Audiology

Overview
Doctors & Specialists

At the Audiology Center at UVM Medical Center Health Care, we provide expert evaluation and diagnosis of hearing loss. From newborns to adults, we offer personalized treatment and care for a wide range of hearing disorders.

Audiology in Burlington, VT

Hearing care starts early. Babies undergo their first hearing test when they are just a few hours old, so we can detect and treat any hearing loss early on. Children and adults who either have a hearing disorder or notice a change in their hearing receive expert, personalized treatment at our Audiology Center.

Our Audiology Center provides care that is:

Advanced. We use the most sophisticated technology, such as a video otoscope, which allows us to take a video of the inside of your ear. This gives us precise detail so we can plan an effective treatment.
Evidence-based. Our Audiology Center is part of the UVM Medical Center Health Care system, affiliated with the University of Vermont. This means that our care and treatment plans are grounded in the latest research and advances in the field of audiology.
Expert. Certified audiologists conduct your hearing evaluation and hearing aid fitting. Everyone you work with at the Audiology Center is a trained, experienced hearing loss specialists with sophisticated understanding of hearing and hearing loss.
Individualized. Our goal is to improve your hearing. Using a technology called real ear measurement, we work with you to identify exactly what you are hearing with your aid and how we can improve your hearing experience.

Audiology: Our Approach

We provide comprehensive care for our patients. This includes a thorough, expert evaluation, discussion of treatment options and ongoing follow-up care. Here's what you can expect when you come to UVM Medical Center's Audiology Center:

Evaluation. Our audiologists perform a number of different tests and measurements to diagnose the type and severity of your hearing loss.
Treatment. We explain the test results to you and discuss your treatment options. We involve your primary care physician, communicating with him or her along the way.
Education. We talk to you about preventing or reducing the possibility of future hearing loss.
Hearing aid assistance. If you need a hearing aid, we work with you from start to finish. We will explain the different types of aids available, help you choose the one that best suits your needs and provide follow-up care to ensure your aid is providing the maximum benefit.

Hearing Loss in Children

At UVM Medical Center, we are committed to preventing and treating hearing loss in children. A trained audiologist from our Audiology Center performs a universal hearing screening on every baby born at our hospital. If for some reason your baby does not undergo the hearing test, we follow up with you after discharge to schedule the test.

At UVM Medical Center, we understand that babies and children are not just small adults. We use frequent praise, gentle directions and an appealing environment so we can obtain the most accurate evaluation. Our child-centered approach includes:

Non-sedated auditory brainstem response. Non-sedated ABR means evaluating young children for hearing loss without using medication. We work with the child's natural cycle of sleeping and eating in order to avoid using sedation medication.
Visual reinforcement audiometry. This test helps us determine the level and severity of hearing loss, as well as the specific frequencies the child has difficulty hearing. An older child or adult can simply respond to, “Look to the side of the room where you hear the noise.” For younger children, we “reward” them when they look toward the noise by showing a few seconds of an entertaining video. This helps engage young children in the evaluation.
Choice of hearing aids. We want to take the stigma and potential embarrassment away from hearing aids. We have a wide variety of colorful and unique aids for your child to choose from. For many of our child and teenage patients, the hearing aid becomes a fashion accessory.
Collaborating with school consultants. For school-age children, our audiologists work closely with the school's consultant for the deaf and hard of hearing. Together, we ensure your child is receiving the resources and aid that he or she needs.

Hearing Aid Services We Provide

Hearing aid services:

Hearing aid selection. After a hearing loss diagnosis, we discuss the benefits and limitations of hearing aids help you choose one suited to your need, budget and lifestyle.
Hearing aid fitting. We work closely with you to provide a device that is comfortable and provides proper amplification. We teach you proper care and use procedures for the best results, following best-practice guidelines developed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Hearing aid follow-up. Our re-check appointments give you an opportunity to adjust or modify your hearing aids.
Hearing aid servicing. We offer cleaning and other minor in-house repairs for hearing aids.
Assistive listening devices (ALD). We may recommend an ALD along with your hearing aid to help reduce problems caused by background noise. We help determine if an ALD would help you, and then help fit and adjust the device.

Protection from Hearing Loss

We are dedicated to hearing preservation and conservation. In addition to our work with adults and children who have hearing loss, we also work with anyone who is interested in preserving their hearing, including:

Musicians
Motorcyclists
Hunters
Construction workers

We have a wide variety of solutions to help reduce the side effects of noise. We also offer everyday solutions for customizing the fit of MP3 players, cell phone/Bluetooth technology and other listening devices. At UVM Medical Center, we do not represent a particular device or hearing aid company. Our only goal is your hearing health, so we can help you choose from the many hearing aids available, finding the one that best suits your needs.