Q:What is audiology?
A: Audiology is the study and evaluation of hearing of adults, infants and children of all ages. An audiologist present a wide variety of treatment options to patients with hearing impairments. These options consist of dispensing and fitting hearing aids, administering tests of balance to evaluate dizziness, and providing hearing rehabilitation training. Audiologists refer patients to physicians when the hearing problem needs medical or surgical evaluation.
Q: What do audiologists do?
A: Audiologists conduct and provide the following services:
Hearing testing. Audiologists use specialized equipment to obtain accurate results about hearing loss. These tests are typically conducted in sound-treated rooms with calibrated equipment.
Hearing services for infants and children. Audiologists test hearing and identify hearing loss in children of any age. Audiologists also provide hearing therapy and fit hearing aids on babies and young children with hearing loss.
Services for school children. Audiologists provide a full range of hearing and rehabilitative hearing services in private and public schools for students in all grades.
Hearing services and counseling. Audiologists provide individual counseling to help those with hearing loss function more effectively in social, educational and occupational environments.
Hearing aids and assistive listening devices. Audiologists provide complete hearing aid services to clients with hearing problems. Audiologists use the most advanced, computerized procedures to individualize the fitting of hearing aids. Follow-up care and hearing aid accessories are routinely available from dispensing audiologists.
Hearing conservation programs. Prolonged exposure to loud noise causes permanent hearing loss. Because of this, audiologists are often involved in implementing programs to protect the hearing of individuals who are exposed to noisy industrial and recreational situations.
Hearing research. Audiologists engage in a wide variety of research activities to develop new hearing assessment techniques. Audiologists write textbooks on hearing evaluation, hearing aids and the management of people with hearing loss. In addition audiologists help develop professional standards and are represented on the boards of national and governmental agencies.