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Honoring Our Audiologists

When a baby is born with hearing loss, many parents and caregivers don’t know where to turn.

Dear AG Bell Community

When a baby is born with hearing loss, many parents and caregivers don’t know where to turn. As their child’s decision makers, parents want to make the best choice for their child and often reach out to others for guidance and knowledge, such as through AG Bell’s Listen-Learn-Link New Parent Hotline . Many of these parents are then referred to audiologists, who are a crucial part of a team of hearing health professionals dedicated to helping children who are deaf and hard of hearing learn to hear and speak. This team includes pediatric audiologists, who have the skills to guide a child and his or her family throughout the journey towards Listening and Spoken Language. To learn more, please watch this video from our colleagues at Hearing First.

Following a newborn hearing screening, licensed audiologists are qualified to provide guidance to families whose child is diagnosed with hearing loss and on the appropriate hearing technology needed for his or her development. They wear many hats daily, such as selecting the best hearing technology and ensuring appropriate fitting, performing hearing screenings (which I encourage you to get tested regularly), communicating and working closely with families to develop appropriate follow-up care, providing counseling, and much more. But their work does not stop there. They also oversee a child’s success as he or she progresses through mainstream schools and into careers and are strong advocates for the rights of individuals with hearing loss.

October is National Audiology Awareness Month – a month dedicated to recognizing the outstanding audiologists who work tirelessly to ensure that each child born with hearing loss is put on a path to success. I encourage you to spread the word about the importance of hearing testing, newborn hearing screening programs, and the professionals who help our children succeed. There are many resources available for you online to help spread the word this month. Please enjoy this video from our colleagues at the American Academy of Audiology.

Lastly, this past Friday, I had the pleasure to attend a luncheon briefing entitled "Audiology: Treating Hearing Loss and Balance Disorders." It was co-sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), and the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). Among the speakers were our dear friends Sharon Sandridge, Ph.D., CCC-A, director of the Audiology Research Lab and director of the Tinnitus Management Clinic at The Cleveland Clinic, and Catherine Palmer, Ph.D., president of the American Academy of Audiology and director of audiology, UPMC Integrated Health System, Association Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitative Services.