General

From the chronicles

Radio as speedometer?

We all need a favourable signal-to-noise ratio to hear well in noise. But did you know that it is particularly important for children? Children don’t hear as well as adults do when there is background noise in the listening environment. In a typical, noisy classroom, the signal-to-noise ratio will vary from + 5 to – 7 […]

You should wear your hearing aids consistently– here is why!

Some fascinating research outlines why it is important to wear hearing aids consistently: In the second half of the experiment, some were able to ride a bicycle! If they had been able to remove the goggles for any length of time during the experiment, the results would not have been the same; the brain […]

Group work in classrooms can be challenging for children

Several research studies have examined the ability to recall a sequence of items in background noise. Noise was particularly impactful when the children were exposed to “irrelevant sound,” especially when the sound had a changing-state characteristic (e.g., background speech, as opposed to steady-state white noise). An example of this in practical terms is the high […]

Beethoven had lead poisoning, leading to hearing loss

Beethoven died from liver and kidney disease at age 56. He expressed a wish that his ailments be studied and shared so “as far as possible at least the world will be reconciled to me after my death.” Analysis of Beethoven’s hair suggests that he had lead poisoning, which may have contributed to ailments he […]

Noisy classrooms may affect the well-being of children

In 2019, a study looked at how noise affected the well-being of children in classrooms. Over three hundred first graders across 10 different schools were involved in the study. Room acoustics of the various classrooms were measured. Questionnaires were given to the students to determine their state of well-being and perceived disturbance by noise. Students […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]