HEAR Center

HEAR Center Not for profit 501 (c)(3): Affordable Hearing Aid Dispensing, Speech Therapy, & Audiology

Today's Article is: Hard of Hearing: Improving Your Listening ExperienceIf you or someone you know is hard of hearing, t...
09/18/2025

Today's Article is: Hard of Hearing: Improving Your Listening Experience

If you or someone you know is hard of hearing, there are other factors besides hearing loss that can make communication difficult. Some of these include:

Hard to understand communication partners
Presence of background noise
Poor lighting on speaker’s face

How can we improve communication to help the hard of hearing? Check out this
Tips for Improving Conversation in Noisy Environments for tips to improve your listening experience.

You can also watch our webinar: “Best Practices for Communicating with the Hard of Hearing” on Youtube for additional information.

Source:
American Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association. (2022). Tips for improving conversation in noisy environments. Audiology Information Series.https://www.asha.org/siteassets/ais/ais‑tips‑for‑improving‑conversation‑in‑noisy‑environments.pdf

Image designed by Freepik www.freepik.com

Today's Blog post is: How to Help Your Child's Speech Development at HomeEvery person uses some form of expression to co...
09/10/2025

Today's Blog post is: How to Help Your Child's Speech Development at Home

Every person uses some form of expression to communicate. Pointing at an object, using sign language and verbal speaking are all forms of communication. For children who have hearing loss, speaking properly can be frustrating and challenging. One way you can help your child is to use some language-building strategies at home.

Image designed by Freepik www.freepik.com

Click link for full article:
https://www.hearcenter.org/help-your-childs-speech-development-at-home-2/

Today's Blog is: How the HEAR Center Helps Californians Who Are Deaf and Hard of HearingFor those who are deaf and hard ...
08/11/2025

Today's Blog is: How the HEAR Center Helps Californians Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

For those who are deaf and hard of hearing, it’s easy to feel isolated and alone. The truth is, though, that approximately 1 in 10 people in the United States live with some level of hearing loss, and diagnosis and treatment are within reach. For those in Los Angeles County, California, HEAR Center is an innovative non-profit hearing and speech clinic dedicated to their clients, their families and the community.

READ MORE: https://www.hearcenter.org/how-the-hear-center-helps-californians-who-are-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing/

Today's Article is: What's the difference between over-the-counter sound amplifiers and prescribed hearing aids?You’ve p...
07/23/2025

Today's Article is: What's the difference between over-the-counter sound amplifiers and prescribed hearing aids?

You’ve probably seen advertisements for over-the-counter (OTC) sound amplification devices (hearing helpers, sound amplifiers, personal sound amplification products, etc.) that promise better hearing in noisy, crowded environments or when watching television.

But can these devices truly replace prescription hearing aids? The truth is, these devices work best for those with normal hearing who are trying to hear better in certain situations. If you have or suspect you have hearing loss, a prescription hearing aid will perform much better

The facts about OTC sound amplification devices (Forbes)

These devices don’t compensate for hearing loss. It’s worth repeating that OTC sound amplifiers are intended for those with normal hearing; they cannot treat hearing loss. They are intended for individuals who want a boost in specific listening situations, such as sitting in the back of a classroom or dining in a noisy restaurant.
These devices amplify everything, not just speech. Prescribed hearing aids can mute or amplify certain frequencies depending on a person’s unique hearing loss. While personal sound amplifiers can increase the volume of speech, other sounds in the environment become louder as well: dogs barking, whirring fans, road construction–often making it harder to hear clearly.
These are not medical devices. Unlike hearing aids, which are regulated medical devices under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), OTC sound amplifiers are not intended for medical use. They are not a substitute for professional prescribed hearing aids.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/health/healthy-aging/psap/
Photo by Leah Kelley from Pexels

Today's Article is: Consonant pronunciation in childrenWhat is the average age children learn to pronounce most English ...
07/02/2025

Today's Article is: Consonant pronunciation in children
What is the average age children learn to pronounce most English consonants? Check out this graphic based on a 2018 cross-linguistic study.

Resources:
https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/3119104/Treehouse-A4.pdf
Link to ASHA study https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2018_AJSLP-17-0100

Today's Blog post: Milestones for Speech and Language Development in Children.When children develop neurotypical speech ...
06/26/2025

Today's Blog post: Milestones for Speech and Language Development in Children.

When children develop neurotypical speech and language patterns, they generally do so in a predictable way. Though every child is unique, for most, speech and language development happens in a series of roughly age-appropriate milestones. Find out which sounds are typical for specific age groups and what signs to look for to identify potential speech or language delays.

Image by: Freepik
Click the link below to learn more:
https://www.hearcenter.org/milestones-for-speech-and-language-development-in-children/

Today's Article is: Apps for Hearing Aid Users: Speech-to-TextDid you know there are free apps that enhance your hearing...
05/29/2025

Today's Article is: Apps for Hearing Aid Users: Speech-to-Text

Did you know there are free apps that enhance your hearing experience using just your smartphone? One helpful type is speech-to-text apps.

