Huntsville, AL 35801

Auditory (Re)Habilitation

Auditory or aural habilitation focuses on the skills and communication difficulties that may happen due to hearing loss, auditory processing, and deafness.

What is Auditory Habilitation/Rehabilitation?

Auditory habilitation refers to the aspects of speech therapy that address hearing-related disorders and concerns providing support for skills affected by hearing loss or auditory processing. Hearing can often affect the way our brain processes information and can impact attention and memory. Changes in hearing may also affect the way we interact with others.

Speech therapists often refer those with hearing concerns to audiologists, who can evaluate, diagnose, and treat hearing issues, as well as provide assistive technology to support hearing (hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc.). Speech therapists can support the work of audiologists and assist clients in the changes that hearing loss may make to their daily lives.

How does hearing loss impact people?

Hearing loss affects more than physical hearing. Hearing loss can affect speech clarity or intelligibility, as each sound is made at certain frequencies. If you lose hearing in those frequencies, you may struggle to produce those sounds. It can also affect memory, as auditory memory is an important part of our cognitive abilities. People may feel fatigued after working harder to process words if they also present with auditory processing difficulties.

Children with hearing loss may have difficulties reading, as schools often teach reading through phonemes and phonological awareness skills.

Hearing loss may also affect social skills - there may be environments where someone with hearing loss may no longer feel comfortable in. In addition, the ways hearing loss can affect speech or language can lead to people frequently misunderstanding someone, which can be frustrating!

Who is Auditory Rehabilitation for?

Auditory habilitation or rehabilitation are for those who are struggling with hearing-related skills, such as memory issues, auditory processing skills, speech clarity, and social skills. This can include a client of any age that presents with hearing loss, those who have lost their hearing due to physical damage or structural issues, genetic disorders, age, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and more. It may also be recommended after seeing an audiologist, a hearing aid fitting, or a cochlear implant surgery.

Someone in the Deaf Community may or may not be interested in attending speech therapy. Deafness can cause difficulties with memory and increases the likelihood of developing dementia over time. It is essential, however, that speech therapists work with clients within the Deaf Community to collaborate with their clients and address skills appropriately.

What is auditory processing?

Auditory processing is a type of hearing deficit that is rooted in the brain and more specifically, the part of the brain that is in charge of refining, recalling, interpreting, and organizing auditory information. It may be present with hearing loss, but it is not the same as hearing loss.

Similar to hearing loss, auditory processing issues can affect skills and tasks in our daily lives. Auditory processing affects phonological processing, auditory memory skills, listening comprehension, listening when there’s background noise, and more.

Deficits with auditory processing skills may lead to the following:

Frequently mishearing words
Needing things repeated frequently
Struggling to understand or follow directions
Becoming distracted in noisy environments
Struggling with phonological awareness or reading skills
Difficulties understanding quick speech
Needing to rely on visual aids for tasks
Requiring extra time to process spoken information

Auditory processing disorder (APD) does not typically show up by itself - it is common that those with APD have a learning disability, ADHD, ASD, traumatic brain injury, and more. If you have any concerns for APD, you may see an audiologist or a speech therapist.

Who can treat auditory processing?

Auditory processing (APD) can only be diagnosed by an audiologist. Speech therapists may be able to screen for auditory processing skills, but cannot provide a diagnosis of APD. A screening may provide more information and whether or not it would be wise to see an audiologist for an in-depth assessment.

However, both audiologists and speech therapists can treat auditory processing issues.

How does speech therapy support those with hearing loss?

Speech therapists can support those with hearing loss by working on struggles they may be experiencing, including struggling with speech clarity, memory, reading, and more. They can also treat auditory processing disorder symptoms and help reduce struggles that come with auditory processing issues.

In the case of a hearing loss client, speech therapists will often work with audiologists. Speech therapy may also be recommended after audiology appointments or hearing aid fittings. It is essential that speech therapists collaborate with clients with hearing loss, auditory processing, or the Deaf Community to identify their personal goals and preferences through therapy, as well as provide resources and community recommendations to encourage support outside of the therapy room.