
Audiology (from
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
'to hear'; and from
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
branch of learning , ''
-logia
''-logy'' is a suffix in the English language, used with words originally adapted from Ancient Greek ending in ('). The earliest English examples were anglicizations of the French '' -logie'', which was in turn inherited from the Latin '' -lo ...
'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various testing strategies (e.g. behavioral
hearing tests, otoacoustic emission measurements, and electrophysiologic tests), audiologists aim to determine whether someone has normal sensitivity to sounds. If hearing loss is identified, audiologists determine which portions of hearing (high, middle, or low
frequencies
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio ...
) are affected, to what degree (severity of loss), and where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found (
outer ear,
middle ear
The middle ear is the portion of the ear medial to the eardrum, and distal to the oval window of the cochlea (of the inner ear).
The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes), which transfer the vibrations ...
,
inner ear
The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the ...
,
auditory nerve and/or
central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...
). If an audiologist determines that a
hearing loss
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...
or vestibular abnormality is present, they will provide recommendations for interventions or rehabilitation (e.g.
hearing aid
A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers ...
s,
cochlear implant
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...
s, appropriate medical referrals).
In addition to diagnosing audiologic and vestibular pathologies, audiologists can also specialize in rehabilitation of
tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...
,
hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is an increased Hearing, sensitivity to sound and a low tolerance for environmental noise. Definitions of hyperacusis can vary significantly; it often revolves around damage to or dysfunction of the Stapes, ''stapes'' bone, stapedius ...
,
misophonia
Misophonia (or selective sound sensitivity syndrome) is a disorder of decreased Distress tolerance, tolerance to specific sounds or their associated Stimulus (psychology), stimuli, or cues. These cues, known as "triggers", are experienced as Dis ...
,
auditory processing disorder
Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting the way the brain processes sounds. Individuals with APD usually have normal structure and function of the ear, but cannot process the information they hear in the s ...
s,
cochlear implant
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...
use and/or
hearing aid
A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers ...
use. Audiologists can provide hearing health care from birth to end-of-life.
Audiologist
An audiologist is a
healthcare provider specializing in identifying, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring disorders of the
auditory and
vestibular system
The vestibular system, in vertebrates, is a sensory system that creates the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating motor coordination, movement with balance. Together with the cochlea, a part of the auditory sys ...
s. Audiologists are trained to diagnose, manage, and/or treat
hearing
Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory sci ...
,
tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...
, or balance problems. They dispense, manage, and rehabilitate
hearing aids and assess candidacy for and map hearing implants, such as
cochlear implant
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...
s,
middle ear implants, and
bone conduction
Bone conduction is the conduction of sound to the inner ear primarily through the bones of the skull, allowing the hearer to perceive audio content even if the ear canal is blocked. Bone conduction transmission occurs constantly as sound waves vi ...
implants. They counsel families through a new diagnosis of hearing loss in infants and help teach coping and compensation skills to late-deafened adults. They also help design and implement personal and
industrial hearing safety programs,
newborn hearing screening programs, school hearing screening programs, and provide special or custom fitted
ear plugs and other
hearing protection device
A hearing protection device, also known as a HPD, is an ear protection device worn in or over the ears while exposed to hazardous noise and provide hearing protection to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss. HPDs reduce the level of the no ...
s to help prevent hearing loss. Audiologists are trained to evaluate peripheral vestibular disorders originating from pathologies of the vestibular portion of the
inner ear
The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the ...
. They also provide treatment for certain vestibular and balance disorders, such as
benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. In addition, many audiologists work as auditory or acoustic scientists in a research capacity.
Audiologists are trained in anatomy and physiology, hearing aids, cochlear implants, electrophysiology, acoustics, psychophysics and psychoacoustics, neurology, vestibular function and assessment, balance disorders, counseling, and communication options such as sign language. They may also run a neonatal hearing screening program, which has been made compulsory in many US, UK, and Indian hospitals. An audiologist usually graduates with one of the following qualifications: BSc, MSc(Audiology),
AuD, STI,
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
, or
ScD, depending on the program and country attended.
History
The use of the terms ''audiology'' and ''audiologist'' in publications has been traced back only as far as 1946. The creator of the term remains unknown, but Berger identified possible originators as Mayer BA Schier, Willard B Hargrave, Stanley Nowak,
Norman Canfield, or
Raymond Carhart. In a biographical profile by
Robert Galambos,
Hallowell Davis
Hallowell Davis (August 31, 1896 – August 22, 1992) was an American physiologist, otolaryngologist and researcher who did pioneering work on the physiology of hearing and the inner ear. He served as director of research at the Central Ins ...
is credited with coining the term in the 1940s, saying the then-prevalent term "auricular training" sounded like a method of teaching people how to wiggle their ears. The first US university course for audiologists was offered by Carhart at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, in 1946.
