Audiology

Audiology is the health science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders of the auditory and vestibular systems. It covers assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions ranging from newborn hearing loss to age-related hearing deterioration in older adults.

In Canada, audiology is a regulated health profession. Audiologists must complete a graduate degree, typically a Master of Science in Audiology, and register with a provincial regulatory college before practicing. In Ontario, that body is the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO).

Audiologists work across hospital programs, private clinics, school boards, and research institutions. Their clinical scope includes hearing tests, hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant programming, tinnitus management, balance assessments, and auditory processing evaluations. Audiology differs from otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat medicine) in that audiologists focus on measurement and rehabilitation rather than surgery or medical management of ear disease. Both professions work closely together in patient care.