Otologic Survey of Schools for the Deaf

This is the first of a two part report on the results of a survey of schools for the deaf in the United States on otologic health care. The report details the awareness and diagnostic elements of middle ear disease in the school-aged deaf child. The survey indicated, among several other factors, that a greater number of deaf children with an overlaid middle ear pathology are being identified and treated due primarily to two factors: increased awareness on the part of the schools' staffs and the use of impedance audiometry as a screening tool. However, the frequency of otologic screening in schools for the deaf, and the reported use of otolaryngologists in the admission and reevaluation processes, are still quite low.