Terms Related to Auditory Rehabilitation

This blog post was adapted from an article entitled, 

“Hearing Related Terms You’ll Hear in Cochlear Implant Therapy”

by Donna Sperandio, Head of Rehabilitation at MED-EL

You can read the original article HERE

http://www.medel.com/blog/hearing-related-terms-cochlear-implant-therapy/

If you’ve just received a hearing implant there might be a bunch of hearing related terms, words, and definitions that you’re just learning about for the first time. Or even if you’ve had an implant for a while one term that you’re not familiar might just pop up.

This can happen when you’re going through rehabilitation sessions or talking with your hearing specialists like audiologists, therapists, or teachers of the deaf. So, I wanted to put together this list of the technical hearing related terms and jargon that your specialists might use.

How You Interact With Sound

1. Listening: paying attention to any sound, or making an effort to hear a specific sound
2. Hearing: being able to perceive sound
3. Detection: being able to notice the existence of a sound
4. Discrimination: telling the difference between one sound and other sounds
5. Speech: the physical process of making a sound with the lips, tongue, and other speech organs
6. Language: a system of symbols or sounds used to communicate thoughts, emotions, and more

Hearing Related Terms

1. Babbling: producing vocal sounds that repeat the same syllable (like “ba-ba”) or use a sequence of similar syllables (like “ba-ma-ba-ma”)
2. Body language: using gestures, facial expressions, or body movements to communicate physically either instead of, or as well as orally
3. Chronological age: how old someone is as measured from their date of birth
4. Communication: conversing or exchanging information through social interaction
5. Consonants: the letters and sounds of a language that are not vowels, and which require the speaker to completely close his or her throat, mouth, or lips; b, f, m, and t are examples of consonants in the English language
6. Consonant-like sounds: a baby’s first sounds, before and during their babbling phase, which sound like consonants but are not perfect yet
7. Decibel: a measurement of the loudness of the sound, like if it’s loud or soft, often abbreviated to “dB”
8. Environmental sounds: all non-speech sounds that exist in everyday life, like the telephone ringing, birds chirping, or traffic noise
9. Expressive language: spoken or signed language used to convey thoughts, intentions, or emotions
10. Frequency: a measurement of the pitch of sound, like if it’s a high-pitch or low-pitch sound, often expressed in Hertz (Hz)
11. Fitting: the process of setting the cochlear implant audio processor’s program so that it is customized to its user, sometimes called “programming” or “mapping”
12. Gesture: moving a part of the body to communicate, like pointing at an object
13. Hearing age: how long someone has been wearing an effective hearing loss solution, like a hearing aid or hearing implant, is often used to give a more accurate representation of someone’s auditory development than their chronological age
14. Hearing aid trial: the 2–3 month test period where someone tries out their hearing aids to find out if they are an adequate hearing loss solution
15. Implicit learning: learning something that is not being obviously demonstrated or taught directly
16. Intensity: another way of saying “loudness”
17. Jargon: the variety of syllables said by infants which sound like speech, and which contains sounds and syllables, but is not a real language
18. Oral language: the same thing as a spoken language
19. Phoneme: the shortest unit of sound that can be recognized, like /k/ or /t/, phonemes are the building blocks of syllables and words
20. Pre-verbal stage: when babies and infants interact with their environment with babbling, jargon, or vocalizing instead of real words
21. Prelinguistic: the time before someone develops spoken language
22. Syllable: a unit of a word; for example there are three syllables in processor (pro-cess-or) and two in water (wa-ter)
23. Utterance: a continuous vocalization or phrase
24. Vocalization: any sound a person produces

How To Be A Listening and Spoken Language Tour Guide As Your Child Navigates The World

Today's post is written by a Rebecca Bowen,  a speech language and a guest blogger on the Inspired TreeHouse. 

Rebecca ideas and suggestions are also perfect for promoting listening and spoken language for children with hearing loss. Travel with Rebecca as she shares how to be your child's tour guide.

http://theinspiredtreehouse.com/how-to-be-a-tour-guide-for-language-development/

Rebecca shares, 

""HOW TO BE A TOUR GUIDE FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

When babies arrive, they are strangers in an unfamiliar land who don’t speak the language. But luckily, you do, and you will be their guide through crazy the adventure that is babyhood.

