Hearing Resources
Hearing affects how you connect, learn and stay safe. If you are noticing changes in your or your child’s hearing, or want to protect the hearing you have, these resources can help.
Hearing education videos are in production and will be added to this page soon. Topics include hearing as it relates to cognitive decline, balance, mental health, and rural areas.
Signs in your day-to-day life that may indicate you need a hearing test include:
- You ask others to repeat what they are saying.
- You need to turn the volume up on your TV, radio or phone.
- You notice ringing in your ears.
- You find yourself misunderstanding what is being said to you.
- You have difficulty following conversations, especially in noisy environments.
- You feel fatigued after attending an event where you spent most of your time trying to have conversations.
- You feel as though people are mumbling when they speak to you.
- You have a hard time locating sounds around you.
If you have any of these symptoms, you should contact your medical doctor.
Still not sure? Take a quick screening
- Take a hearing screening.
- You can use the well-validated Mimi app. This generates an audiogram. If you need help interpreting your results, visit our hearing health page for details.
Don’t have headphones? Complete and score the survey below to determine if you may have hearing loss. (This survey is the Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory.)
Instructions: Answer “yes,” “sometimes” or “no” for each question. Do not skip a question if you avoid a situation because of your hearing. If you use a hearing aid, please answer the way you hear without the aid.
- Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when listening to TV or radio?
- Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when attending a party?
- Does a hearing problem cause you to feel frustrated when talking to members of your family?
- Does a hearing problem cause you to feel left out when you are with a group of people?
- Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when visiting friends, relatives or neighbors?
- Do you feel handicapped by a hearing problem?
- Do you feel that any difficulty with your hearing limits or hampers your personal or social life?
- Does a hearing problem cause you to feel uncomfortable when talking to friends?
- Does a hearing problem cause you to avoid groups of people?
- Does a hearing problem cause you to visit friends, relatives or neighbors less often than you would like?
To score: Give yourself four points for every “yes,” two points for every “sometimes” and no points for every “no.” If your score is greater than six, it is recommended you proceed with a full hearing evaluation.
Next steps
If you think you may have hearing loss or just want to get a baseline on your hearing:
- Talk to your primary-care doctor, who may be able to do a screening.
- If necessary, your primary-care doctor will refer you to an audiologist, who is a hearing specialist. The audiologist will perform a comprehensive hearing assessment to check how well you hear in different environments.
For children, hearing is essential for speech, language, and social and learning development. Identifying hearing concerns early can help make sure children get the support they need to reach their full potential.
Watch for these developmental milestones, which have been adapted from The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania.
By 0-3 months, babies should:
- Startle or awake to loud sounds
- Calm to soft, familiar sounds
- Turn their head to new sounds
By 4-6 months, babies should:
- Look toward new sounds
- Enjoy toys that make sounds
- Be scared of loud noises/shouting
- Begin to repeat sounds
By 7-12 months, babies should:
- Look at items being talked about
- Respond to their name and other sounds like a phone ringing
- Respond to short requests like, “Come here”
By 1-2 years, toddlers should:
- Have a growing vocabulary, knowing more words as each month passes
- Point to body parts correctly when asked
- Follow two-step commands
Warning signs to look for
Baby
- Not startling to loud noises
- Not responding to familiar voices
- Limited babbling
- Not imitating sounds
Toddler
- Not following simple instructions
- Turning electronics up very loud
- Speaks very few or no words
Preschooler/school-age child
- Has difficulty understanding speech
- Asks for repetitions frequently
- Does not seem to be paying attention and has difficulty following instructions
Next steps if you think your child may have hearing loss
- Schedule an appointment with your child’s pediatrician and bring up your concerns. Often, the pediatrician can do a hearing screening in the office.
- If your child is 0-3 years old, contact your state’s early intervention provider. In Indiana, it is First Steps. It can provide developmental evaluations in a child’s home or another familiar environment.
- If your child is in school, ask your child’s teacher if they have similar concerns. You can have the teacher fill out an observation form similar to this example.
- Contact an audiologist, who is a hearing specialist. It is important to find a provider who is comfortable testing children, especially if your child is under 5, as many younger children require special testing methods.
My child has hearing loss, and I need support
Please know that you are not alone and that there are support systems in place to help parents of kids with hearing loss. Often, your child’s audiologist will have resources specific to your area.
Hands and Voices is a nonprofit parent-support group with chapters in most states.
Hearing loss caused by noise exposure is permanent and preventable.
If you need to raise your voice to talk to someone within an arm’s length, the sound around you is too loud.
Here are some common sounds and the length of time you can safely listen without hearing protection.
- Machinery: Safe for less than two hours
- Firearms: Never safe without hearing protection
- Concerts: Safe for five-15 minutes depending on the sound level
- Sporting event: Safe for five-15 minutes depending on the sound level
- Car racing: Never safe without hearing protection
- Headphones at max volume: Safe for five minutes
Protect your ears during loud events by wearing hearing protection. Any properly worn hearing protection is helpful and can be purchased for less than $5.
Though slightly more expensive, special earplugs for musicians, which are designed to keep the quality of the music unchanged with them in, are also available. View a recommended pair.
How to effectively wear hearing protection
Using hearing protection properly can significantly reduce noise levels and the chances of damaging your ears. This video provides guidance on how to properly insert earplugs.
The image below from Mack’s Earplugs explains steps for properly inserting earplugs.
- Step 1: With clean hands, roll the plug into a tight, crease-free cylinder.
- Step 2: With the opposite hand, reach over your head and pull back on the outer ear to straighten the ear canal.
- Step 3: Quickly insert the earplug well into the ear canal and hold it in place until it expands for a comfortable, secure fit.
- Warning: Improper fitting will reduce effectiveness, which could result in hearing loss.
Hearing aids
Visit our hearing health page to learn more about hearing aids. We also recommend visiting Hearing Tracker for trusted hearing aid reviews.