What are Speech-to-Text Apps?

Speech-to-text apps convert spoken word into written text on your smartphone, computer or tablet. These apps use voice-recognition software–typically requiring an internet connection–and some work even better with an external microphone for added accuracy.

These apps are useful in loud environments or whenever you’re having trouble hearing conversations clearly. Since smartphones are portable, it’s easy to use speech-to-text apps on the go.

Free Apps to Try

Android Users: Try Live Transcribe developed by Google.
iPhone Users: Check out Live Transcribe for iOS (not developed by Google despite the similar name).

You can also use built-in tools in your smartphone:

iPhone: Enable the Dictation feature in your settings–great for texting or taking notes. Learn how to turn on Dictation.
Android: Use the built-in voice typing feature. Here’s how to enable voice typing.

For more apps designed for people with hearing loss, visit this helpful guide from Hearing Link.
Links: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.audio.hearing.visualization.accessibility.scribe&hl=en_US
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/live-transcribe-voice-to-text/id1471473738?ls=1
https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/dictate-text-iph2c0651d2/ios
https://support.google.com/gboard/answer/2781851?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=e
https://www.hearinglink.org/technology/useful-apps-for-hearing-loss/

Img: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-senior-woman-chatting-on-smartphone-at-home-6874045/

We’re thrilled to wrap up the 44th Annual HEAR CENTER Golf Tournament. A Huge Thank You to Our Sponsors and Donors!TITL...
05/21/2025

We’re thrilled to wrap up the 44th Annual HEAR CENTER Golf Tournament.

A Huge Thank You to Our Sponsors and Donors!

TITLE SPONSOR: Cemex

PLATINUM SPONSORS: CalPortland, Holliday Rock, Mitsubishi/Robertson's, National Ready Mix, Sully Miller, Tehachapi Cement, Vulcan Materials Company

BRONZE SPONSORS: Brenntag, Chryso, Double Eagle, Eco Material, Euclid, Martin Marietta

GOLF TEAMS: ARCOSA, Rock Structures, Sika, Solomon

SPECIAL SPONSORS:
- Breakfast – Revolution Mixers
- Bloody Mary – Sika Chemicals
- Carts – Gary Bale
- Course Refreshments – Puente Ready Mix
- Hole-in-One – Arroyo Insurance, Enthusiast
- Lunch – Spragues’ Ready Mix
- Putting Contest – Rock Structures
- Tee Prize – Pacific Aggregates/ Rancho Ready Mix
- Website – Enthusiast

TEE SPONSORS: ARCOSA, Associated Ready mix, Beth and Rick Frank, Colibri Transport, Hi-Grade, Penetron USA, Inc., Simon Accounting, Solomon Colors, Xypex Chemical

DONORS:
A Noise Within Magic Castle
Armida Baylon Designs Marilou Ladines
Anthropologie Martin Marietta
Beverly Froelich Melissa Mejia
Costco Mitsubishi/ Robertsons
Don Francisco Coffee National Ready Mix Concrete
Edward Osea M.D Pasadena Playhouse
El Portal Restaurant Roclord Studios
Gourmet Gift Basket Rose Parade tickets
HEAR Center Board of directors Southern Glaciers
Hollywood Wax Museum The Board
Huntington Museum Vulcan Materials Company
Kendra Scott Jewelry
L.A Lakers
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

Register for our 44th Annual HEAR Center Golf Tournament!The 2025 tournament will be held on Monday, May 5th, 2025, Cin...
04/08/2025

Register for our 44th Annual HEAR Center Golf Tournament!

The 2025 tournament will be held on Monday, May 5th, 2025, Cinco de Mayo at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga.

HEAR Center Annual Golf tournament has been the mainstay of HEAR Center's fundraising efforts for over 43 years. Let's make this tournament our BEST ever!
Registration is now open!

For information regarding sponsorships and golfing with your team contact Executive Director Ellen Simon at ellensimon@hearcenter.org

Address

301 E Del Mar Boulevard
Pasadena, CA
91101

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+16267962016

Website

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Our History

The HEAR Center was founded in 1954 by Ciwa Griffiths, Ed.D. As a dedicated teacher of the deaf, she developed the Auditory Approach: helping hearing-impaired children gain the gift of speech through early identification of hearing loss, amplification with hearing aids and training in learning to listen and speak.

Close friends of Dr. Griffiths and true believers in her vision, Glen and Margaret Bollinger gave significant funding to the HEAR Center to expand her vision. In January of 1969 they broke ground on their headquarters in Pasadena, CA.

Dr. Griffiths promoted the idea that if you place hearing aids on children identified with hearing loss at a young age, the child could had a significantly increased chance of learning to speak normally. She had studied the specialized education of deaf children in London with educators who were performing ground-breaking research. It was there that Dr. Griffiths first observed the impact of early amplification.