Hearing Disorders

An inner ear with a focus on the ossicles and the stapes

What Is Otosclerosis and How Is It Treated?

Otosclerosis is a condition that affects the middle ear, specifically the tiny bones known as the ossicles. This condition can cause hearing loss as it interrupts the ability of sound waves to travel from the outer ear to the inner ear. This article will explore the definition, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for otosclerosis. …

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An ear with sound waves radiating from it

Understanding Sudden Deafness and Its Causes

Sudden deafness, also known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss, is a hearing loss that occurs within a short period, usually within 72 hours. It is a challenging condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. Sudden deafness can result from various underlying causes, including viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and vascular disorders. In this article, …

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TELECOIL AND TELEPHONES

When the topic of assistive listening devices arises, the lowly telecoil hardly enters into the discussion. Yet the ordinary telecoil (the “T”coil) is perhaps the most common and most underestimated assistive listening device available for hearing-impaired individuals today. They are inexpensive, simple to operate (if one knows how), and can be incorporated in body worn, …

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Classroom Sound-Field Systems

Much has been written about classroom sound-field amplification systems since they were first introduced about twenty years ago. As their potential contribution to children in classrooms becomes increasingly clear, there now appears to be a developing professional consensus regarding their efficacy. Indeed, those professionals who use and/or evaluate classroom sound-field system view them as one …

Classroom Sound-Field Systems Read More »

Hearing Aid Services and Satisfaction: The Consumer Viewpoint

introduction In the U.S. today, a person can purchase hearing aids from two types of dispensers: Audiologists and Hearing Instrument Specialists (formally known as hearing aid dealers). Both groups are licensed to dispense hearing aids, but come to this activity based on significantly different paths of formal education and training.  There is no information that indicates …

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The “Occlusion Effect” — What it is, and What to Do About it

This article first appeared in Hearing Loss (Jan/Feb 2004) The occlusion effect is not a new phenomenon and has been described here before. Still, it is a serious and continuing problem for some hearing aid users and thus is the kind of topic that merits some repetition now and then. It relates to the complaint that some …

The “Occlusion Effect” — What it is, and What to Do About it Read More »

The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance

Recently, I’ve been trying to organize some of the columns and articles I’ve written over the past ten years. As I was looking through them, it became apparent that I’ve neglected to discuss what is perhaps most important hearing dimension of all, the simple audiogram. In reality, however, the “simple” audiogram, and particularly its implications, …

The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance Read More »

Feedback Cancellation Systems and Open-Ear Hearing Aid Fitting

The presence, or threat, of acoustic feedback has long been one of the major problems in the fitting and wearing of hearing aids. Acoustic feedback occurs when some of the amplified sound leaks from the ear canal and is picked up by the hearing aid microphone and then re-amplified. This starts the cycle of leakage …

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Some Reflections on Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Hearing Aids

So-called digital hearing aids are an outgrowth of the computer revolution that is transforming our entire society. Today, digital technology has been applied to hearing aids in two distinct formats: Digitally programmable analog signal-processing (ASP) instruments and digitally programmable digital signal processing (DSP) Digital encoding in the latter technology is proving to be an economical …

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MULTICHANNEL AND MULTI-MICROPHONE DIRECTIONAL HEARING AIDS: Fitting Procedures and Evaluation of Current and Emergent Technology

The most common complaint of those who wear hearing aids, by far, is interference from background noise and reverberation (e.g. echoing environments). The RERC for Hearing Enhancement has been working on techniques for reducing the effects of background noise and reverberation on speech clarity. Thus far, improvements shown with single microphone input are small, if …

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Dr. Mark Ross is a Principal Investigator of the RERC on Hearing Enhancement,

  Professor Emeritus of Audiology, University of Connecticut and has served as Vice President of the SHHH Board of Trustees. He writes a regular column for Hearing Loss Magazine- The Journal of the Hearing Loss Association of America, called “Developments in Research and Technology.” He has published and lectured extensively on topics dealing with hearing …

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Dr. Ross on Hearing Loss Noise Reduction Hearing Aids: Why They’re Needed, and How They Work

