UC Speech and Hearing Clinic offers free audiology evaluations and much more

Did you know: One in every three adults between 61 and 70 years of age suffers from hearing loss? The ratio jumps to four in every five for those over 85, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Knowing these statistics, one might consider getting a free audiology evaluation at the University of Cincinnati Speech and Hearing Clinic, offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, year-round.

UC’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has provided speech, language and hearing services to the Greater Cincinnati community for over 40 years.

Established several years ago, the Speech and Hearing Clinic relocated to the new $61 million Health Sciences Building in 2019. Services there range from basic screenings to highly specialized treatment of complex conditions such as auditory processing disorders, language and literacy disorders, neurogenic disorders (aphasia, apraxia and dysarthria), augmentative communication and aural rehabilitation.

The clinic hosts support groups and bootcamps for parents, along with Social Skills Hours and Fluency Fridays, too. 

UC faculty are experts in their fields and bring this knowledge to the assessment and treatment of communication disorders within the clinic. They clinic is overseen by director Amber Meadows-Yusko, who makes sure services go hand in hand. For instance, when someone comes in for speech therapy, they are encouraged to get the free hearing test, too.

Prewitt, who joined UC in 2021, first got interested in communication sciences growing up with a brother who has Down syndrome. Initially she thought she would become a speech therapist until she got to help someone hear better. 

“There’s a lot of satisfaction in being able to give those sounds back to people,” Prewitt says. The clinic helps clients get fitted for the right hearing aids and keep them updated, Prewitt says. The clinic does not bill insurance, but Prewitt says their services and the clinic’s fees for hearing aids are competitive. 

“Most of the time insurance is not so great covering hearing aids anyway,” Prewitt says.

Here’s another stat: Employment of audiologists is projected to grow 16% between 2020 and 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations. 

UC’s top-ranked Doctor of Audiology graduate program involves an in-depth study of the disorders of hearing and balance, coupled with practicum experiences—such as working at the Speech and Hearing Clinic, says Natalie Brenner, who will graduate in 2024 with a clinical doctorate of audiology.