preschooler:

I use counting bears from Amazon and it is a hit with the littles.

I really hope you get your pilot but if you get an audiometer that is not so "little friendly" just know there are options for you to try to use! ?

I don't have a recommendation of audiometer. I don't conduct our vision/hearing tests--we bring someone in to do these. For our 3-5 year olds they either do the play audiometry like @mainecoonRN92 linked, or they'll jump every time there's a beep or they'll say (mostly scream) "beep."

56 minutes ago, BiscuitRN said:

they'll jump every time there's a beep or they'll say (mostly scream) "beep."

Yes! I have them say beep and it works wonders!

Another thing that I do is ask the PreK teachers to condition them during circle time. I found a youtube video that has examples of the exact beeps heard from the audiometers, they'll practice as a whole group and pull the kiddos who need a little extra help in small groups. If I have good teachers that understand how much of an impact conditioning can make and truly work with the kids to condition them, I'm able to get results from about 95% of the kiddos (there are always those super young or autistic kiddos that have trouble regardless). This year, I had one teacher that hasn't quite bought into the idea of conditioning, so shocker, the majority of my unable to screen kiddos are hers.

On 2/11/2020 at 9:35 AM, mainecoonRN92 said:

I use counting bears from Amazon and it is a hit with the littles.

I really hope you get your pilot but if you get an audiometer that is not so "little friendly" just know there are options for you to try to use! ?

I'm in the same boat here. I tell the preschoolers and younger elementary students they we are going to play a listening game. I use a "Barrel of monkeys" and just set the monkeys out on the table, tell the preschoolers that we're playing a game where all my monkeys got out of their barrel and they will help me by putting one back in every time they hear a beep. When all the monkeys are back in their barrel, the game is over. I find that at his age the kids are very honest, If they miss a beep, and I ask them about it they will say whether they heard it or not.