Message from the Editor-in-Chief
I am 18 months behind in my reading!
So, I fully admit that while I am up to date, and being a peer reviewer for many journals, am even better than up to date in many areas of audiology, my reading on the subject area of “hidden hearing loss” has lagged. My latest understanding of hidden hearing loss was that while one could establish this in lower mammals, it may have been a “species-specific” phenomenon that did not occur in humans…. Well, it turns out that view is so “2020”. More recent research has convinced even the most conservative of researchers working in this area to acknowledge that hidden hearing loss can, and does, exist in humans. Our cover story is from Stephane Maison’s laboratory at Harvard, and he was nice enough to write a summary of a very important and recent (2022) publication for us and answers a series of Q and A format questions immediately after his article.
Hidden hearing loss may not be easy to assess in humans, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and have some subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, effects on our ability to hear in noisy locations.
In this issue, and going forward, I would like to announce a new column called Quick Answers. The inaugural column is written by Erica Zaia; a long-standing contributor and part of the brains behind one of our regular features, Striking the Right Balance. This column will never be more than 2–3 paragraphs long and will quickly address common clinical questions. This first Quick Answers is entitled “Is there any downside to performing the Epley positioning maneuver even if there isn’t yet a diagnosis of BPPV?” Other topics already in the can touch on tinnitus, learning two languages in the home for speech-delayed children, REM, and calculating the true attack time for electronic hearing protection. If anyone has other suggestions for questions and Quick Answers, please send them my way.
And now that COVID is abating, I hope to see you at the upcoming Canadian Academy of Audiology annual conference from October 12–15 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Best regards and on behalf of the editorial committee, I wish you all a pleasant and safe fall season.