Audiology was born of interdisciplinary collaboration. The substantial prevalence of
hearing loss
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...
observed in the veteran population after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
inspired the creation of the field as it is known today. The
International Society of Audiology (ISA) was founded in 1952 to "...facilitate the knowledge, protection and rehabilitation of human hearing" and to "...serve as an advocate for the profession and for the hearing impaired throughout the world." It promotes interactions among national societies, associations and organizations that have similar missions, through the organization of a biannual world congress, through the publication of the scientific peer-reviewed
International Journal of Audiology and by offering support to the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
's efforts towards addressing the needs of the hearing impaired and deaf community.
Requirements
The
International Society of Audiology maintains
Global Audiology, which is a portal in
Wikiversity that provides information on audiology education and practice around the world. Summary information is provided below:
Australia
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, audiologists must hold a Master of Audiology, Master of Clinical Audiology, Master of Audiology Studies, or alternatively a bachelor's degree from overseas certified by the private agency Vocational Education, Training and Assessment Services (VETASSESS). Although audiologists in Australia are not required to be members of any professional body, audiology graduates can undergo a clinical training program or internship leading to accreditation with Audiology Australia (AudA) or the Australian College of Audiology (ACAud), which involves supervised practice and professional development, and typically lasts one year.
To provide rehabilitative services to eligible pensioners, war veterans, and children and young adults under 26 as part of the Hearing Services Program, an audiologist must hold a qualified practitioner (QP) number, which can be sought by first obtaining accreditation.
Brazil
In
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, audiology training is part of speech pathology and audiology undergraduate, four-year courses. The
University of São Paulo
The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil.
The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...
was the first university to offer a bachelor's degree, and it started operations in 1977. At the federal level, the recognition of the educational programs and the profession of speech pathologists and audiologists took place on December 9, 1981, signed by President João Figueiredo (law no. 6965). The terms ''audiology'' and ''audiologist'' can be tracked in Brazilian publications since 1946. The work of audiologists in Brazil was described in 2007.
Canada
In Canada, a master's of science (MSc) is the minimum requirement for practicing audiology. The profession is regulated in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, where it is illegal to practice without being registered as a full member of the appropriate provincial regulatory body.
Bangladesh
A BSc (Hons) in audiology and speech-language pathology is required.
India
To practice audiology, professionals need a bachelor's or master's degree in audiology and registration with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).
Malaysia
Three Malaysian educational institutions offer degrees in audiology.
United Kingdom
There are currently five routes to becoming a registered audiologist:
* FdSc in hearing aid audiology
* BSc in audiology
* MSc in audiology
* Fast-track conversion Diploma for those with a BSc in another relevant science subject, available at Southampton, Manchester, UCL, London, and Edinburgh
* BSc(Hons) in clinical physiology (audiology) available at
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University, informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley (), is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...
(all applicants must be NHS employees)
United States
In the United States, audiologists are regulated by state licensure or registration in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Starting in 2007, the doctor of audiology (AuD) became the entry-level degree for clinical practice for some states, with most states expected to follow this requirement very soon, as there are no longer any professional programs in audiology that offer the master's degree. Minimum requirements for the AuD degree include a minimum of 75 semester hours of post-baccalaureate study, meeting prescribed competencies, passing a national exam offered by Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service, and practicum experience equivalent to 12 months of full-time, supervised experience. Most states have continuing education renewal requirements that must be met to stay licensed. Audiologists can also earn certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or the American Board of Audiology (ABA). Currently, there are over 70 AuD programs in the United States.
In the past, audiologists have typically held a master's degree and the appropriate healthcare license. However, in the 1990s, the profession transitioned to a doctoral level as a minimum requirement. In the United States, starting in 2007, audiologists were required to receive a doctoral degree (
AuD or
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
) in audiology from an accredited university graduate or professional program before practicing.
All states require licensing, and audiologists may also carry national board certification from the American Board of Audiology or a certificate of clinical competence in audiology (CCC-A) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, a master's or doctoral degree in audiology is required to practice this profession. This medical degree must come from a recognized institute, most of which are government. Otherwise, the person didn't get a license to practice audiology. The
Pakistan Medical Commission issues the practicing license to all medical students. Besides these, the person who provides the medical instruments to these doctors should also have the certificate of accreditation issued by the
Pakistan National Accreditation Council
The Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC; ) is a department subordinate to the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of Pakistan.
Formation and Objective
The Pakistan National Accreditation Council was formed in the year 1 ...
