Audiology

Audiology for Children

The Interprofessional Clinic at Perley Health offers a variety of services in audiology.

Assessments

• Infant Hearing Screenings (0-6 months)
• Comprehensive hearing assessments for kids 6 months and up.
  • Functional integrity of outer, middle, and inner ear.
  • Integrity of auditory pathways (ABRs).
• Comprehensive assessments of auditory processing disorders (APD) for kids (ages 7 and up).
• Visual Reinforcement Audiometry.
• Play Audiometry.
• Conventional Audiometry.
• DPOAE testing.
• Decreased sound tolerance assessment (Tinnitus/Hyperacusis).
• Post-traumatic brain injury auditory assessment.
• Earwax removal.
• Hearing aids, accessories, and assistive listening devices dispensing and consultations.

Interventions

• Recommendations for hearing aids and FM systems
• NEW: Hearing aid/Assistive listening devices dispensing, fitting, and follow-ups
• Communication and hearing preservation strategies
• APD rehabilitation focuses on:
  • Recognizing communication break-downs and barriers
  • Auditory Training
  • Increasing awareness of, and modifying, the acoustic environment
  • Developing auditory, metacognitive, and metalinguistic abilities
• Hearing aids cleaning and repairs.
• Verification and validation of hearing devices.
• Hearing aids adjustments.
• Other hearing care products can also be purchased at the clinic: batteries (sizes 10, 312, 13 and 675), rechargeable batteries, earwax removal drops, and otoclips (to help secure the hearing instruments to the user in case retention problems occurs).

The duration of appointments varies according to the services rendered.

Communicate with the clinic directly to obtain more information regarding our audiology services. It will be our pleasure to help and assist you.

Do you or your loved one have a hearing loss? If you can identify yourself with the following signs and symptoms, it is recommended that you consult an audiologist.

• You frequently ask others to repeat
• You find others are mumbling when they are talking to you.
• You turn up the volume of the television or music.
• You have difficulties hearing in social environments or environments with a lot of background noises (ex.: restaurants, parties/gatherings, ceremonies, meetings, etc.).
• You have difficulties hearing when using the telephone.
• You talk too loud or too soft.
• You have noticed that you are avoiding certain situations because of the fear of not hearing well.
• You have ringing or buzzing in your ears.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2019). Hearing Loss – Beyond Early Childhood.  Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935335&section=Signs_and_Symptoms on January 2^nd, 2019.

Tips for your hearing devices

• Remove your hearing devices when going to bed.
• Do not wear your hearing devices when you go swimming or when you are taking a shower or bathing.
• If you are wearing hearing devices with disposable batteries (zinc-air), open the battery door at night when going to bed to conserve the battery.
• If you are wearing hearing devices with rechargeable batteries, recharge your hearing devices every night to ensure you have functioning hearing devices for the next day.
• The hearing instrument with red on it (red writing or red dot on the instrument or inside the battery door) must be worn on the right side. The hearing instrument with blue on it (blue writing or blue dot on the instrument or inside the battery door) is the left hearing instrument.
• Clean you hearing instruments daily to ensure proper functioning of the devices and ensure a longer lifetime of the device. Consult an audiologist to learn the best way to clean your hearing instrument.
• Consult your audiologist as soon as you notice that the hearing aid is defective to intervene sooner.
• If you notice that the hearing instrument is not as loud since the first time you received it, consult an audiologist to reassess your hearing and to have adjustments on your devices.

For more information on hearing aids, their care and troubleshooting devices, consult this resource from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2019): https://www.asha.org/uploadedfiles/ais-hearing-aids-troubleshooting.pdf