The goal of auditory skills training is to maximize the benefit received by using your hearing technology to help you better understand spoken language in order to meet your full communication potential. You must put on your hearing aid and/or cochlear implants and commit time to practicing listening. Just as training for a marathon requires you to get out there and run, you have to be an active participant in your hearing journey to make it to the finish line. Taking an active role in the rehabilitative process is key. Besides programs and services offered by hearing care professionals, there are also online tools available such as the free HearingSuccess portal at. Call your insurance provider to find out if it is a covered service in your plan and how many sessions are covered per year.Įven if your insurance does not cover this service with a professional, there is a lot you can do on your own. If you have ever been through physical therapy, it’s the same idea. Typically, a speech-language pathologist provides this service, and an assessment is done, followed by therapy sessions. In the United States, auditory skills training is often covered by insurance under aural rehabilitation at hospitals or private practices. If you are at a teaching institution, there may be a student clinic run by the Speech and Hearing department that offers this service. Ask your audiologist to help identify a program or ask if there is a speech-language pathologist who offers this service. This training can take place one on one or in groups. Some centers offer auditory skills training as part of an aural rehabilitation program. In other words, you have the ultimate power and the ability to achieve your personal best!
This quote is very empowering because it says that you – not your doctor, audiologist or therapist – can have the greatest impact on your ability to hear. When I read this, I think of all the incredible people I have met through the years who have never let hearing loss slow them down in life. Howard Rusk in his autobiography, A World to Care For, when he stated, “…once a person overcomes a disability through his own courage, determination and hard work, he has a depth of spirit you and I know little about… is a branch of medicine in which the patient has more power than the doctor in setting the limits and possibilities…” The importance of rehabilitation was captured by Dr. In particular, it uses active listening exercises to train the brain to interpret sounds in order to understand spoken language. Auditory skills training (AST) is the process of improving hearing skills through structured, repetitive listening exercises.