Clinical Services

Audiologic Testing

The Audiology Clinic performs diagnostic tests to identify the degree and type of hearing loss of our patients. The make-up of the test battery is determined by the child’s individual needs and is designed to assess specific symptoms and their causes for each patient. Following the evaluation, the audiologist helps the patient and their family understand the impact of the hearing loss and recommends appropriate steps for further management. This may include a referral to a physician of their choice, early childhood intervention specialists, local school districts, or another one of the following services offered through our clinic.

Hearing Aid Dispensing Program

Includes the selection, fitting, troubleshooting and modification of most hearing instrument technologies. We also provide hearing aid repairs.

Loaner Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Program

The Center provides loaner hearing aids and cochlear implants for families in need of a back-up during the repair of their current technology.

FM Dispensing Program

Babies and young children are listening in difficult situations every day. Some examples include: listening in the car, at a day care, playing outside or at the park and in an educational setting. The best way to hear better in all of these situations is to remove the background noise and to shorten the distance between the speaker and the listener. Most people do not talk with each other while they are standing 3 to 6 inches apart; which is an ideal listening distance for a hearing impaired child. You could not talk to your child this closely in a car or while your child is playing at the park. Unfortunately, background noise usually cannot be removed or changed. Because of this, there are devices designed to make it easier for children to hear in difficult situations. The device used most often today is the Frequency Modulated or FM system. An FM system can significantly improve a child's speech perception in difficult listening situations when paired with the child’s current hearing technology.  

CHS CARES Program

The CHS CARES program provides financial assistance for hearing aids and hearing aid repairs to those families who qualify.

Cochlear Implant Program

Includes the initial cochlear implant evaluation to determine if your child is a candidate, as well as counseling about the various cochlear implant companies, the initial stimulation of the device after surgery and all follow-up mapping and equipment needs. 

Community Hearing Screenings

Community hearing screenings are held throughout the year in order to screen for school-age children for childhood hearing loss and provide immediate access to intervention and follow-up services. 

Hearing Protection Program

The Hearing Loss Prevention Program provides free prevention information and hearing testing to children throughout the Greater Houston community. Through this initiative, CHS aims to identify hearing loss and teach students how to protect one of their most valuable assets – their hearing.

Education Liaison Program

CHS has recently established a unique Educational Liaison program called SoundWaves. The SoundWaves Program works on behalf of children with hearing loss to help coordinate and facilitate the goal of spoken language development between our service providers and area professionals. 

This program is for students of The Melinda Webb School. It includes annual hearing evaluations, hearing aid monitoring, fittings and service, FM device fittings, cochlear implant programming and troubleshooting.

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention

This service is offered for infants. Screening has been mandated by the state of Texas since 1999 so that intervention may begin as early as possible. The Audiology Clinic provides diagnostic un-sedated auditory brainstem response (ABR), auditory steady state response (ASSR) testing, otoacoustics emissions (OAE), as well as fitting and dispensing of hearing aids to this specialized age group.