Skill Development

From the chronicles

Missing Word Endings in English?

Missing the ends of words in spoken English is very common, especially when listening is challenging. Here are the main reasons: Word endings are quiet and fast. In English, the ends of words often carry soft sounds (like s, t, d, f, k). These sounds are lower in volume, brief, and can easily get lost […]

Learn Lipreading No. 31

When the difficulty level is just right, anyone can learn to read lip movements and mouth shapes. The key is practice. Try this one: If you want more practice, check out my free Lipreading Challenge on YouTube. The Challenge offers 10 lessons and includes content on lipreading theory and lots of opportunity to practice. […]

Train your brain to hear faster, at any age

When it comes to processing speed, you are not stuck with the factory settings. Auditory processing speed affects how well you can “keep up” with conversations in noisy listening environments. But you can improve processing speed with auditory training! If you can keep up with the conversation more easily, your listening effort goes down. […]

Learn how to read lips No. 30

During a conversation, you are expected to respond to what the other person is saying. The added challenge of lip-reading in real time can make communication tiring and stressful. Practicing outside of these interactions can help you to improve your skills without added pressure. I’ve created free YouTube resources to support people in gaining practice. […]

Working memory and hearing difficulties

If you are struggling to hear, it can lead to “I don’t know” answers, even if you do know. Research has found that people with a stronger working memory capacity will hear better in noise.If you’re in a situation with lots of background noise, whether you have hearing loss or not, your working memory capacity […]

Learn how to read lips No. 29

So enthusiastic am I, that I am willing to sing over the Internet. As a person who is deaf, that’s a big risk to take! I have created 10 free lipreading lessons on YouTube to help you get more practice. No singing. Promise. Related post: Learn how to read lips No. 28

What is the secret to hearing better in noisy environments?

Which do you think has the greatest impact when it comes to hearing in noise? Your age Your hearing threshold at 4,000 Hz (i.e., in the high frequencies) Working memory Believe it or not, research has shown that working memory is the most important of the three factors. The good news is that your […]

LACE AI Coaching Notes #8

Are you finding the Missing Word exercises in LACE AI a breeze? If so, let’s kick things up a notch. Try choosing Treatment > Mumbled instead of Fill in the blank—it’s not only tougher, but it also feels more like what you’ll encounter in everyday conversations. To get the most out of your training, head […]

Learn to read lips No. 28

When learning to read lips, context can make it seem obvious what someone is saying. In this case, the context is the duct tape and how it is used. Try it out in the video below! It’s essential to remain flexible and let go of what you initially thought you saw if it doesn’t fit. […]

Learn how to read lips No. 27

The topic of a conversation provides important lipreading cues. A word can have different meanings depending on its surrounding words or context. If I say the word “flour,” you might think of a flowery alpine meadow rather than the flour used to bake bread. When we say someone took our words “out of context,” we […]