Clear Choice Hearing & Balance opens area’s only such facility
Rochester, NY – The hunt is over for area families who have been searching for a better way to have their children – especially those with special needs – tested and diagnosed for hearing issues. Clear Choice Hearing and Balance has just opened its new Pediatric Audiology office suite, right next door to its preexisting Greece, NY location at 103 Canal Landing Boulevard.
“Working with children with special needs requires a unique approach that’s truly needed in our community,” explains Clear Choice Hearing and Balance Founder/Owner Christine Tirk, a Spencerport native who started her successful, full-scope audiology practice more than a decade ago. “I became very interested in providing the appropriate facilities and environment after hearing about the struggles faced by an employee of mine. He was frustrated by unsuccessful attempts to get his children tested for Auditory Processing Disorder.”
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in children can cause speech and language delays, impede learning, and disrupt interaction with others. It can often be a symptom in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD/ADD, and Down Syndrome. In addition, the sensitivity to stimulation that often accompanies these diagnoses can make testing extremely difficult in a traditional, often-crowded clinical setting. Tirk became determined to create a comfortable, nurturing atmosphere that would guarantee successful testing.
“We’re having success diagnosing children who have never even been able to get through the testing process previously,” she adds.
The difference that Clear Choice Hearing and Balance offers starts from the moment clients enter the separate, welcoming waiting room with its eye-catching, Rochester-themed “I Spy”-type wall mural. Commissioned from well-known Rochester illustrator Chris Lyons, the colorful 20-feet wide by six-feet high mural provides relatable and interactive amusement with its accompanying, rhyming clue sheets. The room also features other carefully chosen games, toys, and activities for patients from ages 0 to 18. Waiting, however, is kept to a minimum by a support staff that understands the challenges that face families of children with special needs.
A specifically designed, wheelchair-accessible auditory booth has room for a child, a parent, and an audiologist, while Pediatric Audiologist Dr. Kyrsten Stephany patiently works with families one-on-one to ensure a relaxed experience with a successful outcome.
“Our whole staff is proud of the unique and safe place we’ve created here,” says Tirk. “We look forward to helping area families get the services they need to care for their children.”
Founded in 2008 by Christine Tirk, Clear Choice Hearing and Balance is a private, full-scope audiology practice that serves a wide variety of people with diverse hearing health care needs. Services include comprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluations (to assess the type and degree of hearing impairment) for children and adults, hearing instrument selection and fittings using advanced digital and computer programmable technology, tinnitus diagnosis and treatment, assessing and treating vestibular and balance disorders, adult and pediatric Auditory Processing Disorder testing and diagnosis, high-fidelity custom ear plugs, ear monitors for musicians, hearing protection/conservation devices, swim plugs, sensory plugs, assistive listening devices (for noisy environments, TV, and telephone use), community outreach programs and presentation, and repairs for all makes and styles of hearing aids. Locations include the Greece, NY office at 103 Canal Landing Blvd., Suites 3-5, and a Brighton office at 1065 Senator Keating Blvd., Suite 210.
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