Rehabilitative/Habilitative Audiology

Question 1

Define and differentiate rehabilitative and habilitative audiology

Answer 1

Rehabilitative: restoration of function; habilitation: development of function that has yet to materialize

Question 2

What is the rationale for this topic? What is it about hearing loss that makes this function important?

Answer 2

The rationale is large part based on the notion that the cochlea is medically inaccessible and that the hearing loss will be chronic. Must try to compensate for hearing loss.

Question 3

Which individuals help manage hearing loss aside from the audiologist?

Answer 3

Ear, nose and throat physician; psychologist; vocational counselor, teacher, parent, and teacher of the deaf.

Question 4

What are the major components of a hearing aid? What does each do?

Answer 4

Microphone, amplifier, and receiver. The microphone picks up sound and converts it into a low level electric signal. The amplifier increases the amplitude of the electric signal and the receiver chances the electric signal back to the acoustic domain so the listener can use the information.

Question 5

What is the name of the formula used to manipulate sound through the hearing aid?

Answer 5

Algorithm

Question 6

What are the three main electroacoustic parameters of a hearing aid? Define them.

Answer 6

Gain, frequency response curve, and output limiting. Gain refers to the amount of amplification a person receives calculated in dBSPL. Gain is defined as the difference between input and output. The frequency response curve is a graphic display of gain by frequency. Output limiting refers to the maximum acoustic energy that the hearing aid wearer will receive regardless of input .

Question 7

Discuss implantable hearing devices including specific uses for them.

Answer 7

Occupy a small part of the amplification market. Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA): surgically implanted in the skull and provide sharing through bone conduction. Intended for people with conductive hearing loss.
Middle Ear Implants (MEI): experimental, intended for people with sensorineural loss
Cochlear implants: use in management of severe hearing loss. Do not amplify sound but rather stimulate the auditory nerve. Have been instrumental in in dealing with children born with very little hearing. facilitate the development of speech and language.
Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI): are used when an individual has no 8th nerve function.

Question 8

What is the purpose of assistive listening devices?

Answer 8

They benefit where wearable hearings are not sufficient. THey may be used for listening across distances, in noisy places or in group situations.

Question 9

Indicate examples of assistive listening devices

Answer 9

Many children use them in classroom situations. Some are designed to help on the telephone, television, or in alerting situations (alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke alarms, and baby monitor.)

Question 10

Define speechreading

Answer 10

Involves the use of all visual cues that aid in understanding a message. Lipreading, facial expressions, body language, and gestures.

Question 11

What are the limitations of speechreading?

Answer 11

Many sounds cannot be easily visualized. If you cannot see the person you are talking to you cannot benefit from visual information. It is difficult to train skill in this area.

Question 12

Define auditory training

Answer 12

It is a technique intended to maximize the benefit from auditory information. Its major use is with young children or those receiving cochlear implants

Question 13

What are the major goals or steps related to auditory training?

Answer 13

First development of sound awareness, then gross discrimination and discrimination of finer sounds. Progressed from the simple and gross to the more subtle and difficult.

Question 14

Define the referential nature of sound

Answer 14

this is the ability to recognize the connection between sound from a specific source. this could be recognizing a mothers voice, the slam of a door, or the sound of a drum

Question 15

Describe the areas of counsel in audio logic rehabilitation used with children

Answer 15

Counsel may include family concerns, amplification, hearing assessment, educational opportunities, direction regarding psychologic and other forms of counsel, medical management, environmental management to facilitate optimized performance and other techniques to optimize communication skill

Question 16

Describe the areas of counsel in audio logic rehabilitation used with adults.

Answer 16

Counsel could include advice regarding amplification, hearing assessment, medical management, use of speechreading, environmental manipulation to optimize communication performance, familial concerns, and direction related to other forms of counsel (psychologic and vocational). In some instances the audiologist can help layout specific strategies to manage listening situations at home, work, and while socializing.