When your baby is born, every single experience is new: the way Mom smells, the light coming in the window, the sound of Dad’s voice, the way the dog’s fur feels. Every experience creates new pathways in your child’s rapidly developing brain.

Early childhood has been called the critical period for language development. This means that children’s brains are hardwired to learn language during this time. The bad news? If children aren’t exposed to a language-rich environment at an early age, it may be difficult or even impossible to learn language later in life.

So this means what you do (or don’t do) as a parent literally changes the structure and function of your baby’s brain. Yikes, that’s a lot of responsibility, right?

Don’t worry, there’s good news, too! Babies are like little sponges, absorbing new words at an amazing rate. Luckily, with a little effort you can make any daily activity – no matter how mundane – a fun, enriching, language-learning experience.

And on your left … the changing table!

Imagine you’re in a foreign country. You come upon a city. You can see an enormous building, feel the cool stone, smell the moss and hear the creaky wooden floor. But what is it called? Who built it? What was it used for? Who lived here?

While you can gather a lot of information using your senses, you have no way of truly understanding what you’re experiencing. You need a tour guide!

In 2015 let’s be language tour guides for our babies and toddlers every day!

When it comes to understanding the world, you are your child’s tour guide. You provide the words, context, and experiences necessary for your child to begin connecting objects and people with their names and functions.

Babies also take in information through their senses. They hold something soft, it’s brown and fuzzy, it smells like laundry detergent, it tastes slightly salty, it rattles when shaken. You see your child playing and say “Oh, you found your teddy bear rattle! Shake him some more!”

Boom. You’ve just led your first tour. You just named the object, explained what it’s used for, taught a new verb and gave your baby warm, positive attention. Wow, you’re good!

Some examples of how to narrate common activities during your day to help build strong connections in your baby’s brain:

“Ooh, you have a stinky diaper. Let’s put you on the changing table and clean you up.”

“Uh-oh your cup fell down on the floor. I’ll pick it up.”

“Listen, my phone is dinging. Grandma just sent us a text.”

Try some of these out during the day and then start to improvise.

http://theinspiredtreehouse.com/how-to-be-a-tour-guide-for-language-development/

Here are some tips for encouraging language development in your child from birth into toddlerhood and beyond:

Follow your baby’s lead. If she’s really into the dust particles floating in a sunbeam, talk about that. Is he fascinated by his reflection in a mirror? Perfect topic for discussion.

Avoid rapid-fire word naming: “Look here’s a train. And there’s a bear! Oh! Look here’s a cup.” Simply labeling objects quickly without providing context and explanation won’t mean as much to your child and will end up being exhausting for you.

Don’t forget the verbs and adjectives. The best way to hit all aspects of language is to use simple phrases instead of single words. Example: “You’re holding your red cup. Let’s drink some milk.”

Relax and have fun. If you treat these interactions as a lesson or chore, your child will pick up on it. Simply narrate everyday life as it happens and it will quickly become second nature. 

Trust me, it can become such a habit that you’ll catch yourself doing it even when kids aren’t around, and that can be a little awkward. Imagine a dad pointing out an airplane flying overhead to his buddies during a round of golf – true story! 

Babies really are new arrivals in a foreign country where they don’t speak the language. Luckily, they have the world’s best tour guides – mom and dad – to show them around!"

Questions to Ask When Choosing a Therapist or Provider to Help You and Your Child

Adapted from the EHDI Ready Guide 

www.novita.org.au

1.    What experience do you have with children with hearing loss?

2.    What are your licenses, certifications, and/or credentials? What are your licenses, certifications, and/or credentials?

3.    What is your philosophy regarding communication for a child with a hearing loss?

4.    What are the long-term goals of the services you recommend?

5.    How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your services?

6.    What is the parent’s role when you provide services?

7.    How do you teach us to communicate with our child between visits?
Will I be able to carry on activities with my child based on your suggestions or resources?

8.    What supports do you offer families?

9.    What is the impact of services on the siblings and extended family?

10. What is your definition of success for children with hearing loss? 

Questions to Consider When Deciding on a Communication Option

The following is from the Indiana Parent Resource Guide:

http://www.parentingnation.in

1. Is the communication option chosen in the best interest of your child and family?
   
   
2. Does it allow your child to have influence over his/her environment, discuss his/her feelings and concerns and participate in the world of imagination and abstract thought?
   
