Screenings
All screenings have been completed for the 2024-2025 school year. If your child had anything abnormal show on any screen, they should have received a letter referring them to your physician for further evaluation.
Hearing & Vision Screening Requirements
As part of Health and Safety Code, Chapter 36, the Hearing & Vision Screening Program requires that all children enrolled for the first time in any public, private, parochial, or denominational school or in a Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) licensed child care center and licensed child care home in Texas, or who meet certain grade criteria, must be screened or have a professional examination for possible hearing problems.
The requirements for hearing screening [PDF 584KB] and requirements for vision screening [PDF 584KB] apply each year for children enrolled in any licensed child care center and licensed child care home or school program at the ages or grades listed below:
| Who Must Be Screened | When Screening Must Be Done |
|
Within 120 days of admission |
| 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th graders | Anytime within the school year (preferably within first semester) |
Screening Procedures
For hearing screening, the results of the pure-tone audiometric Sweep-Check Screen must be recorded for both the right and left ears. A Sweep-Check Screen is to be conducted at an intensity less than or equal to 25 dB; at the following frequencies: 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hertz.
For vision screening, a distance acuity for the right and left eyes must be recorded, e.g., 20/20, 20/30, etc. Approved charts for distance acuity testing include (1) Sloan Letter Chart and (2) HOTV Matching-Symbol Test.
Spinal Screening Program
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Spinal Screening Program was established by the Texas Legislature to detect abnormal spinal curvature in students. The program is required to adopt rules as mandated by the statute. School-based spinal screening helps to identify adolescents with abnormal spinal curves and refer them for appropriate follow-up with their doctor. Screening can detect scoliosis at an early stage when the curve is mild and may go unnoticed. Early detection is key to controlling spinal deformities.
In compliance with the Health and Safety Code, Chapter 37, all children must undergo screening for abnormal spinal curvature per the following schedule:
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Girls will be screened two times, once at age 10 (or fall semester of grade 5) and again at age 12 (or fall semester of grade 7).
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Boys will be screened one time at age 13 or 14 (or the fall semester of grade 8).
A spinal screener must be certified to conduct spinal screenings. Professionals licensed under state law, including physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, and registered nurses, who have completed a course of study in physical assessment may conduct spinal screenings without being certified by the department.
Screening Procedures
For scoliosis, each student is observed from the front, side, and back: (a) while standing straight, and (b) while gradually bending forward, with the arms hanging down and palms touching, as if diving into a pool. The screener looks for head misalignment to one side of the cleft in the buttocks; one shoulder or hip higher than the other; prominence of the rib cage or the small of the back; unequal distance between arms and body; and a curve in the spine. An experienced person should be able to screen 25-30 students per hour. Screening should be performed with the subject's shoes taken off.
Texas Risk Assessment for Type 2 Diabetes in Children
The Texas Risk Assessment for Type 2 Diabetes in Children is a state-mandated program that helps assess children who may be at high risk to develop type 2 diabetes. This assessment is conducted by certified individuals in public and private schools during vision/hearing and scoliosis screenings. Children enrolled in 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grades are assessed for high insulin levels. Children who are identified with the marker are also assessed for body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure. Risk assessments are issued to the parents of these children, alerting parents of the child's risk factors and encouraging further evaluation form a health professional.
The Texas Risk Assessment for Type 2 Diabetes in Children is an important program because it can help identify children who have these risk factors, all of which can increase the possibility for children to develop type 2 diabetes. Becoming aware of and understanding what the risk factors suggest can stimulate the changes necessary to prevent or delay future health problems for children who may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and/or other conditions.
Acanthosis Nigricans
Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a skin marker associated with high insulin levels and insulin resistance and is considered a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. Insulin is produced by an organ called the pancreas. Insulin is important because it helps "carry" glucose to cells in the body. Glucose is the energy that cells need in order for them to function. High insulin levels indicate that the pancreas may be producing too much insulin, ant through time, can stop producing enough insulin to take glucose to the cells in the body.
Because the increasingly alarming rates of children developing type 2 diabetes, AN assessments are important and can help identify children with high insulin levels who may be at-risk for developing the disease.
Body Mass Index
Body mass index (BMI) in children is a measurement that helps determine weight status by using a mathematical formula that takes into account a child's height and weight. After the BMI is calculated, the BMI is plotted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BMI-for-age growth charts.
BMI categories are identified as obesity, overweight, normal, and underweight. A child whose BMI is greater or equal to the 95th percentile on the growth charts is classified as obese. This is significant as a child who falls in this category has a greater chance of maintaining obesity throughout adulthood. Studies have also shown that BMI above the 95th percentile is associated with elevated blood pressure, high lipid levels, obesity-related disease and mortality. A child whose BMI falls between the 85th and 94th percentile is classified as overweight and should be evaluated carefully and given particular attention to secondary complications of obesity.
Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and is a complication of obesity. Hypertension has also been associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Elevated blood pressure in childhood correlates with hypertension in early adulthood, supporting the need to track blood pressure in children.
Certified personnel perform two blood pressure measures on children who have the acanthosis nigricans marker. Blood pressure is taken on the child's right arm in a controlled environment, giving three to five minutes of rest in between each reading as recommended by the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. The blood pressure categories are identified as hypertensive, perhypertensive, or normal.