Auditory Training

Processing speed affects our ability to hear in noisy listening environments, even for people with normal hearing. I emphasize this even for people with normal hearing, because some people with hearing loss believe that hearing aids alone should provide the benefits they are looking for. But even older adults with normal hearing have difficulty in […]

Without my dog, I’d skip walks when it’s difficult, missing out on exercise, sunlight, and dog joy in the snow. This is what life would look like:  Similarly, background noise makes it difficult to hear. Without auditory training, people may avoid noisy environments altogether. Auditory training uses structured exercises to help the brain hear […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]