Unified Clinics

Audiology

The Charles Van Riper Language, Speech, and Hearing Clinic operates as an integral part of the WMU Unified Clinics and the educational program in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Students serve as clinicians under the direct supervision of faculty members who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In some instances, services are provided directly by a faculty member.

Who We Are

The Charles Van Riper Language, Speech, and Hearing Clinic is operated by the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Western Michigan University. Audiologic services are provided by faculty members or by student clinicians under the direct supervision of faculty members. All faculty members who provide or supervise audiologic services hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Who Can Benefit?

Babies, children, and adults can benefit if there is:

a possible hearing loss
a need for audiologic diagnosis or monitoring to assist a physician with medical diagnosis or management
a need to document hearing status for educational, employment, or other purposes
a hearing problem that would affect one’s ability to do what one needs or wants to do
a need for hearing aids or information about hearing aids or other assistive devices

What Problems Are Addressed?

difficulty with receptive or expressive communication associated with hearing loss
withdrawal from social or work activities because of hearing loss
difficulty with deciding upon a plan to deal with hearing problems
referral to physicians or other professionals where needed

What We Will Do

obtain background information about the problem
perform a hearing screening or a diagnostic hearing evaluation
use a variety of special assessment procedures (e.g., auditory evoked potentials, otoacoustic emissions, ultra-high frequency audiometry) as needed
use a variety of intervention methods including auditory, visual, and other modes of stimulation in conjunction with family interaction to provide audiologic habilitation of hearing impaired children
help hearing impaired adults to recover the ability to function with a minimum of handicap
provide hearing conservation services for those exposed to intense noise
monitor hearing as recommended by a physician
provide hearing aid evaluation, selection, fitting and management
make referrals to physicians and other professionals where needed

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