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Programs that establish the nature and extent of an individual's hearing loss in order to devise an appropriate treatment plan. Evaluations may include pure tone and speech audiometry which measure hearing in terms of reception of calibrated test tones or spoken words which are presented at controlled levels of intensity; impedence tests which measure the integrity of the middle ear system and rule out conductive pathology; and auditory brain stem tests which utilize equipment similar to an EKG to measure neurological activity in response to auditory stimuli.

Programs that provide a variety of nonmedical evaluations to determine the range, nature and extent of hearing loss and rehabilitation services for people whose hearing impairments cannot be improved by medical or surgical means. Audiologists evaluate hearing, identify hearing disorders, assess hearing aids and teach clients to conserve hearing and use residual hearing.

Programs that teach individuals who have hearing impairments to make full use of their residual hearing through amplification (hearing aids or cochlear implants) in order to facilitate development of receptive and expressive language skills with a focus on appropriate inflection patterns, and rhythm and rate of speech.

Programs that provide services for individuals who have a hearing loss that involve an evaluation component to measure the extent of the loss; recommendations regarding hearing devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive listening devices to improve auditory access; fitting of the devices; and, depending on the situation, therapy to improve overall communication. Depending on when the hearing loss occurs relative to acquisition of speech and/or language, speech/language support services provided by a speech and language pathologist (SLP) may be recommended. For adults, aural rehabilitation services focus on adjusting to the hearing loss, making the best use of hearing aids, exploring assistive devices that might help, managing conversations and taking charge of communication. Services can be individual, in small groups, or a combination of both. Services for children focus on training in auditory perception, using visual cues, improving speech, developing language, managing communication and using hearing aids and assistive listening devices. They are offered in the context of early intervention (ages birth-3) and school services (ages 3-21) through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to individual needs and the communication mode the child is using.

Programs that provide instruction in visual/manual communication systems that use hand shapes, facial expressions, and other body movements as alternatives to oral and written communication, particularly within the deaf community. Included are programs that teach preverbal infants and toddlers to use sign language as a way of communicating their needs.