Clinical Audiology Services

Notice

Telepractice audiology appointments are available for hearing aid adjustments and minor repairs. We can work directly with vendors to get your hearing aids serviced during this time as well. Contact us at 617-373-2492 to get that started.

And, check out Dr. Laffan’s hearing loss tips during COVID-19.

Did You Know?

Approximately 36 million Americans suffer from hearing loss.

More than half of the people with hearing loss are younger than age 65.

Untreated hearing loss can affect your ability to understand speech and can negatively impact your social and emotional well-being.

Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States.

~ American Academy of Audiology

Please note:

Starting in early 2020, a fee will be charged for all audiology services.

For more information, please contact
617-373-2492.

The first step in determining your hearing ability is with a diagnostic hearing evaluation. If you have hearing loss, the evaluation will detail the extent, type, and specifics of your loss.

The diagnostic hearing evaluation consists of a variety of tests to determine the unique aspects of your hearing, as well as the level at which you can detect and understand speech.

We evaluate a wide scope of patients ranging from pediatrics to seniors.

Comprehensive Diagnostic Audiology Evaluations for Adults

Diagnostic hearing evaluations identify hearing loss, and give your audiologist important information to help determine the best course of action for treatment. Some types of hearing loss can be treated medically or surgically, so it’s important that these types of hearing losses be ruled out before hearing aids or other treatments are considered.

The diagnostic hearing evaluation consists of a variety of tests to determine the unique aspects of your hearing loss, as well as the level at which you can detect and understand speech.

Questions:

What can I expect during a diagnostic hearing evaluation?

What can I expect during a diagnostic hearing evaluation?

The evaluation will probably last about 45 to 60 minutes in length. You should also allow for time for discussion with the audiologist to review test results and ask questions.

If the determination is made that you need hearing aids, allow for sufficient time to discuss your options.

Before your appointment, a complete medical history will be completed, and the audiologist will want to hear about any complaints you have about your hearing. He or she will pay special attention to any concerns you have about exposure to noise, tinnitus, and balance problems. Make sure that you take a full list of any medications and supplements you are taking with you to your appointment.

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What does a diagnostic evaluation include?

What does a diagnostic evaluation include?

Air conduction testing

Bone conduction testing

Speech testing

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing

Tympanometry or acoustic emittance testing

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Comprehensive Pediatric Diagnostic Hearing Evaluations

Developmentally appropriate diagnostic audiologic evaluations for children and infants/toddlers are customized to the child’s individual needs, with developmentally-appropriate behavioral and objective measures.

Questions:

What does testing include?

What does testing include?

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

Typically performed between the developmental ages of 6 months to 2 years.

This test measures the quietest level your child responds to sounds. During the test various sounds will be played through speakers or earphones. We will look for your child’s response, such as turning his or her head to the sound.

Conditioned Play Audiometry

Typically performed between the developmental ages of 2-4 years.

This test measures the quietest level your child responds to sounds. During the test your child will play various listening games, such as dropping a block into a bucket whenever a quiet beep is heard.

Conventional Audiometry

Typically performed with children developmentally age 5 and older.

This test measures the quietest level your child responds to sounds. During the test your child will raise his or her hand each time a beep is heard.

Speech Audiometry and Select-A-Picture Audiometry

We may also measure your child’s ability to repeat words or sentences, or point to pictures.

Tympanometry and acoustic reflexes

These tests help identify problems with the ear drum and middle ear space.

During this test we will place a small earphone in your child’s ear canal. The earphone will measure how well sound enters the middle ear at various air pressures.

Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (“OAEs”) to assess cochlear or “inner ear” function.

This test assesses the function of the hair cells in the inner ear. It can be used to screen for hearing loss in infants, and to monitor the effects of drugs that can damage hearing.

