Hearing Loss and Screening

Configuration of Hearing Loss

• There are four types of hearing loss configurations: flat, high frequency, low frequency, and sloping (or shaped)

Newborn Hearing Screening

• All babies should be screened for hearing loss no later than 1 month of age
• Best if they are screened before leaving the hospital after birth
• If a baby does not pass a hearing screening, it's very important to get a full hearing test as soon as possible, but no later than 3 months of age

Audiological Assessment Tools

• Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): checks the brain's response to sound, focuses on the function of the inner ear, auditory nerve, and part of the brain pathways associated with hearing
• Behavioural Audiometry Evaluation: tests the function of all parts of the ear, requires the person being tested to be awake and actively respond to sounds heard during the test
• Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE): used to find out how well the inner ear, or cochlea, works and if hair cells in the cochlea are vibrating to respond to sound or not

Scope of Practice: Audiology

• Audiology is the discipline involved in auditory and vestibular impairments
• Audiologist provides prevention, assessment, habilitation/rehabilitation services for individuals with auditory and vestibular impairments
• Works closely with SLP to achieve better outcomes for individuals with hearing loss

Scope of Practice: Speech and Language Pathology

• Defined as the professional who engages in professional practice (research, prevention, assessment, intervention, awareness, and advocacy) in the areas of communication and swallowing across the life span
• Communication includes speech production and fluency, language, cognition, voice, resonance, and hearing
• Swallowing includes all aspects of swallowing, including related feeding behaviors

Collaboration between SLP and Audiologist

• Multidisciplinary: SLP and Audiologist use their individual expertise to develop their own plan, then come together to discuss it
• Transdisciplinary: Combines two disciplines to a new level of integration, e.g., for the Audiologist to work as an SLP
• Interdisciplinarity: Both professionals collaborate and share ideas from the beginning to create a total plan that covers all necessary diagnoses and treatment for a patient

Types of Hearing Loss

• Unilateral vs Bilateral hearing loss
• Issues with Unilateral HL: imbalance between the ears, difficulty with sound localization, difficulty understanding speech with background noise

Degree of Hearing Loss

• Degree of hearing loss reflects sensitivity to sound or sound intensity
• Sound intensity is measured in Decibels (dB)
• Classification of degree of hearing loss:
  • < 15 dB: Normal hearing
  • 16 to 40 dB: Mild hearing loss
  • 41 to 55 dB: Moderate
  • 56 to 70 dB: Moderate/Severe
  • 71 to 90 dB: Severe
  • > 91 dB: Profound