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My Child Passed Their Hearing Test but Still Struggles: Understanding Auditory Processing Disorder

It is a conversation we have often, usually in September or October. A teacher has raised a concern; the child does not seem to be listening, misses instructions, or falls behind when the classroom gets noisy. A hearing test is arranged, the results come back normal, and the family is left with the same question they started with: if the hearing is fine, what is going on? For some of these children, the answer may be auditory processing disorder (APD). Photo by CDC What Is Auditory Processing Disorder? Auditory processing disorder (APD), also called central auditory processing disorder, affects how the

a student struggling to hear in a classroom

How Can Hearing Difficulties Affect a Child at School

A child may follow conversations easily at home but struggle to understand a teacher in a busy classroom. They might copy what another student is doing, miss part of an assignment, or give an answer that doesn’t match the question. These moments can look like distraction or confusion, even when the child is trying hard to keep up. Hearing difficulties at school can affect much more than a child’s ability to notice sounds. They may influence learning, classroom participation, friendships, confidence, and energy levels. Because the signs aren’t always obvious, parents and teachers may not immediately realize that hearing could be

a hearing aid fitting appointment with a audiologist showing the patient how to put in his hearing aid

What Happens During a Hearing Aid Fitting and Follow Up

Choosing hearing aids can feel like the biggest step in improving your hearing. Once you’ve selected the devices, you may expect to put them on, turn them on and head home. Hearing aids need more preparation than that. They have to be programmed for your hearing, checked while you’re wearing them and adjusted so they feel comfortable. A hearing aid fitting is the appointment where those pieces come together. Your audiologist sets up the devices, verifies how they’re performing and teaches you how to use them. You’ll then try them during your regular activities and return for follow up care based

The Ontario Infant Hearing Program: A Parent’s Guide to Newborn Hearing Screening

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash Few things matter more to new parents than knowing their baby is healthy. Among the screening tests offered shortly after birth, the newborn hearing screening is one of the most important yet often overlooked. Hearing plays a critical role in a child’s early development, supporting speech and language acquisition, communication, learning, and social interaction. Identifying any hearing differences as early as possible gives families and healthcare professionals the best opportunity to provide timely support. Ontario has had a universal newborn hearing screening program in place since the early 2000s, delivered through the Infant Hearing Program

What Your Audiologist Needs to Know About Your Health and Daily Life

A hearing test is an important part of understanding your hearing, but it doesn’t tell your audiologist everything. Your health, daily routine, listening environments, and personal goals can all influence the type of hearing care that may work best for you. Knowing what to tell your audiologist helps them see the full picture. A recent health change, a new challenge at work, or difficulty following conversations in restaurants may seem unrelated to your appointment, but these details can provide useful context. The more specific you can be, the easier it is to build a hearing care plan around your real life.

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AN OPEN DISCUSSION

In terms of gaining widespread acceptance by those in need of hearing instruments, the largest strides have been made by recently developed “open-fit” hearing instruments. Not only have these compact instruments proven their ability to help wearers hear better in social settings (which often pose the greatest challenge to hearing instrument users), they are exceedingly comfortable. Open-fit users are particularly enthusiastic about the instruments’ design, which eliminates the need for custom-fitted molds that fit tightly in the ear canal. Instead, open-fit instruments feed processed sound from the small unity, which sits inconspicuously behind the ear, to the ear opening via a

WEIGHING HEAVILY ON THE EARS

Obesity has been linked to an array of health problems, and it seems that impaired hearing is the latest. Analysis of health data of 68,000 women participating in the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study suggests that carrying extra pounds, especially around the waist, may be linked to hearing loss. Researchers found that women who were obese (defined as having BMIs between 30 and 39) were 17 percent to 22 percent more likely to report hearing loss than women whose BMIs were less than 25. (Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a measurement of body fat based on a ratio of height and

GETTING AN EARFUL

“Canal-style” hearing instruments are designed to go almost completely unnoticed when worn. Because they fit entirely in the ear canal, these tiniest of hearing instruments also provide the additional benefit of allowing the wearer to benefit from the pinna’s (the outer part of the ear) natural resonance and localization characteristics. Of these types of hearing instruments, “completely-in-the-canal” (CIC) models are best for individuals with good dexterity. Their smaller size usually translates to fewer manual controls (such as volume controls and program buttons) and smaller batteries (which may be more difficult to insert and remove). “In-the-canal” (ITC) models may be easier to

DO YOU HAVE A MUSICAL EAR?

If you are a musician, you should know that recent research shows that musicians top the charts when it comes to hearing loss. In fact, an analysis of the insurance records of seven million people shows that professional musicians are nearly four times more likely to suffer noise-induced deafness. Moreover, the study indicated that musicians were also about 57 percent more likely to suffer from “tinnitus,” which is ringing in the ears associated with hearing loss. A symphony orchestra can hit 120-137 decibels, and a rock concert can top 150 decibels. Over time, loud music takes its toll. Musicians of all

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