During this test we will ask your child to remain still and quiet for a few minutes. Sounds will be presented through a small earphone and a response from the inner ear is recorded.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

This test assesses electrical activity from the auditory nerve and the auditory pathway in the lower part of the brain. It determines the presence, type and degree of hearing loss.

This test is performed while your child is asleep. Sound is presented to each ear and we measure the brainwaves that correspond to hearing.

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What happens after the hearing evaluation?

What happens after the hearing evaluation?

After completing your child’s hearing evaluation, the audiologist will give you the results of the hearing test. If there is a hearing loss, the audiologist will:

Monitor the hearing loss.

Provide informational counseling to you and your family regarding the hearing loss and refer your child for additional medical consultation.

Recommend hearing aids, communication strategies and ways to maximize the use of residual hearing, as appropriate.

Refer your child for additional medical, language or developmental assessments as needed.

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Auditory Processing Evaluations

The Northeastern University Speech-Language-Hearing Center is one of the few facilities in Massachusetts to offer central auditory processing evaluations, or CAP assessments. We specialize in determining if students have CAPD. We provide schools, the community, and families with appropriate recommendations to best accommodate the student’s listening needs.

Children need to be at least seven years old to have a CAP Evaluation.

Questions:

What is Auditory Processing?

What is Auditory Processing?

Auditory processing is the brain’s ability to accurately perceive speech in both quiet and noisy settings. The brain can detect, analyze and discriminate small differences in pitch, loudness and duration. However, some children and adults with normal hearing have difficulty with this ability, leading to difficulty with discrimination of speech or hearing in background noise; these individuals struggle to process (or interpret) what they hear, which causes listening problems that often mimic a hearing loss.

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What are common signs and symptoms of (C)APD?

What are common signs and symptoms of (C)APD?

Common signs and symptoms of (C)APD may include:

Direct, sustain, or divide attention

Discriminate subtle differences in sounds and words

Hear in noisy situations

Recognize and integrate a sequence of sounds into words or other meaningful combinations

Comprehend rapidly spoken speech

Remember and/or comprehend spoken information

Follow multi-task directions

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Did you know that:

Did you know that:

Approximately 5% of school-age children have some type of auditory processing disorder.

43% of children with learning difficulties has been found to have a coexisting Auditory Processing Disorder.

50% of children with dyslexia also have coexisting Auditory Processing Disorder.

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Hearing Screenings

In children between 3 and 5 years of age, hearing screenings can help identify hearing loss that may affect development, interfere with future performance in school, or indicate a medical condition (e.g., middle or inner ear disorder). Northeastern provides hearing community-based hearing screenings to various Head Start and preschool based programs. Feel free to contact us at 617-373-2492 for further information.

Custom Musician’s Ear Protectors and In-Ear Monitors

Click on the product name below to learn more about these services. Please call the Center at 617-373-2492 to inquire about our pricing or to schedule an appointment. A complimentary baseline hearing test is included.

Musician Ear Protectors

Musician Ear Protectors

Musicians need to protect their hearing, but they also need to be able to hear their own music clearly, as well as hear other musicians’ music and voices while performing.

Musicians face nearly four times greater risk of developing hearing loss and are 57% more likely to develop tinnitus due to exposure to loud noise.

Almost any instrument can harm your hearing, if played loud enough over a long period of time. They can be just as damaging as power tools.

We offer Custom Musician’s Earplugs with a choice of ER9, ER15, or ER25 dB filters.

One set of filters comes with the custom earplugs; however additional filters can be purchased separately to protect all your listening needs.

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In-Ear Monitors

In-Ear Monitors

Designed for musicians who perform for large audiences, in-ear musician monitors are the current standard in musician technology. They allow the musician to clearly hear the music they are making as the audience would hear it while still protecting the musician’s ears from extremely loud amplification systems and audiences.

