Auditory Training

From the chronicles

Hearing aid regret: why waiting years can cost you

Most people wait years to get hearing aids. In the meantime, it’s not uncommon to lose confidence in communication abilities. When you’re unsure about keeping up in conversations or worry you’re not coming across as interesting or witty, you might find yourself hanging back from social stuff. (I know I don’t feel interesting or witty […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

LACE AI Pro Coaching Notes #7

Are you breezing through the Working Memory exercises in LACE AI? If so, add some background noise. The type of noise is important—choose verbal noise, such as the radio or people talking in the background. If you can systematically adjust the verbal noise to be louder or softer, that would be optimal. Find that sweet […]

LACE AI Pro is a missing piece in hearing loss rehabilitation

There is a missing piece in hearing loss rehabilitation. Researchers at the University of Louvain found that three factors impact comprehension as we age: processing speed, working memory, and distractibility (the ability to resist interference). They found that working memory in particular plays a crucial role in explaining age-related differences in language comprehension. The contribution […]

LACE AI Pro Coaching Notes #6

Some people with hearing loss (PWHL) have vastly different word discrimination scores (WDS) between ears. If one ear is significantly poorer for WDS, I recommend initially training with the poorer ear only when using LACE AI. After 12-15 hours of training (roughly a month) with the poorer ear only, is there any improvement in Speech […]

Three things to do when you get hearing aids

In hearing loss rehabilitation, there’s a focus on technology and the expertise of hearing care professionals. However, there is an additional piece to consider: the role that people with hearing loss (PWHL) themselves play in shaping the outcome. Having hearing loss myself, I have identified key areas where PWHL should focus their time and effort. […]