.
Portugal
The exercise of the audiologist profession in Portugal necessarily implies the qualifications degree in audiology or legally equivalent as defined in Decree-Law 320/99 of August 11 Article 4.
South Africa
In South Africa, there are currently five institutions offering audiology training. The institutions offer different qualifications that make one eligible to practice audiology in South Africa. The qualifications are as follows: I) B. Audiology, II) BSc. Audiology, III) B. Communication Pathology (Audiology), and IV) B. Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (BSLP&A). All practicing audiologists are required to be registered with the Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
Turkey
Audiology in Turkey started in 1968 as an audiology master's degree program at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ear, Nose and Throat. The program, which was carried out as Audiology until 1989, has been revised this year and continued as "Audiology and Speech Disorders" Master's and Doctoral education. The first undergraduate program was opened in 2011, and as of 2011, Audiologist has become a profession defined and officially recognized by the state of the Republic of Turkey.
Famous Audiologists
*
Robert Beiny
*
Chris Campbell (politician)
Chris Campbell (born December 12, 1963) is an American politician and audiologist serving as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from House District 26. She assumed office on November 7, 2018.
Early life and education
Campbell wa ...
*
Raymond Carhart
*
John Craton
*
Harvey Dillon
*
Leo Doerfler
*
Richard Dowell
*
Marion Downs (audiologist)
*
Judy R. Dubno
*
Kirsty Durward
*
Deanna Frazier Gordon
*
Sandra Gordon-Salant
*
Ira Hirsh
*
Sharon Kujawa
*
Philipos C. Loizou
*
Brian Moore (scientist)
*
Kevin Munro (audiologist)
*
Bolajoko Olubukunola Olusanya
*
Pierre de Villiers Pienaar
*
Elly Pourasef
*
Alma Powell
*
Anu Sharma
*
Susan Shore
*
Iréne Slättengren
*
Dafydd Stephens
*
Richard S. Van Wagoner
*
S. J. Watson
*
James Yearsley
*
Zhang Ling (author)
See also
*
Audiology and hearing health professionals in developed and developing countries
*
Auditory brainstem response (ABR)
*
Auditory agnosia
*
Auditory processing disorder
Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting the way the brain processes sounds. Individuals with APD usually have normal structure and function of the ear, but cannot process the information they hear in the s ...
*
Auditory verbal agnosia
*
Audiometrist
*
Audiometry
Audiometry () is a branch of audiology and the science of measuring hearing acuity for variations in sound intensity and pitch and for tonal purity, involving thresholds and differing frequencies. Typically, audiometric tests determine a subje ...
*
Balance disorder
A balance disorder is a disturbance that causes an individual to feel unsteady, for example when standing or walking. It may be accompanied by feelings of giddiness, or wooziness, or having a sensation of movement, spinning, or floating. Equilibr ...
*
Bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA)
*
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...
*
Computational audiology
*
Dichotic listening test
*
Earplug
An earplug is a device that is inserted in the ear canal to protect the user's ears from loud noises, intrusion of water, foreign bodies, dust or excessive wind. Earplugs may be used as well to improve sleep quality or focus in noisy environments ...
*
Electronystagmography
Electronystagmography (ENG) is a diagnostic test to record involuntary movements of the eye caused by a condition known as nystagmus. It can also be used to diagnose the cause of vertigo, dizziness or balance dysfunction by testing the vestibul ...
(ENG/VNG)
*
Global Audiology
*
Hearing Aid
A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers ...
*
Hearing impairment
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to Hearing, hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to Lang ...
*
International Society of Audiology
*
Listening
Listening is the act of attention, paying attention to sounds. It includes listening to the sounds of Natural environment, nature, listening to music, and perhaps most importantly, Interpersonal communication, interpersonal listening, i.e. liste ...
*
Noise induced hearing loss
*
Otoacoustic emission
An otoacoustic emission (OAE) is a sound that is generated from within the inner ear. Having been predicted by Austrian astrophysicist Thomas Gold in 1948, its existence was first demonstrated experimentally by British physicist David Kemp in 19 ...
s
*
Otolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...
*
Otology
*
Otoscope
An otoscope or auriscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals to examine the ear canal and eardrum. This may be done as part of routine Physical examination, physical examinations, or for evaluating specific ear complaints, such ...
*
Speech and language pathology
Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
*
Speech banana
*
Spatial hearing loss
*
Tympanometry
Tympanometry is an acoustic evaluation of the condition of the middle ear eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.
Tympanometry is an objective test of middle-ear function. It ...
*
World Hearing Day
References
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{{Authority control
Otology
Rehabilitation team
Auditory system
Acoustics
Hearing
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