Deafness and Hearing Impairment Evaluation Checklist
Organize audiological, language and educational data for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A free, fillable checklist for school psychologists and evaluation teams.
What’s inside
- The federal eligibility requirements, each with space to note where the evidence is documented
- 13 commonly used measures to check off, with date tested, examiner and results
- Records, interviews, observations and screenings
- Access considerations
- Evaluation timeline and a team summary box
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What IDEA requires for Deaf / Hard of Hearing
The checklist walks your team through each part of the federal definition so nothing is missed at the eligibility meeting:
- Deafness: a hearing impairment so severe the child is impaired in processing language through hearing, with or without amplification
- Hearing impairment: a permanent or fluctuating hearing loss not included under deafness
- Adversely affects educational performance
- Communication mode and language access considered (spoken language, ASL, or both)
- Student needs specially designed instruction
Summary of federal IDEA regulations (34 CFR §300.8(c)(3) and (c)(5)). Your state may add criteria or use different terms. Follow state and district procedures.
Measures included in the checklist
No single test determines eligibility. The checklist lists measures school psychologists commonly use so you can document what was given, when and by whom:
- Audiological: Audiological evaluation (current), Hearing technology: hearing aids, cochlear implant, remote microphone, Functional listening evaluation, Classroom acoustics review
- Communication and language: Teacher of the Deaf / hard of hearing evaluation, Language evaluation (spoken language and/or ASL), SIFTER or similar teacher rating
- Cognitive: Nonverbal cognitive measure (Leiter-3, UNIT2, or WISC-V nonverbal index), Interpreter or ASL-fluent examiner used, if needed
- Achievement and social-emotional: WIAT-4 or KTEA-3 (with accommodations), Reading / literacy assessment, BASC-3 or social-emotional rating, Observation of classroom access and peer communication
Blank rows let you add any other measures your team uses.
Access considerations
- Language and communication needs (IDEA special factor)
- Direct communication with peers and staff
- Interpreter or captioning needs
- Seating and visual access
- Assistive listening technology
- Connection with deaf and hard of hearing peers and role models
Frequently asked questions
Is the checklist fillable?
Yes. You can type into it on a computer or print it. Check boxes are printed, and every date, examiner and notes field can be filled in digitally.
Does this replace my state or district forms?
No. It is a working checklist to organize data. Your state may add criteria or use different terms, so always follow state and district procedures and use their required forms.
Can I share it with my evaluation team?
Yes. Share it with colleagues on your team. If others want their own copy, send them to this page.