Audiologists are healthcare professionals who diagnose, assess, manage, and treat hearing disorders. They also treat balancing problems related to ears and other neural system diseases. They can diagnose a variety of hearing-related issues. 

The audiologist has the knowledge and expertise to understand the root cause of your hearing issue. After diagnosing the disease, they provide the best solution to treat the disease and improve your lifestyle.  

In today’s article, let’s understand different types of audiology and their benefits to mankind. 

Adult Audiology: 

Adult Audiology deals with hearing and balance-related disorders. It provides a full range of diagnostic and electro-physiological services. It offers the following services:

• Hearing and balance assessment.
• Amplification  
• Rehabilitation 
• Hearing therapy 

The audiologist performs individualized fitting of hearing devices, provides follow-up support for the hearing devices, monitors the improvement in hearing health, and offers suggestions for better assistive listening devices to improve your lifestyle. 

Auditory Processing Disorder: 

Auditory Processing Disorder (ADP), also known as central auditory processing disorder (CADP) affects about 3-5% school school-going children. It is a hearing problem in which the children can’t understand what they listen to in the same way other kids do. This is because their brain and ears don’t coordinate effectively. 

Cochlear Implant Audiology: 

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted device for the treatment of hearing loss in children. The device is placed within the inner ear, inside the cochlea. The implant then conducts the electrical signals to the hearing nerves. The cochlear implant has the following advantages:

• They are able to hear their own voice better.
• It also improves their voice tone and pronunciation.
• It eases their communication with friends and family.
• It increases their ability to listen to sounds around them for safety and better quality of life. 

Educational Audiology: 

Educational audiologists deliver a full spectrum of hearing services to all children, particularly those in academic institutions. Audiologists are the experts who diagnose, assess, manage, and treat hearing and balance problems. 

Forensic Audiology: 

Forensic audiology is a specialized field that applies principles and practices of audiology to legal issues. It involves the assessment of hearing and auditory-related issues in legal contexts, such as:

• determining hearing loss in personal injury cases, 
• evaluating auditory function related to criminal cases and
• providing expert testimony in court regarding auditory evidence. 

Forensic audiologists may also be involved in analyzing and interpreting audio recordings, including enhancing audio quality and identifying voices for legal purposes.

Geriatric Audiology: 

It is the branch of audiology that deals with hearing, balance, and other auditory issues in the elderly. Geriatric audiology is intended to raise awareness among audiologists regarding “ the prevalence of hearing and balance problems in elderly people” and “ the consequences of untreated hearing loss in older people.” It aims to provide a quality lifestyle and hearing well-being to the older community. 

Hearing Conversation: 

It means hearing a voice or many different voices when no one is talking to you or voices that other people with you can’t hear. Through proper counseling and medications, an audiologist can treat the person with the problem of hearing conversation. 

Industrial Audiology: 

Industrial audiology is a branch of audiology focused on preventing hearing loss and managing hearing health in occupational settings. It involves:

• monitoring workplace noise levels,
• conducting hearing tests for employees, 
• implementing hearing conservation programs and 
• ensuring compliance with regulatory standards related to noise exposure. 

Industrial audiologists work to protect workers’ hearing through education, noise control measures, and providing personal protective equipment like earplugs and earmuffs.

Military Audiology: 

Military audiology is a specialized field of audiology dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing and balance disorders within military populations. 

Military audiologists work on the development and implementation of protective hearing equipment. They also offer rehabilitation services for those with hearing impairments or balance disorders resulting from military service.

Neuroradiology: 

Neuroradiology is a branch of audiology that focuses on the relationship between the auditory system and the brain. Neuro audiologists have specialized knowledge in diagnosing and treating complex conditions involving the auditory nerve, brainstem, and central auditory pathways.

Pediatric Audiology: 

It is a branch of audiology that deals with the hearing and balance issues in Children. A pediatric audiologist diagnoses and defines hearing loss and provides rehabilitation and hearing aid to children. 

Teleaudiology: 

Teleaudiology is an audiological service delivery method that allows an audiologist and a patient to talk outside a traditional audiology clinic or hospital without the patient and audiologist meeting in person. Teleaudiology offers many advantages to patients in underprivileged areas. Now, they can interact with their audiologist remotely and start their treatment. It is indeed a great technological integration in audiology. 

Tinnitus Management: 

Tinnitus is the medical term that means hearing noises in your ears. It occurs when there is no outside source of the sound. It may sound like blowing, roaring, buzzing, whistling, or sizzling. Currently, there is no true medication for tinnitus. However, an audiologist can help you reduce the symptoms of tinnitus with the help of sound therapy devices, behavioral therapy, and drugs. 

Vestibular Audiology: 

Audiology is the branch of medical science that deals with the study of hearing and balance disorders. Vestibular audiology is the study of vestibular system functions. Studies have shown that vestibular rehabilitation therapy is very effective for people with hearing issues. The vestibular rehabilitation therapy has the following benefits:

• It reduces the risk of falling.
• Reduce your dizziness symptoms. 
• Stabilize your vision
• It improves your balance.
• Increase your body strength. 

Conclusion: 

Audiology is a branch of science that deals with hearing and balance disorders. An audiologist can diagnose hearing issues, assess and manage the hearing issues, and treat them. This branch of audiology has benefited many people suffering from hearing disorders.