Audiology
At St Joseph Institute for the Deaf, we believe all children can have quality access to sound. Our on-site audiology department can help make this belief a reality for your child.
Childhood hearing loss is the beginning of a lifelong journey. You need someone to walk with you.
St. Joseph Institute provides audiological care beyond the initial diagnosis of hearing loss. A licensed and certified doctoral-level audiologist can answer your questions, review the result forms and charts, explain the type and degree of hearing loss and possible effects on listening and spoken language, discuss management options, and help you move forward with making informed decisions. Families are an integral partner in this process.
Our youngest patients (birth to 3 years) are typically seen once a month to monitor the stability of the hearing loss, to fit and adjust devices to optimize access to speech sounds, and to keep a close eye on auditory skill development. We also want to watch for signs of ear infection—a common childhood ailment that can temporarily compound the effects of a permanent hearing loss.
Our school-age and teenage patients are typically seen on an annual basis for hearing testing and to check for proper equipment function to optimize success in the classroom. Is your child engaged in extracurricular activities? For example, does your child:
- Play a sport?
- Take music lessons?
- Serve on the debate team?
We work with your lifestyle so that you and your family can participate fully in the activities you enjoy most.
A variety of tools are available at St. Joseph Institute that allows us to evaluate various aspects of your child’s auditory system and hearing abilities, and to optimize listening devices. These include:
- Immittance
- Otoacoustic Emissions
- Audiometry
- Speech Perception
- Device Programming
- Electroacoustic/Electromechanical Verification
- Functional Measures of Device Benefit