   
3. Does the communication enable all your family to communicate with your child? If not, where can you get support for teaching family members how to communicate with your child?
   
   
4. Does the communication enhance your child’s relationship with other family members? It should promote enjoyable, meaningful communication among all family members and enable your child to feel part of your family and know what is going on.
   
   
5. How is your child going to be able to communicate with peers and the community?
   
   
6. Do you and your family understand the commitment this choice will require?
   
   
7. Will your child arrive at school with language skills for thinking and learning to read?

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It's wonderful to know so many people who are passionate about hearing and Auditory Verbal Therapy. 

Woo Hoo! 

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Thoughts for the New Year 2015: What Children Need and Things They Do NOT Need

Today's excellent post is adapted from http://livingunabridged.com

As an Auditory-Verbal therapist who has spent years guiding and coaching families and raising our own two daughters, I agree wholeheartly with Karen's advice. I believe these suggestions make great 2015 family goals to help simplify and prioritize what our children need and whether we’re actually providing those things.

________________________________________

"Here are a few things I think children do NOT need:

They absolutely do not need hundreds of toys that light up, play “music", or require batteries.

They do not need the latest gadget, just because you know someone else (“everyone” else?) who has one.

They do not need expensive “enrichment” activities every night of the week.

They do not need many different pricey outfits, all color-coordinated from charming boutiques with French names.

So, what do I think a kid might need?

– They need physical nourishment. This means different things for different people, of course (especially around the world) but here in the U.S. it might mean lots of yummy fruits and veggies, some macaroni and cheese every now and then, some chocolate chip cookies for a treat, your favorite meal that your grandma used to make, and dinners inspired by different places around the world. It does not mean mom needs to be a short-order cook and make every child only their favorite foods every meal.

– They need classic, open-ended toys: wooden blocks, Legos, paper and colored pencils (markers, if you’re feeling brave), a stuffed lovey, a baby doll, and the encouragement to use their imaginations and play with anything. (Leaves for outside tea-party plates. A cardboard box can be anything. Old egg cartons and wrapping paper tubes seem to be especially prized.) They need a safe place to keep collections (buttons, rocks, leaves, shells, foreign coins, stamps, etc. Some children will try to collect all of the above.)

– They need clothes they’re allowed to get dirty. They need an outfit or two for dressing up on special occasions (this seems to be especially important for some little girls). They need aprons to wear so they can help you in the kitchen. They need your old dresses and old hats and scarves to play dress up.

– They need time with their parents and siblings. They need to play outside. They need to go to a zoo. They need to visit a farm (if they’re city kids) or the city (if they’re rural).  They should visit an art museum or two. They need to see a great body of water. They need to get messy. They need to go swimming. They need to walk quietly on a nature trail. They  need cuddling and tickling, joking and gentle teasing. They need to be around many different kinds, types and ages of people. They need grandparents or great-grandparents or an older family friend to spend time with.

– They need to ask questions. They need you to teach them how to find the answers in a book or by observation, and not just by “asking Siri”. They need to hear you say, “I don’t know. Let’s find out.” They need you to say, “That’s a great question, I’m glad you asked.” They need you to ask them silly questions like “If you were an animal, what would you be?” or “If you were a color, what would you be?” or “If you could spend the night on the moon, what would you do?”

– They need to explore. They need to climb too high. They need to swing so hard the swingset rocks. They need to poke things with sticks and lift up rocks. They need to splash in some water. They need to ride something (a bike, a horse) that intimidates them at first. They need to be out of your sight part of the day. They need to solve their own conflicts. They might need to wrestle or jump on a trampoline. They need to run until they’re out of breath. They need to try a small business like selling lemonade or something they’ve made. They need to spend their own money, sometimes unwisely. They need to give to someone less fortunate. They need to take some object apart (an old radio? a clock?) and try to put it back together.

– They need sleep. They need to go to bed in time to be rested for the next morning. They need time with no screens flickering in their faces. They need to build a pillow fort. They might need to pitch a tent outside and sleep under the stars. They need to stay up late for a special occasion and then sleep in the next morning. They need a quiet time, when they can hear their own thoughts. They need the chance to be noisy, with drums and marching and exuberant singing (this should probably happen outside, for mom’s sanity).

