Ask an Expert: What Is Aural Rehabilitation?
Aural rehabilitation helps your brain adjust to using hearing aids and improves communication skills. Discover how this personalized training enhances your hearing journey and everyday communication confidence.
Published 4/7/2026,
Updated 4/7/2026
3 min read
Reviewed by
HearUSA editorial team
Hearing health
Share article
Q: What Is Aural Rehabilitation?
Stephanie Jaffe: Aural rehabilitation (AR) helps people with hearing challenges adjust to using amplification, namely hearing aids and cochlear implants. AR helps retrain the brain to process sound from the device more effectively1.
Aural rehabilitation helps train your brain and listening skills, making conversations clearer and more natural over time.
Full size
It goes beyond simply wearing a hearing device; it also teaches listening skills, communication strategies, and coping techniques for everyday life2. Essentially, AR trains the brain and ears to work together so that sounds delivered through hearing aids become easier to understand.
Find your nearest hearing center.
Q: What Does Aural Rehabilitation Involve?
Stephanie Jaffe: Aural rehabilitation is a type of therapy that focuses on training the brain to use communication strategies to help make sense of speech in difficult listening situations. AR uses strategies like visual cues, facing the speaker, or adjusting your surroundings to improve understanding.
Aural rehabilitation focuses on practical tools that help you hear and communicate with greater ease.
Full size
AR programs are personalized to your hearing and communication needs. The goal of AR is to help you hear and communicate comfortably, feel confident, and enjoy day-to-day interactions by teaching useful tips for coping with changes to your hearing health3.
The four key areas of AR are4:
The four key areas of AR are4:
- 1.
Sensory management
Using the hearing devices consistently to train the brain to process the amplified sound. - 2.
Instruction
Learning how to make the best use of your hearing devices. This includes comprehensive orientation and training on device support, assistive devices, and troubleshooting from your Hearing Care Professional. - 3.
Perceptual training
Structured listening exercises that train your brain to recognize speech and everyday sounds more easily. This can include breaking down sounds into smaller components for improved understanding and learning strategies that make it easier to understand the message being communicated. - 4.
Counseling
Support and guidance to help you adjust, stay motivated, and build confidence in your hearing journey. This includes addressing barriers and facilitators to improve communication.
Some programs also include assistive listening devices (ALDs), such as remote microphones, TV streamers, or hearing apps, with follow-up sessions to monitor progress.
ALDs help when background noise or distance makes it hard for sound to reach a hearing aid clearly. They send the sound directly to the hearing aids, making it easier to hear and understand speech.
AR can be provided by a hearing care professional, a speech therapist, or a team of health care professionals for those with cochlear implants or those with additional health issues.
ALDs help when background noise or distance makes it hard for sound to reach a hearing aid clearly. They send the sound directly to the hearing aids, making it easier to hear and understand speech.
AR can be provided by a hearing care professional, a speech therapist, or a team of health care professionals for those with cochlear implants or those with additional health issues.
Your hearing care provider will work with you to deliver aural rehabilitation that fits your hearing goals, lifestyle, and overall health.
Full size
Q: Who Benefits From Aural Rehabilitation?
Stephanie Jaffe: AR is helpful for5:
First-time hearing aid users adjusting to sound from hearing devices.
Long-term hearing aid wearers with little benefit.
People using cochlear implants who need to train their brains to interpret electroacoustic signals.
Individuals with tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ear), for whom sound therapy and counseling are beneficial.
Q: Is Aural Rehabilitation Necessary After Getting Hearing Aids?
Stephanie Jaffe: Yes. Even with hearing aids, the brain needs time and training to process sound correctly. Studies show that hearing aid wearers who participate in AR often experience better speech understanding, higher satisfaction, and more consistent hearing aid use than those who do not1.
Full size
AR also helps people learn how to care for and adjust their devices properly, reducing communication stress, especially in noisy environments.
Q: How Long Does Aural Rehabilitation Take?
Stephanie Jaffe: The length of AR varies by age, hearing health, motivation, and personal goals. Some people may need just a few one- to two-hour sessions to gain confidence, while others, particularly cochlear implant users or those with more complex hearing needs, may require several months of training. Self-paced online exercises, apps, or group sessions can reinforce skills between appointments.
New technologies such as online (e-health) and mobile (m-health) tools make hearing care more flexible, personal and interactive, giving you support at your fingertips.
