About Hearing Technology
Using technology, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can access sound
About Hearing Technology
Accessing Hearing Technology
If a baby doesn’t pass the newborn hearing screening, or if hearing loss is suspected, families meet with a pediatric audiologist. (The pediatrician or the hospital staff who conducted the screening can make a referral.)
If the pediatric audiologist’s diagnostic testing confirms that a baby has a hearing loss, they will put together a treatment plan for the family, which may include hearing aids or a cochlear implant.
Children should begin an early intervention program by six months old, regardless of the path [Listening and Spoken Language (LSL); sign language; or other]. You can reach out to early intervention services in your area to learn more about available resources.
Our early intervention professionals can help you navigate your options and move forward in the direction you choose.
Cochlear Implants & Hearing Aids
The Anatomy of Hearing Loss
The organ of hearing is a pea-sized structure in the inner ear called the cochlea. Tiny, delicate nerve cells in the cochlea communicate sound signals to the brain, allowing a person to hear different sounds. If these delicate cells are damaged, or missing, the result is a hearing loss.
Cochlear Implants
Cochlear implants provide those with profound, total and sometimes severe hearing losses with greater auditory access to speech than a hearing aid. The device consists of two parts: an internal mechanism with electrodes that are surgically implanted in the cochlea; and, an external device that contains a microphone, wire, magnet and a processor that is worn on the outside of the head or body. A cochlear implant works to bypass the damaged part of the ear and sends sound signals directly to the auditory nerve. An implant does not restore or create normal hearing, but it can give an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing access to sound, particularly the sounds of speech. By working closely with audiologists, speech-language pathologists and experienced educators, children with cochlear implants learn to maximize this access to sound to develop a full range of listening, language and speaking skills. There are hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, both children and adults, who use cochlear implants.
Hearing Aids
When a person with hearing loss has some access to sound through the cochlea, hearing aids may be used to maximize that access. A hearing aid is an electronic, battery-operated device that amplifies sound to improve listening comprehension. It collects sounds from the environment via a microphone, amplifies those sounds and then directs the amplified signal into the user's ear through a tiny speaker. It is important to provide infants who are deaf or hard of hearing with hearing aids as early as possible, ideally within 1 - 2 months of age, to maximize the early growth of the auditory brain that happens in response to stimulation from the environment. Finding the correct hearing aid for a baby with hearing loss is an important step. Children are typically fit with a type of hearing aid known as a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid. Today’s technology enables hearing health professionals to fit even very young babies with hearing aids that meet their needs.
Do you want to learn more about teaching your child to listen and talk?
Our Stories
Dexter
Dexter has a single-sided profound hearing loss and wears a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) to help access sound. He started attending Clarke New York’s...
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Madeline
Madeline’s diagnosis of moderately severe to profound hearing loss in both ears at the age of 18 months changed her...
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Jaden
Jaden is six years old and a fun and outgoing first grade student who’s bound to always leave you with a smile. He has...
Read More »Recent Clarke News
Clarke’s Chief Program Officer Featured in District Administration
Judy Sexton, Clarke’s chief program officer, has recently been published in District Administration. She shares best practices for facilitating success for students who are deaf or hard of hearing who use listening and spoken language in mainstream schools.
Clarke Leaders Featured in Equity and Access PreK-12
Read the May-June 2021 issue of Equity and Access PreK-12!
Florida Family Shares Their Listening and Spoken Language Journey
Despite living over 110 miles away, Danny’s family knew that Clarke’s site in Jacksonville was where he needed to be to learn to listen and talk.
