Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists: Making Critical Cross-Disciplinary Connections For Quality Care in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Abstract

Widespread realization of newborn hearing screening has made it possible to routinely identify hearing loss shortly after birth, expanding opportunities for children born with permanent hearing loss. For children to reach their full potential, high-quality comprehensive services need to be provided in a timely manner. Because the roles of the audiologist and speech-language pathologist vary significantly from family to family in an American Sign Language approach, this article focuses primarily on the roles these professionals serve within a listening and spoken language communication approach. An overview of components of quality assessment and intervention for audiology and speech-language pathology are discussed, as are the benefits and opportunities of interdisciplinary collaboration. Newborn hearing screenings, advanced hearing technology, and early education have the potential to affect the lives of children with hearing loss and their families; however, successful families and children rely on quality, collaborative intervention from their service providers. Together, speech-language pathologists and audiologists can better understand a child’s responses to sound, more effectively set hearing technology to maximize access to sound, and support parents in their ability to help their children reach their full potential.