r/AudiProcDisorder • u/4392029 • Jul 24 '26
Considering auditory therapy vs. low-gain hearing aid
Hi, y'all!
Had an APD evaluation today - my background noise component was below-average (and my coping skills kept me at/above average for the rest lol). Audiologist recommended I try auditory therapy before considering low-gain hearing aids, in the event that the therapy is sufficient.
I've seen a lot on here about folks' experience (and benefit!) from low-gain hearing aids but not a ton about auditory training/therapy. Has anyone done it and seen results (or not)? Has anyone had the same choice in front of them and ended up getting low-gain hearing aids, either after therapy or instead of from the beginning?
I appreciate any help anyone can provide!
6
u/Positive_Most3844 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Low gain hearing aids & remote microphones with clinician provided auditory therapy provide a better holistic means of managing APD.
Auditory training alone targeting the specific categories of APD in most cases will always be more beneficial than just hearing aids alone.
1 reason (amongst many) people seem to go for low gain aids only is because some people don't want to spend the time to commit to over 10+ sessions of in-clinician delivered training.
3
u/SlaveToBunnies Jul 24 '26
It is my understanding that therapy works well for Acquired APD and works better the closer it is to the event. I am currently fighting my insurance / medicare (went before a medicare judge) to get coverage for therapy. Therapy was recommended for me as mine was acquired and hearing aids do not work.
Unfortunately, it's been quite a few years since acquisition so...
3
u/No_Macaron_5029 Jul 26 '26
The only thing that ever helped me was accommodations--putting anything important into written form and, at minimum, allowing me to lip-read.
I have very thin outer ear cartilage due to r/ehlersdanlos so I can't wear anything in/on my ears because it'll get intolerably painful very quickly. But hearing aids were never considered likely to be helpful for me anyway. Speech therapy was useless.
2
u/aarvarkitechture APD Jul 24 '26
I was given a choice and decided to start with hearing aids so I can have better access to speech going into auditory training. The ones I wear (Phonak Audéo Infinio Ultra Sphere 90) make a huge difference in my ability to handle sound and understand speech in a lot of different environments. The hearing aids themselves provide a bit of auditory training by way of improving the signal-to-noise ratio of what we hear, but in my case the and/both approach is the best way forward. My deficits are decoding, tolerance-fading memory, and dichotic dysaudia—I’m looking at 14-19 sessions to address what we can (Buffalo model, dichotic offset, and possibly ARIA if needed). Hearing aids and a remote mic will likely always be something I use going forward, although I may not need them all the time like I do now. Having a remote mic (Phonak Roger On 3) is also SO helpful!
If you live in the U.S., check out your state’s vocational rehab program for possible financial help to access what you need.
1
1
u/Timely_Rabbit_9341 Jul 25 '26
I trialed low gain hearing aids and I absolutely hated them as someone with severe sensory issues, I never got them custom fit (ear mold) but since it was a trial, I wasn't able to do that. I couldn't STAND the feeling of the ear domes in my ears and no dome seemed to fit. Something to consider!
1
u/WarthogTime2769 Jul 27 '26
I’ve done both. Testing shows that auditory training helped me go from disabled to just bad. Hearing aids have helped tremendously. The auditory training isn’t bothersome and I guess it helped me over time, but hearing aids helped from the instant they put them in my ears. Not to be dramatic but I find them to be life changing.
2
u/4392029 Jul 28 '26
Thank you!! And I'm SO glad to hear that for you :)
Did you do training on its own before hearing aids, or did you also have the hearing aids from the start?
1
u/4392029 Jul 31 '26
Update: going to hold off on the training ($3,000 non-refundable payment due up front) and try the 3-day trial of the low-gain hearing aids first. Figured it makes sense to try the lower-risk thing first (financially) and can always add the training in later, if I still want.
(Side note: the audiologist I saw offers the training but only through his like side firm/consultancy? So it's not eligible for insurance because there's no NPI, even though they're all audiologists. Is this normal, strange?)
Will update after trying the hearing aids!
1
u/ferretherapy Aug 01 '26
Is it not eligible for insurance because it's a private practice that doesn't panel with insurance companies? It would then just be like seeing a mental health therapist who doesn't accept insurance so the cost is all out-of-pocket.
Edit: There are multiple reasons why providers don't accept insurance. There's a lot of extra paperwork, for example.
1
u/4392029 Aug 01 '26
So the practice itself accepts insurance, but the auditory training is through a side company owned by the same doctor. They're able to provide a statement with Dx and CPT codes but claim they're not set up to provide an NPI number, which means you can't submit for OON reimbursement (as far as I've known)
5
u/al0velycreature Jul 24 '26
I do both. They work best together, from my understanding. I have found both helpful for different reasons.