Auditory Rehabilitation

The ability to hear is a wonderful quality of human life that every individual is exceptionally fortunate to hold. However, there are several complications that can occur before, during, or after childbirth that can cause a persons hearing to be less than normal, leaving them with life altering challenges that can impair the ways in which they perceive the world around them. Hearing loss is a universal, multicultural phenomenon that impacts children and adults alike. Estimates show that nearly 30 million Americans over the age of 12 in the United States are affected with a bilateral hearing loss (Lin, 2011).

Hearing loss can affect an individual in a wide range of manners. Varying in the degree of impact and the degree of loss, different

There are assorted options presented to each individual because all treatment opportunities vary on a case-by-case basis. For instance, a person who has unilateral aural atresia may opt out of treatment altogether because they do not have significant delays and can hear normally in one ear. Another form of treatment is a traditional bone conduction hearing aid, which is a headband that the child wears, that allows them to achieve hearing via vibrations on the mastoid bone (Actiononhearingloss.org.uk, 2015). More advanced options are the implantable hearing aids such as the Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA), Bonebridge (BB) and Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB); all of which are implanted into the patient, but have specific aspects making each suitable on a case-by-case basis taking various factors into consideration (Lo et al., 2014). Studies have shown that the BAHA softband system proves to be the better choice for treatment in conductive hearing loss over the traditional bone conduction hearing aid; showing improvement in hearing of 10 children tested (Christensen et al., 2010). In addition to that study, Fuchsmann et al., (2010) states that the BAHA hearing aid proves to be the most reliable method for rehabilitation of aural atresia, showing improvement in hearing and quality of life. Various

Being born with abnormalities is a growing incidence that people existing in this world have to learn to brave. Congenital aural atresia, failure of development of the external auditory canal, is one of the pathologies leading to challenging circumstances for those it possesses, but with growing knowledge and the advancement of technologies we are oftentimes able to find an improvable resolution. The surgical management and rehabilitation of aural atresia has varying results because each person’s condition is different; unilateral vs. bilateral atresia, age, medical history, anatomy of facial nerves and other parts, expectations, hospital and family support, etc. are all things to be considered while making the choice of treatment (Lo et al., 2014). Although some studies have shown the requirement of revision surgeries, Christensen (2015) discusses how they have proven to be successful in displaying lasting, positive results, which proves to be the main concern for the doctors involved. Helping someone achieve the optimal level of hearing is a rewarding opportunity not only for the patient but also for everyone involved in the magnificent journey to an enhancement in life. So whichever path they chose as long as they are healthy and happy, everyone is