What is Aural Rehabilitation?

Simply put, aural rehabilitation is the process of learning how to hear again. You might also see the term aural habilitation, which is the process of learning to hear. When a child is diagnosed with hearing loss at birth, there has been no exposure to sound and therefore do not know how to hear. Some parents will choose to have their child fit with a hearing device, such as a hearing aid or cochlear implant. After being fit with the device the parents, teachers and therapists give the child training on how to hear and understand the sounds around them. When an adult or child loses hearing sometime after birth, they usually have learned to hear and understand the sounds in their environment. However, with the hearing loss, the sounds they hear are different from what was heard during that learning process.

Think of it this way. What if, every time you tried to read something, a few letters wer missing fom some of th words. At first, you could still make out the sentence. But eventually, i becoes hrdr to mke ot he menng o he sentce. See what I mean? Now, what if you could never get those letters back? You would have to learn how to read all over again! The words are no longer the same as they were when you learned how to read. You would need some rehabilitation to learn some strategies for being able to decipher the written word. This is essentially what we are doing with hearing.

Hearing aids are one, very critical tool that you will need for aural rehabilitation. Once you have gone through the fitting process (a topic for another article), then the rehabilitation process can really begin. Consistent use of the hearing aids, as recommended by the audiologist, is the next step. The brain needs time to adapt to the new sounds that the hearing aids provide. The audiologist will also recommend some communication strategies to help you make the most of these new sounds. For most people, these basic strategies along with consistent use of the hearing aids are enough. For others, more formal or structured training may be needed.

If it is determined that more formal training is needed, the audiologist may recommend specific exercises for learning to communicate in challenging environments. Some audiologists may even recommend a structured computer program or a support group. It is best to discuss your specific needs with your audiologist. Your audiologist will help you find the best tools to help you re-learn how to hear again.

This may all seem a little overwhelming, but thousands of people, of all ages and learning ability, go through this process every day and are successful. Don’t be intimidated! If you are aware of hearing loss, don’t wait! The sooner you get started, the easier this process will be. And, you will have a skilled audiologist to help you every step of the way.