Better Hearing and Speech Month Facts
Each year, Better Hearing and Speech Month in May provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders and other hearing and speech problems. The event also serves as a reminder to people to get their hearing checked. Early identification and intervention is very important, and getting your hearing checked is the first step!
According to the CDC’s website, the World Health Organization’s first World Report on Hearing found that:
- Noise is acknowledged as an important public health issue and a top environmental risk faced by the world today
- Over 50% of people aged 12-35 years listen to music via personal audio devices at volumes that pose a risk to their hearing
- Keeping the volume below 60% is a general rule of thumb for safety
- You should consider using noise cancelling earphones or headphones rather than turning the volume up
- Listening through personal audio devices should not exceed 80dB for adults or 75 dB for sensitive users, such as children, for 40 hours per week
Building Connections
“Building Connections” is the theme for 2021! You can find a variety of resources, broken down by week, on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s website. Week 4’s focus is “Summer Skill Building, Hearing Protection for School-Aged Children.” Below are some examples of the resources available. Be sure to check out the ASHA’s website for more!
Early Identification
And remember to get your hearing checked as a first step in addressing any potential issues. Early identification is important!
