AUDIOLOGIST, BALANCE AND HEARING IN MONTANA
Audiology 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, such as 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) are affected, to what degree or severity of loss, and where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found; outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, auditory nerve and/or central nervous system. If an audiologist determines that a hearing loss or vestibular abnormality is present he or she will provide recommendations for interventions or rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, appropriate medical referrals.
In addition to diagnosing audiologic and vestibular pathologies, audiologists can also specialize in rehabilitation of tinnitus, hyperacusis, misophonia, auditory processing disorders, cochlear implant use and/or hearing aid use. Audiologists can provide hearing health care from birth to end-of-life.An audiologist is a professional who diagnoses and treats hearing and balance problems. An audiologist has received an Au.D. (Doctorate in Audiology), or a Master's or Doctoral degree from an accredited university graduate program in audiology. Audiologists are trained to diagnose, manage and treat hearing or balance problems for individuals from birth through adulthood.