The Informal Functional Hearing Evaluation (IFHE) is an informal evaluation designed to guide a Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (TDHH), Teacher of the Deafblind (TDB), Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), Speech Pathologist, or Educational Audiologist in determining the impact of a potential hearing loss on educational functioning for students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities.   Developed by Adam Graves and Chris Montgomery from the Deafblind Outreach Program at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI), it is available for free on the TSBVI website. (An electronic version will be released soon.)

What is the purpose of the IFHE?

It is important to note that the IFHE is NOT designed to be the sole source of evaluation and is not a substitute for formal hearing testing.

• to provide information about how the child is currently using his/her hearing in a variety of settings
• to guide the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team in developing instructional strategies to address the child’s dual sensory needs.
• to document concerns when a student is unable to participate in formal testing
• to shape programming considerations for a student with deafblindness.
• to serve as a guide for determining what accommodations are needed in the classroom, home, and community environments to promote student access to information.
• to  provide valuable information to the audiologist or ENT prior to formal testing.