Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
The Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology provides consultation and services related to the identification, assessment and management of hearing disorders and comprehensive evaluation, treatment, and consultation for children with speech, language, and swallowing/feeding disorders.
Facilities available
Hearing test
PTA(Pure Tone Audiometry) test involves the use of pure tones i.e. tones which can be accurately provided at desired frequencies. The test monitors the exact hearing thresholds of the individual for the particular tone at different frequency levels. This is a subjective type test which requires active participation/ cooperation by the patient. This test can bring out the degree, configuration and type of hearing loss if any.
Impedance Audiometry(IA) is the most commonly used and preferred method of testing pathologies/ conditions in the middle ear, the mobility of the Tympanic Membrane or the ear drum as well as the bones in the middle ear region. The test is performed using a probe tube which creates a varying pressure in the ear canal thus measuring the energy transmission through the middle ear. The test can not only determine the hearing pathology in the middle ear but can be also used alongside the results of the PTA Testing to provide effective diagnosis to the patient.
Speech therapy
Speech therapy is the evaluation and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders. It is done with initial screening for communication and swallowing disorders and continues with assessment and diagnosis, consultation for the provision of advice regarding management, intervention and treatment, and provision counseling and other follow up services for these disorders.
Hearing aid (Digital)
This evaluation provides assessment of suitability for wearing hearing aid(s), determines appropriate hearing aid parameters, and measures hearing aid performance. Digital hearing aids helps to process and separate out troublesome background noise while simultaneously enhancing critical speech signals necessary for understanding.
BERA Test
The Brain Stem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) is an objective test that gives us the approximate average hearing threshold of an adult or child across all frequencies except for the low frequencies. BERA also called the ABR test or the BSER test is an objective test of hearing that is traditionally used for testing the structural and functional integrity of the auditory pathway from the inner ear to the midbrain. Many neurotological disorders that present with vertigo or deafness have defects in this portion of the auditory pathway in the brain. This is hence one of the basic investigations in patients suffering from vertigo, imbalance, hearing deficit, and tinnitus. The test is also used to determine the degree of hearing loss objectivity in pediatric patients as well as in difficult to test patients who do not respond reliably to the subjective tests of hearing like the pure tone audiometry and allied tests.
VNG Test
VNG is used to find out if you have a disorder of the vestibular system (the balance structures in your inner ear) or in the part of the brain that controls balance. For individuals having difficulties with their balance and equilibrium, Videonystagmography (VNG) is a valuable diagnostic procedure. It is simple and painless, and it can help more accurately determine the cause of dizziness symptoms. The VNG evaluation does three things. It tests the visual pathways to the brain, it evaluates the function of the equilibrium system in each inner ear, and it provides information of how these systems work together for the body to be “in balance.” During the VNG evaluation, patients wear special goggles. The goggles use infrared cameras that track and record their eye movements. Specific eye movements are measured in response to the stimuli during the test. These movements reflect the functionality of these systems.