– They need books. They need adults to read to them. They need to read to each other. They need gorgeous books to admire and funny books to laugh at. They need rhymes to jingle in their minds. They need familiar characters who are just like family (Frances, Harry, Angus, Stuart Little ,Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle) and historical figures who inspire (Laura and Mary Ingalls, George Washington, Florence Nightingale). They need tall tales (Paul Bunyan) and small creatures who make a big difference (Charlotte). They need to thrill over heroes and mourn over martyrs lost too soon.

So, if this past Christmas you had at a list longer than your arm of the toys your child thought she needed,  or you’re watched your friends buy their kids the latest gadget but your family budget wouldn't  stretch that far, or you’re feeling guilty because you didn’t sign your kid up for the children’s choir so they could sing a miniature version of Handel’s Messiah while their grandparents oohed and ahhed over them…well, you have my permission to stop feeling guilty.

There are only a few things kids really need, and most of them don’t cost too much money. They may cost more of our time, or some of our sense of safety, but in the end those things may be a small price to pay."

Tribute to Marion Downs - Pioneer Audiologist Who Began Newborn Hearing Testing

Remembering The Pioneering Audiologist Who Tested Hearing At  Birth 

Today's blog is a repost from National Public Radio's "All Things Considered", a tribute to Dr. Marion Downs.

http://www.npr.org/2014/12/28/371962273/remembering-the-pioneering-audiologist-who-tested-hearing-at-birth

Marion passed away in November 2014 at the age of 100. She has impacted almost everyone who will read this blog post in some manner. 

A life well lived.

i

For more than 30 years, Dr. Marion Downs pushed for newborns to be screened for hearing loss soon after birth.

Marion Downs Center

As recently as the early 1990s, if you were born deaf, nobody would know for years. Parents were left to realize that something was amiss when their toddlers were not learning to talk or communicate at a normal pace. A diagnosis that late meant many deaf children never fully developed the ability to use language.

Today, things are drastically different for hard-of-hearing children, thanks to the efforts of a remarkable woman named Dr. Marion Downs.

It was just chance that Downs ended up as an audiologist. In the 1930s, she dropped out of college to marry and have children. When her children were old enough to spend their days in school, she wrapped up her bachelor's degree and headed to the University of Denver to register for graduate school.

"It was right after World War II, and there were GIs standing in miles of lines for different departments. And I said, 'I'll find a short line,' " Downs told Colorado Public Radio in 2011. "So I found a short line that was speech pathology and audiology."

She was a woman in a field dominated by men — and a mother surrounded by audiologists who insisted it made no difference whether hearing loss was detected at birth or years into a child's life. Downs didn't believe that, but it would be decades before research proved her right.

"There's a critical period for language development that occurs between 12 and 24 months," says Dr. Jerry Northern, a longtime colleague. But many hard-of-hearing children wouldn't get hearing aids until they were 3 or 4, if at all.

"And if children are not stimulated, they don't hear language and speech developed correctly — they are very often delayed and very often face educational problems for the remainder of their lives," Northern says.

Often, it meant growing up in a separate educational system for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, says Dr. Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, an audiologist at the University of Colorado.

"The average child that was that late identified, they would leave our school system after 20-some-odd years of schooling with about a third- to fourth-grade reading level," she says. "[That] severely limited their ability to live independently, even though the vast proportion of them had normal or above-normal intelligence."

In the early 1960s, Downs started testing newborns herself with horns and rattles. For decades, she traveled to pediatricians and audiologists across the country, urging them to screen newborns. Eventually, technology was developed that made universal screening easier and more affordable.

Finally, in 1993, the National Institutes of Health made a consensus recommendation for universal newborn hearing screening. Today, 97% of the millions of American babies born in hospitals or birthing centers are screened at birth. Downs received the Highest Recognition Award from the Department of Health and Human Services in 2007, in honor of her "exemplary contributions to improving the lives of persons with disabilities."

Downs herself was hearing from former patients as recently as that Colorado Public Radio interview in 2011.

"I got a letter just recently from a 50-year-old man who said, 'I thank you for having identified me at birth as having a hearing loss and being deaf. Because I've done very well.' "