Founded in 2007 by Dr. Tara Wheeler, Heard it Through the Grapevine Audiology has grown from a small clinic to a comprehensive audiology practice, offering specialized services to a diverse patient base, particularly focusing on pediatrics and young adults.

Located at 2260 Pool Road, Ste. 300, Grapevine, the practice offers hearing care services, including:What sets her practice apart is the way Dr. Wheeler and her team integrate audiological services with educational support. The clinic employs two deaf education teachers who assist parents in understanding and navigating individualized education programs and functional behavior assessments.

“Parents might have 40 pages of forms to dig through [from school districts with evaluations], and they don't know what to look for,” Dr. Wheeler said. “We walk them through what to look for and where to find the information on the help their child is getting. And it's not really just the parents; it's teaching the child how to speak up and advocate for themselves at a developmentally appropriate level.”

One of the standout aspects of the clinic is its dedication to auditory processing disorders (APD). Children with APD often struggle to hear in noisy environments or when multiple people are speaking, common challenges in a typical classroom setting. The clinic not only performs diagnostic testing but also provides therapy to help these children improve their listening skills. This is crucial for neurodivergent children, who may face additional auditory challenges.

Dr. Wheeler said her passion for audiology grew from seeing her father experience hearing loss.

“I saw firsthand how that impacted the family when he would not get a hearing aid and how difficult that was for him,” Dr. Wheeler said. “It was the ‘80s; hearing aids weren't that good. They were basically just analog amplifiers. It's been cool to be in the field and watch hearing aids come from that to where they are now.”

Her practice offers digitally programmable hearing aids and Bluetooth connectors to enhance her patients’ auditory experiences.

“A lot of the time, depending on the severity of the hearing loss, hearing aids aren't going to get you back within normal limits,” Dr. Wheeler said. “We have the technology to add a Bluetooth connector to a television, so the TV is getting shot right to the hearing aids. Or in a child’s case, the teacher might need to wear a microphone in the classroom so it shoots that teacher's voice straight to the kids' hearing aids with the remote microphone. We walk people through the areas in which they might tap into technology to help deal with those challenging listening situations.”

By addressing both the auditory and educational needs of children, Dr. Wheeler and her team are making a difference in the lives of families, helping them navigate the complexities of hearing loss and auditory processing issues with understanding and guidance.

The practice is open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon. To learn more about Heard it Through the Grapevine Audiology, visit the practice’s website.

The above story was produced by Multi-platform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.