Chronicles of a deaf Audiologist
Rehabilitation beyond hearing aids and cochlear implants: lipreading instruction, brain/auditory training and communication strategies.
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From the chronicles
Children are more susceptible to noise than adults!
Classrooms can be noisy! Classroom noise levels are expressed as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which compares the level of the signal (teacher’s voice) to the level of noise. A typical, noisy classroom will vary in SNR from + 5 to – 7 dB. Research showed that at 0 dB SNR, adults and older children, when compared […]
Did you hear? Silk can be used to reduce sound
The world is a noisy place. Unwanted noise is a problem in schools, in our homes, and in work spaces. An interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers from MIT developed a sound-suppressing silk fabric that could be used to create quiet spaces. An open-access paper about the research appears in the Advanced Materials journal. Let’s say your next-door neighbours […]
Addressing cognitive dissonance is a huge part of an audiologist’s job! Part 1
Cognitive dissonance is a state of having conflicting feelings or beliefs. In an article called “The Psychological Dimensions of Hearing Healthcare: Audiology is More Than Just Diagnoses and Devices” in Canadian Audiologist, by Bill Hodgetts, PhD, (Vol 11, Issue 3, 2024), he said, “Resolving a patient’s cognitive dissonance is a huge part of our job.” […]
A personal remote microphone makes an impossible listening situation…possible!
The difference between listening through hearing aids only and listening through hearing aids plus a remote microphone is astounding. Here is a 44-second clip to demonstrate the difference in a noisy situation. Related post: Take the “Try” out of your hearing aid trial period
The difference between hearing and understanding
There is a difference between hearing and understanding. I can HEAR German. I can’t understand it. In the classroom, when a student appears to understand the teacher even without a remote microphone, it’s usually because there is a lot of context and the teacher has said something predictable (such as the word “Abacadabra!” in the […]
What does a live concert sound like with a cochlear implant?
A couple of months after upgrading my cochlear implant processor, I went to a concert. The guy beside me was very engaged and was yelling enthusiastically. On top of the loud music, the yelling put my cochlear implant processor into compression. The sound immediately dropped and slowly came back to full volume. The parameters […]
Are you waiting for a cochlear implant?
Are you waiting for a cochlear implant? Here’s something you can do while you wait. Read some books in print that you can later access as audiobooks (from the library, Audible, Kobo, etc.). After your CI activation, listen to the audiobooks, choosing the reader you find easiest to understand. Listen without re-reading the text, at […]
How to help someone who is hard of hearing
Are you soft-spoken? To make yourself easier to understand, reduce listening effort for the other person: move closer, turn off or move away from background noise. Be expressive: use facial expression, gestures, and body language when they support what you are saying. The intonation rises at the end of the sentence for a question or […]
Tinnitus notably higher in 19-29 year olds!
I’m concerned! The prevalence of tinnitus was found to be notably higher among 19-29 year olds in a Canadian Health Measures Survey. In the 19-29 year old age group, prevalence was 46%, compared to 33% for those aged 30-49, and 35% for those aged 50-70. Approximately 80-90% of people with tinnitus experience some degree of […]
Why you shouldn’t use Qtips for itchy ears
Many people use cotton Qtips because their ears get itchy—but in doing so, make their ears more itchy, because a Qtip will scrape off a protective, sealing layer of skin and wax. The result? Dry, itchy skin. In some cases, vigorous use of a Qtip can result in a ruptured ear drum—a very painful condition. […]