Hearing Loss FAQ

A lot of people do not accept help for hearing loss because hearing loss is wrongly associated with growing older.  Most people do not want to admit that they are getting older.  Some people may have heard about other people's negative experience in the past with hearing aids.  Hearing aid technology has made drastic improvements over the past few years.  Keep in mind that every hearing loss is different and every person has different listening needs.  This means that every person with hearing loss will have different expectations and a different experience.

Where should I go for hearing help? 

If you suspect you have a hearing loss, you should speak with your medical doctor about it.  More than likely, your doctor will recommend a hearing evaluation by a licensed hearing health care professional.  The hearing evaluation will help determine where your hearing loss is and what would be your best options for help.

Please visit the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center for more information.

What can be done to help a child with hearing loss?

Parents have many important decisions to make regarding their child’s hearing loss.  The first and most important step is to have a complete evaluation.  The child’s capabilities, skills, and needs will be assessed.  The results of the evaluations will help to clarify what is the best route to take regarding the child’s mode of communication and therapy, as well as amplification or surgical options.  This requires a team approach.  The professionals seeing your child should include an audiologist, an otologist, a speech/language pathologist, a psychologist and the child’s pediatrician.

Please visit the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center for more information.

Exactly when a child will start to talk depends upon the child, the degree of hearing loss, the family's support system, the child's age when the hearing loss was identified and amplification provided, the benefit received from the amplification, and other factors.  Learning to talk is a process that always requires much time and effort, but with the right support, it can and does happen.

Please visit the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center and the Lexington School for the Deaf for more information.

Please visit the Lexington Mental Health Center for support.

A cochlear implant is very small, very complex electronic device that can provide sound to a person who has a severe or profound hearing loss. The implant is surgically inserted under the skin behind the ear and into the cochlea (the snail-shaped organ of hearing). An implant does not create normal hearing. However, it gives a person with a severe or profound hearing loss access to sound, and may help them to understand speech.  

With the help of intensive speech and language therapy, many children with cochlear implants develop good speech and language skills.  Please visit the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center and the Lexington School for the Deaf for more information.

For a visual explaniation of hearing loss, refer to the Colour of Sound video here.