Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification

Obtaining Specialty Certification in Pediatrics means that an audiologist has demonstrated a high level of knowledge in the area of pediatric audiology. While a certification is not a guarantee of any particular skill or competency, an audiologist holding this certification has demonstrated the ability to pass a rigorous examination in pediatric audiology and has a minimum of two years of audiological practice.
The development of the Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification (PASC) was supported in part by an educational grant from the American Academy of Audiology Foundation, funded by Phonak Hearing Systems, Starkey Laboratories and contributions from many members of the Academy. The American Board of Audiology thanks these friends for their generous support!

Eligibility Requirements


Education and Credentials:

Applicants for ABA Board Certification in Audiology must hold a doctoral degree in Audiology granted from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants for only the Certified Specialist in Pediatric Audiology certification need only hold a graduate degree in Audiology granted from a regionally accredited institution.

Documentation:

  1. Official transcript mailed directly from the registrar's office.

  2. Copy of current , valid license to practice audiology.

Experience Requirements:

  1. Two years of post-degree, full-time, paid professional experience as an audiologist.
  2. In addition, 600 pediatric audiology contact hours within a two-year period during the past five years. Fourth-year externship hours are ineligible.

Documentation:

  1. Curriculum vitae. The candidate must demonstrate:
    • 550 direct pediatric patient post-graduate contact hours within a two year period during the past five years. Direct patient contact may include the following areas: screening and diagnostic evaluation, counseling (patient and family) and habilitation/rehabilitation.
    • 50 post-graduate hours of case management of pediatric cases within a two year period during the past five years. Case management may include involvement in team meetings, school visits and interfacing with other agencies involved in pediatric patient care.

  2. Two letters from professionals (preferably supervisor(s) familiar with the candidate's work in the area of pediatric audiology verifying the number of hours worked and eligibility for the specialty credential. (Please see Form 2 in this handbook).

Carefully review the application(s) before submissions. An incomplete or improperly executed application(s) may cause a delay in processing. Such a delay could possibly preclude you from sitting for the Pediatric Audiology examination on the date for which you have applied and you may need to sit at a subsequent examination administration.

Examination Fee:

Candidates for specialty certification in pediatrics must first complete an application. There is a $100 non-refundable application and all candidates must pay a $350 examination fee. Candidates must then pay ongoing certification fees annually. Fees may be paid by credit card, cashier's check or money order made payable to ABA .

You may download an application here! Please e-mail us for more details.

Exam Subject Area Content

The PASC exam will be a field test of 3.5 hours in length and consist of 150 questions, 100 of which are preselected for scoring. A group of experts drawn from a wide variety of work environments and geographical areas write the examination items. The examination consists of multiple-choice and multiple-response items (also known as multiple true-false or select all that apply). All questions have four response options. The content of the exam is shown below.

  1. Laws and Regulations

  2. General Knowledge about Hearing and Hearing Loss

  3. Child Development

  4. Screening and Assessment Procedures

  5. Counseling

  6. Communication Enhancement Technology

  7. Habilitation/Rehabilitation Strategies, Educational Supports

Suggested Readings

The references listed below may prove helpful in the review of the subject matter areas included on the examination. The listing of these references is intended for use as a study aid only. The ABA does not intend the list to be exhaustive or to imply endorsement of these specific references, nor are the examination questions necessarily taken from these sources.

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