Skill Development

From the chronicles

finger pointing to phrase trying new things

Christmas wish list for people with hearing loss

Music sets the mood at a party, but please turn it down once it’s in full swing so people with hearing loss (PWHL) can enjoy conversations and connections. Slowing down when speaking makes it easier to understand you—thank you! Another wish list item is hearing care professionals who recognize that auditory training is an essential […]

Learn how to read lips by trying this!

Learning how to read lips is fun. One skill to develop is how to make educated guesses with substitution practice. Try it out! Check out my free Lipreading Challenge on YouTube!

Learn how to read lips #10

Substitution practice can be valuable when you are learning how to read lips: Can you think of two other words that look like veil and fail? Keep the same vowel sound. Get more substitution practice with my free Lipreading Challenge on YouTube! Related post: Learning How to Read Lips #9

Are you getting new hearing aids?

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker hesitantly says he will ‘try’ to complete a task. Yoda, the warrior mystic, replies: ‘No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.’ Anytime you say that you will ‘try’ something, your words imply a lack of commitment. They suggest that you feel that you won’t be able […]

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 […]

Learning How to Read Lips No. 6

I never thought I would have the courage to sing online! Yikes. See video clip below for a quick substitution practice. Substitution practice is a critical skill when you’re learning how to read lips. If you would like to learn more, try my free Lipreading Challenge on YouTube! I also offer one-on-one instruction […]

Auditory processing speed is not fixed!

When it comes to processing speed, you are not stuck with the factory settings. With normal, healthy aging, auditory processing speed slows down. This 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 […]

Learning How to Read Lips No. 9

Lipreading instruction helps you to learn how to make educated guesses. If you know which sounds look alike, you can make a quick substitution in your mind when the first thing you see or hear doesn’t make sense. Try this example with the Beatles song, “Yesterday.” Information about lipreading classes can be found […]

Learning How To Read Lips No. 7

Anyone who has difficulty with hearing would benefit from learning some lipreading theory. When you know which sounds look alike, you can make an educated guess if you have some foundation in the theory. Check out my free Lipreading Challenge on YouTube, or learn how to read lips in an online group class! https://heara.ca/programs/ (Click […]

Is everyone mumbling? You might have hearing loss

It can be frustrating for a significant other to be accused of mumbling. Hearing loss can make common, everyday words difficult to recognize. Most people who have permanent, age related, or noise induced hearing loss usually have a sloping hearing loss, which means they don’t hear the high pitch sounds clearly. Consonant sounds are high […]