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Optimizing Listening & Spoken Language Outcomes: What Audiologists (and Families) Should Expect from Early Interventionists
Because the outcomes of AVT depend on high-quality auditory access, the audiologist plays a starring role in AVT by ensuring that babies and children with hearing loss have excellent auditory access to all sounds of speech so they can hear, process, and learn spoken language effectively through listening. Simply put, the achievement of desired outcomes in listening and spoken language intervention Auditory-Verbal Therapy depends heavily on an effective and collaborative relationship among the parent, audiologist, and AV practitioner.
To the Brain and Back
Misophonia – meaning “hatred of sound”. In the long term, the right care team might require coordination between hearing specialists and neurological and psychiatric professionals in a patient-specific manner.
Gold Standard Treatment for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is defined as an abrupt loss in hearing that is 30dB or more, over at least three audiometric frequencies occurring within 72 hours. SSNHL may result in complete or partial loss of hearing.
Striking the Right Balance: Vestibular Case History
In this edition of “Striking the Right Balance,” Sonay Cheema, M.Sc., RAUD looks at the benefits and drawbacks of a comprehensive vestibular case history for dizzy patients.
Screening for Vertebral Artery Compromise in Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of dizziness, affecting approximately 30% of individuals over 60, with prevalence approaching 50% after age 85 Left untreated, such vestibular disorders significantly increase the risk of falls, which are the leading cause of injury-related extended hospitalization stays among Canadian seniors.
When Positional Vertigo is Not “Benign”
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the No. 1 cause of vertigo. Except when it’s actually not the cause. Vertebral artery compromise can mimic BPPV and should always be considered in cases of “atypical” BPPV.
Columns
Volunteer Subjects Wanted for Online Research
Are you or someone you know age 50-85, have mild hearing loss and experiencing frequent tinnitus? Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University’s SMART Lab are studying a new music-based intervention designed to help manage tinnitus-related distress.
The Way I Hear It
Welcome to What Do I Call Myself, not a particularly fun game but it keeps people hot under the collar, revived every time somebody on Facebook asks what they should call themselves.
Sound Business Sense
Research into behavioral management has repeatedly demonstrated that when employees feel management is concerned about them by improving their working conditions, they work harder and with better accuracy in all areas of their responsibilities.
Clinic Corner
If you work in an Audiology clinic, you may have noticed a recurring trend: January and February can be unusually quiet. After the flurry of appointments in the fall and early winter, things seem to grind to a halt. Our waiting rooms seem to empty out. The phones ring less. The calendars open up. Why is February so slow?
From the Labs to the Clinics
There was one pervasive idea that even with sound exposure levels that could damage hair cells, hearing loss may not be noticed immediately if cochlear lesions occur in very high-frequency regions. However, the effects of this damage may become evident much later in life as age-related hearing loss progresses.
What’s New About Getting Older?
Beyond improving communication, it is imperative to position hearing healthcare in the broader context of healthy aging because there are important links between hearing health and many physical, mental, and social aspects.
Audiology in the Classrooms
In my last column, I talked about kindergarten registration and considerations for ensuring that students have a successful transition into school. This column will focus on the students at the other end of their educational journey, students in high school.