Did you know that every May the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) hosts Better Hearing and Speech Month? This annual celebration of the overwhelmingly positive benefits of seeking treatment for speech and hearing related issues has been happening since 1927.
On top of raising awareness about general issues surrounding speech and hearing as well as the benefits of treatment, each year ASHA also assigns a theme to Better Hearing and Speech Month. This year, the theme is “Communication Across the Lifespan”. Although we all know it, we don’t always take the time to recognize how incredibly important healthy communication is. This is true whether we are 4, 19, 40, or 90.
This year, join us in celebrating Better Hearing and Speech Month, and “Communication Across the Lifespan” by celebrating success stories of people of all ages who decided to treat their hearing loss and enjoy the benefits of improved hearing.
Meet Maggie: Treatment Started at 20 Months
Maggie’s mom began noticing issues in her child’s communication skills when she was about 20 months old. Compared to a friend’s baby who was born the same day as Maggie, her communication was greatly stunted. Where she was supposed to know about 50 words, Maggie knew only 4. While she was verbal, her speech was mostly sounds and gibberish. Because of this, Maggie’s parents decided to reach out to their local children’s hospital where they were connected with a team of audiologists. At this time, Maggie was diagnosed with moderate bilateral hearing loss. Maggie’s parents immediately jumped into action and began treatment for Maggie. Maggie’s individual treatment plan included hearing aids as well as enrollment in a preschool that specialized in assisting children with speech and hearing related issues.
Today, Maggie is a happy and healthy 4-year-old with average verbal skills. She is consistently meeting her developmental milestones in all areas of life. She attends a local preschool and only attends the specialized school for one speech session a week. To learn more about Maggie’s story visit: https://www.chop.edu/stories/hearing-loss-maggies-story
Meet Alanna: Treatment Started at 21 Years
Although Alanna knew about her hearing loss since she was a child, she was not fitted for hearing aids until she was 21 years old. She did not let this hold her back. Alanna was diagnosed as a child with severe bilateral hearing loss and used other interventions (such as sitting in the front of the class, after-school tutoring, and recording devices) to excel in school. Alanna says of her first-time experiencing hearing aids, “Honestly, I wasn’t prepared for how powerful or awesome the (Starkey) Halo devices would be. There’s no way someone could have told me about the quality of sound or the ease with which they pair — not just with the iPhone, but with my life. Now I feel like the bionic woman!”
Alanna is now a Renowned New York yoga instructor, one of Yoga Journal's top 21 teachers under 40, founder of The Kaivalya Yoga Method, a published author and a Ph.D. student. She attributes much of her success to her amazing support from her mother, her love of music, and her deciding to treat her hearing loss with hearing aids. To read more about Alanna’s story visit: https://www.starkey.com/blog/2014/06/The-Halo-Effect-Alannas-Story
Meet Gary: Treatment Started in Mid-60s
Gary is a New York native who began experiencing hearing loss about 15 years prior to receiving proper treatment. He attributes his bilateral high-frequency hearing loss to the time he served in the military, where he was exposed to loud noises such as close-range jet engines. He was fitted with multiple hearing aids before finding the right solution for him. He recognized that there would be an adjustment period for hearing aids, and says it took him a little while to fully adjust to hearing all the sounds of life again.
He says his most memorable moment since getting treatment for his hearing loss was realizing he could hear the birds chirping outside again. He now loves his hearing aids and wears them from morning until night. “These hearing aids made life much more enjoyable, especially now that I can hear what my grandchildren are saying to me” he said. To read more about Gary’s story, visit: https://www.starkey.com/blog/2016/09/Starkey-Hearing-Aid-Success-Story
Visit Us at Hart Hearing & Balance
These are just three of hundreds of thousands of hearing aid success stories. At Hart Hearing & Balance, we would love to help you create your own success story. What a better time than Better Hearing and Speech Month to reach out to us to schedule your hearing consultation and take your first step towards better hearing and an improved quality of life?