Some years ago on a visit to New York, my family and I decided to have brunch at one of the “in” places in Greenwich Village. As we entered, we were greeted by the happy chatter of other diners. While these sounds would be a problem for me, it was an expected one and one …

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Evaluating the Performance of a Hearing Aid in the Real-Ear

Years ago, the usual audiometry session consisted of pure-tone threshold testing across frequency (the audiogram) and, for a “comprehensive” examination, it included a test of word intelligibility under quiet conditions. Compared to that period, we now have a plethora of tests to evaluate a person’s auditory status. Diagnostic hearing tests can identify abnormalities anywhere in …

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Hearing Aid Companies

A & M Hearing Ltd. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepage/amhearing ACTIVE ELECTRONICS, Inc http://www.activeelectronics.com AIM Instrumentation Northwest Inc http://www.home.xl.ca/aim AMERICANEAR http://www.americanear.com AUDIO CONTROLE (Canadian) http://www.audiocontrole.com AVR Communications Ltd http://www.avrsono.com Bell Hearing Instruments http://www.bellhearing.com BELTONE http://www.beltone.com/ BERNAFON-MICO http://www.bernafon-maico.com CLARITY HEARING INSTRUMENTS http://www.midcoast.com/~clarity DANAVOX http://www.danavox.com DECIBEL Instruments, Inc http://www.decibel.com General Hearing Instruments, Inc http://www.generalhearing.com HEARING INNOVATIONS http://www.hearinginnovations.com/ LORI MEDICAL LABORTORIES http://www.lorimedical.com/ MAGNATONE Quality Hearing Instruments http://www.usa.com/maganatone MARCON http://members.aol.com/marconhear MICRO-TECH http://www.hearing-aid.com MIRACLE-EAR http://www.miracle-ear.com OTICON http://www.oticonus.com PHILIPS http://www.nl.hearing.philips.com PHONAK http://www.phonak-us.com/ Phonic Ear Inc http://www.phonicear.com RESOUND http://www.resound.com REXTON http://www.rexton.com …

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CURRICULUM VITAE: LINDA KOZMA-SPYTEK

CURRICULUM VITAE: LINDA KOZMA-SPYTEK EDUCATION B.S., 1981, Speech and Hearing Science-Education of the Deaf, Washington University, Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, MO M.A., 1989, Communication Sciences, Washington University, Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, MO Graduate Studies in Audiology, 2000-2005, The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New …

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TELECOIL AND TELEPHONES

When the topic of assistive listening devices arises, the lowly telecoil hardly enters into the discussion. Yet the ordinary telecoil (the “T”coil) is perhaps the most common and most underestimated assistive listening device available for hearing-impaired individuals today. They are inexpensive, simple to operate (if one knows how), and can be incorporated in body worn, …

TELECOIL AND TELEPHONES Read More »

Personal and Social Identity of Hard of Hearing People

In considering the personal and social identity of hard of hearing people, in the very fact that such an issue is framed for discussion, we clearly mean to contrast our situation to that of people who are physiologically deaf, or who consider themselves socially and culturally Deaf in spite of the existence of significant amounts …

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Dr. Mark Ross is a Principal Investigator of the RERC on Hearing Enhancement

  Professor Emeritus of Audiology, University of Connecticut and has served as Vice President of the SHHH Board of Trustees. He writes a regular column for Hearing Loss Magazine- The Journal of the Hearing Loss Association of America, called “Developments in Research and Technology.” He has published and lectured extensively on topics dealing with hearing …

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A Retrospective Look at the Future of Aural Rehabilitation

In the Beginning By all accounts, the audiology profession had its genesis in WW II, as an outgrowth of the aural rehabilitation (A/R) programs provided for servicemen who lost hearing in the war. What the government did was bring together a variety of specialists, told them to organize an A/R program, and essentially give them …

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Dr. Ross on Hearing Loss

Auditory training can be defined as formal listening activities whose goal is to optimize the activity of speech perception (Dr. Arthur Boothroyd).   It is based on an assumption that listeners often need help in dealing with the speech perception deficits that remain after auditory function has been optimized through an appropriate hearing aid selection process.  This point …

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Classroom Sound-Field Systems