Q: What Is the Difference Between Auditory Training and Aural Rehabilitation?
Stephanie Jaffe: Auditory training is a part of AR that focuses on structured listening exercises to help the brain recognize speech and sound patterns.
Aural rehabilitation is broader: it includes auditory training along with counseling, communication strategies, and device management4,6.
Aural rehabilitation is broader: it includes auditory training along with counseling, communication strategies, and device management4,6.
Q: Can Aural Rehabilitation Help With Tinnitus?
Stephanie Jaffe: Yes. Based on the cause of the tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), AR can support its management. AR programs may include sound therapy, coping strategies, and counseling to help reduce the impact of ringing or buzzing in the ears4.
Aural rehabilitation focuses on coping strategies that can improve comfort and quality of life.
Full size
Q: What Are the Benefits of Aural Rehabilitation for New Hearing Aid Wearers?
Stephanie Jaffe: Aural rehabilitation helps new hearing aid wearers adapt faster to device sounds, understand speech in challenging situations, and communicate more effectively with family, friends, and colleagues.
Research and clinical experience have shown that AR supports long-term hearing aid success and helps people get the most benefit from their devices7.
Research and clinical experience have shown that AR supports long-term hearing aid success and helps people get the most benefit from their devices7.
We’d Love to See You
If you’d like to learn more about aural rehabilitation, connect with your nearest hearing care center and schedule an appointment today. Our hearing care professionals are here to support your communication, confidence, and comfort so you can thrive in any situation.
Sources:
1 Trends in Amplification: ‘Adult aural rehabilitation: what is it and does it work?’, (June 2007) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4111411/
2 Audiology Research: ‘Technologies and auditory rehabilitation beyond hearing aids: An exploratory systematic review’ (July 2025) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40700223/
3 Seminars in Hearing: ‘Evidence-based interventions for adult aural rehabilitation: that was then, this is now.’ (February 2019),. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30728650/
4 Plural Publishing: ‘Foundations of aural rehabilitation: Children, adults, and their family members’, (2022): https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publications/foundations-of-aural-rehabilitation-children-adults-and-their-families?srsltid=AfmBOoo-v6nC3UhW2PxxLCdbHIzdJPkw3XVfgpP4z9zxRk7bVQdOamgT
5 American Journal of Audiology: ‘American Speech-Language-Hearing Association clinical practice guideline on aural rehabilitation for adults with hearing loss’, (May 2022): https://www.scribd.com/document/773026407/Aural-Rehabilitation-Clinical-Practice-Guideline-Development-Panel-Et-Al-2022-American-Speech-Language-Hearing
6 Ear and Hearing: Auditory training supports auditory rehabilitation: a state-of-the-art review (July/August 2020): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31613823/
7 The Hearing Journal: ‘What is adult aural rehabilitation and why pursue it?’, (December 2022): https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2022/12000/what_is_adult_aural_rehabilitation_and_why_pursue.8.aspx
1 Trends in Amplification: ‘Adult aural rehabilitation: what is it and does it work?’, (June 2007) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4111411/
2 Audiology Research: ‘Technologies and auditory rehabilitation beyond hearing aids: An exploratory systematic review’ (July 2025) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40700223/
3 Seminars in Hearing: ‘Evidence-based interventions for adult aural rehabilitation: that was then, this is now.’ (February 2019),. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30728650/
4 Plural Publishing: ‘Foundations of aural rehabilitation: Children, adults, and their family members’, (2022): https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publications/foundations-of-aural-rehabilitation-children-adults-and-their-families?srsltid=AfmBOoo-v6nC3UhW2PxxLCdbHIzdJPkw3XVfgpP4z9zxRk7bVQdOamgT
5 American Journal of Audiology: ‘American Speech-Language-Hearing Association clinical practice guideline on aural rehabilitation for adults with hearing loss’, (May 2022): https://www.scribd.com/document/773026407/Aural-Rehabilitation-Clinical-Practice-Guideline-Development-Panel-Et-Al-2022-American-Speech-Language-Hearing
6 Ear and Hearing: Auditory training supports auditory rehabilitation: a state-of-the-art review (July/August 2020): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31613823/
7 The Hearing Journal: ‘What is adult aural rehabilitation and why pursue it?’, (December 2022): https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2022/12000/what_is_adult_aural_rehabilitation_and_why_pursue.8.aspx
Share article
