Hearing loss is an invisible handicap. You may not realize how much of a loss you have simply because you don't know what you are missing. Often it will be someone else who will suggest to you that you have your hearing tested.

Hearing testing begins with an audiogram. Your hearing sensitivity will be tested at a number of different pitches. We will be able to determine if your hearing is within normal limits for your age, or if you are demonstrating some degree of hearing loss. Being aware of a problem is the first step in helping you cope with it.

The various sounds in speech occur at different pitches. For instance, the sounds made by the vowels, such as /ah/, /uh/, /oh/, etc. are lower-pitched sounds, while /s/, /sh/, /th/, /t/, /f/ are higher-pitched sounds. If you have a hearing loss in a particular pitch range, you might hear other sounds perfectly well, but would not detect the sounds in the pitch range of your loss. This usually results in a perception that speech is loud enough, it just isn't clear. Your word recognition ability is also assessed during a hearing evaluation.

If you have some degree of hearing loss, anything that interferes with the volume of the sound getting to the eardrum will make it more difficult for you to hear and understand. For instance, if the person speaking has a softer than normal voice, if they are a distance from you, or if there is competing noise in the room, you will have more difficulty understanding the person speaking.

If you have ever had a noisy job or hobby (such as shooting guns, listening to loud music, or working with power tools or noisy machinery), you probably have some hearing loss as a result. If you do have a hearing loss, knowing that will allow you to make some adjustments to help improve your communications and interactions with others. In some instances, a referral to physician might be indicated; in others, you might wish to consider the use of hear

Once a hearing loss has been identified and assessed, the next step is to discuss how that might affect a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. There are some good listening techniques that can be used to help compensate for mild hearing loss. If the loss is greater in degree, amplification (the use of hearing aids) might be recommended. An evaluation is done to determine hearing/communication needs of the particular individual, and how those needs might best be met through the use of hearing instruments.

Here at the Speech School, we recommend and dispense the hearing instruments of most major manufacturers. We are able to fit a candidate with a hearing instrument from any of the three major categories: analog; programmable analog; or digital. These terms refer to the electronic circuitry in the hearing aid and represent how they process the incoming sound. The digital hearing instruments are actually miniature computers whose function is to sort and process sound. You can get good sound quality from any of the technologies; however, the more sophisticated the hearing aid is, the more flexible it is and the more it can be fine tuned to a particular hearing loss and need.

The hearing aids come in all sizes: from the very smallest, completely-in-the-canal model to the body-worn instruments which are still used by some people with profound hearing losses. Although most of the electronic circuits are available for any size, the size of your hearing aid often has some effect on the amount of volume you can get from the hearing aid, as well as the way the instrument will feel in your ear.

These are all considerations that your audiologist will discuss with you in the hearing aid evaluation and selection test. If you decide to pursue amplification, the aid will be ordered for you and fit by the same audiologist who does your audiologic evaluation.

Specialty items

In addition to hearing assessment,

 The Clinic provides audiologic assessments for Auditory Processing Disorders (APD) for individuals 8 years of age and older. These individuals often behave as if a hearing loss is present despite normal hearing. They often experience difficulty in school despite normal intelligence.

Our program encourages a team approach. It is preferred that the child have an in depth speech-language evaluation and pyscho-educational testing prior to the APD assessment.

When testing indicates APD, the audiologist can suggest management techniques that will help the client function more efficiently. Along with input from other team members, recommendations may range from auditory training to classroom management and learning strategies.
 
 

• Hearing screenings for clients in the Speech-Language Evaluation Clinic and the Learning Evaluation Clinic
• Hearing screenings and monitoring the physical status of the ear for students in the Kenan Preschool program, Stepping Stones program, and Wardlaw School
• Monitoring and maintaining personal FM and classroom soundfield amplification systems throughout the School
• The Hamm Center Services:
  • Collaborate with faculty and parents to determine and meet students' needs
  • Regular audiologic evaluations
  • Special evaluations and monitoring as necessary
  • Hearing aid and auditory trainer monitoring
  • Hearing aid sales and services
  • Making earmolds for use with hearing aids
  • Loaner hearing aids for students when personal instruments are sent for repair
  • Cochlear implant programming and other related services

Students with cochlear implants and hearing aids receive the services needed to achieve maximum benefit from their implant. The staff of the Hamm Center and the Audiology Clinic communicate with the physicians and audiologists to monitor progress in speech perception abilities and to assist in evaluating the mapping of the students' processors. The Audiology Clinic also has the ability to program most hearing aids and cochlear implants. Most replacement and loaner external parts for the implants are available for our students.