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Hearing Aid Fittings, Repairs, & Programming

There are many steps that are part of a hearing aid evaluation. If you suspect that you might need a hearing aid, you will first need to have a hearing evaluation. The audiologist will review the type of hearing loss as well as how it is affecting a patient’s life and recommend the “best fit” with the patient’s medical condition, lifestyle, and budget from a variety of hearing aid models.

When the hearing aid arrives, a patient will return to work with the audiologist to fine tune the incoming sounds using a special computer program.

Significant technological advances have been made to improve digital amplification. Many of the new digital aids can be easily adjusted for background and environmental noises, improving patient satisfaction.

We carry full lines of Phonak, Oticon, Widex, Starkey and Siemens Hearing aids.

Questions:

How do I know if I need a hearing aid?

How do I know if I need a hearing aid?

The best way to determine if you have hearing loss and need a hearing aid is to get an audiological evaluation from an audiologist. An audiologist is a licensed professional with doctoral or master’s level training, who can perform the tests required to fully and accurately assess your hearing loss and advise you whether hearing aids may be of benefit.

The audiologist may recommend that you have an examination by an ear doctor to rule out any medical problems that may rule out hearing aids (not every type of deafness or hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids).

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What is hearing aid dispensing and fitting?

What is hearing aid dispensing and fitting?

When you receive your hearing aid(s), the audiologist will program them, based on a prescription, to meet your hearing needs.

The hearing professional will explain how to use the devices, how to put them in the ear and how to remove them, how to change batteries and how to care for and clean the devices.

It is also a good idea to bring family members or close friends to the hearing aid fitting, so they can help remember all the information that is given and be a support to you.

The hearing professional may do some testing to make sure the hearing aids are giving you enough sound where you need it.

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Can you repair my hearing aid?

Can you repair my hearing aid?

We repair most major brands of hearing aids. Call to schedule an appointment.

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How do hearing aids work?

How do hearing aids work?

The hearing aid is like a very small PA or public-address system, amplifying sound with a microphone, amplifier and loudspeaker. The hearing aid is a small, battery-powered electronic device with the same three basic components:

a microphone that picks up sound around you

an amplifier that makes the sound louder

a receiver that delivers the amplified sound to your ear

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How do I care for my hearing aid?

How do I care for my hearing aid?

The following is a general list of “do’s and don’ts” for taking care of your hearing aids. These guidelines apply to all varieties of hearing aids. Specific questions regarding your hearing aids should be addressed with your hearing aid dispenser.

DON’T continue to wear the hearing aid if any discomfort develops. Instead discontinue use and contact Audiology Services in the Speech-language-Hearing Center.

DON’T expose the hearing aid to extremely hot temperatures, for example the heater or radiator, hair dryer, or inside a hot, parked car.

DON’T get the hearing aid wet. (A “Dri-Aid Kit” is available if your hearing aid is in danger of being exposed to moisture such as humidity and perspiration.)

DON’T try to repair the hearing aid yourself if you suspect that it is broken.

DON’T store the hearing aid within reach of children or pets. Dogs are attracted to the smell of the earmold and/or the feedback-whistle and may damage the hearing aid beyond repair.

DON’T store hearing aid batteries within the reach of children or pets. These are toxic if swallowed.

DON’T store your battery in the same area as medication or pills.

DON’T put your hearing aid or batteries in your mouth for any reason, as they may be accidentally swallowed.

DO remove the battery from your hearing aid or open the battery door when it is not in use.

DO keep spare batteries with you always. However, avoid letting them contact other metal objects such as loose pocket change. Store extra batteries in a cool, dry place. The battery life will depend on the style and model of hearing aid you have, battery size, volume settings and other variables.

DO turn the hearing aid off (or turn the volume all the way down) when inserting or removing the hearing aid to avoid feedback whistle.

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More information about hearing and communication disorders:

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

American Academy or Audiology

My Baby’s Hearing

Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc.

Association of Late Deafened Adults

Hearing Health Foundation

Hearing Loss Association of America

NIOSH

National Hearing Conservation Association