Much has been written about classroom sound-field amplification systems since they were first introduced about twenty years ago. As their potential contribution to children in classrooms becomes increasingly clear, there now appears to be a developing professional consensus regarding their efficacy. Indeed, those professionals who use and/or evaluate classroom sound-field system view them as one …

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Digital Hearing Aids: From the Perspective of One Consumer/Audiologist

The Marketing of Digital Hearing Aids Over the past 50 years that I can personally recall, there have been ambitious and hyperbolic marketing appeals about new developments in hearing aids. Even as a professional audiologist, presumably able to separate the “hype” from the facts, it was, and is, hard for me not to be influenced …

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Audibility and Useful Hearing Aid Features

In preparing this column, I ordinarily consult the trade and professional literature for information on significant developments in hearing assistive technologies (hearing aids and other devices). There is usually no shortage of research studies to review and other developments to report. In recent years, in particular, there has been a virtual banquet of technical developments …

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Different kinds of implants: Auditory, Penetrating and Hybrid

In my judgment, the advent of cochlear implants has been the most significant prosthetic advance for people with hearing loss since the development of the first wearable electronic hearing aid. Having access to the auditory world around them via cochlear implants has transformed and enriched the lives of thousands upon thousands of adults and children. …

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Hearing Aid Services and Satisfaction: The Consumer Viewpoint

In the U.S. today, a person can purchase hearing aids from two types of dispensers: Audiologists and Hearing Instrument Specialists (formally known as hearing aid dealers). Both groups are licensed to dispense hearing aids, but come to this activity based on significantly different paths of formal education and training.  There is no information that indicates that …

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Are Binaural Hearing Aids Better?

Are binaural hearing aids better?  An interesting and provocative article in the September 2005 issue of Journal of the American Academy of Audiology (JAAA) by several respected researchers (Therese and Brian Walden) has reopened this question, one that I thought had long been settled in favor of binaural relative to monaural hearing aids.  Before reviewing …

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Classroom Sound-Field Systems

Much has been written about classroom sound-field amplification systems since they were first introduced about twenty years ago. As their potential contribution to children in classrooms becomes increasingly clear, there now appears to be a developing professional consensus regarding their efficacy. Indeed, those professionals who use and/or evaluate classroom sound-field system view them as one …

Classroom Sound-Field Systems Read More »

Acoustic Feedback Control

Just about anybody who has ever worn a hearing aid has experienced this annoying sound, variously described as “whistling”, “howling”, “screeching” and various other adjectives denoting an unpleasant auditory experience. It is not a trivial problem; industry estimates that 10 to 15 percent of in-the-ear hearing aids are returned within the first 30 days because …

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The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance

Recently, I’ve been trying to organize some of the columns and articles I’ve written over the past ten years. As I was looking through them, it became apparent that I’ve neglected to discuss what is perhaps most important hearing dimension of all, the simple audiogram. In reality, however, the “simple” audiogram, and particularly its implications, …

The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance Read More »

Frequency-Lowering Hearing Aids: Increasing the Audibility of High-Frequency Speech Sounds

The most common type of hearing impairment is a high-frequency loss (i.e., perception of higher frequencies is poorer than that of lower ones). People with this type of problem often complain of hearing but not understanding. While the deleterious effect of noise occurs for a number of reasons, a primary one is the fact that …

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Hearing Aid Services and Satisfaction: The Consumer Viewpoint

Introduction In the U.S. today, a person can purchase hearing aids from two types of dispensers: Audiologists and Hearing Instrument Specialists (formally known as hearing aid dealers). Both groups are licensed to dispense hearing aids, but come to this activity based on significantly different paths of formal education and training.  There is no information that …

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Hearing Aid Troubleshooting

Hearing aids are delicate (and very expensive!) instruments. Within their tiny, fragile cases, they pack an enormous amount of highly sensitive, sophisticated electronic circuitry. Unlike eyeglasses, hearing aids need regular upkeep and a lot of tender loving care to ensure continued optimal performance. With reasonable care, the life expectancy of a hearing aid is about …

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Mark Ross

Mark Ross, Ph.D. Consultant CURRENT LOCATION University of Connecticut EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Ph.D. – Stanford University, 1962 M.A. – Brooklyn College, 1958 B.A. – Brooklyn College, 1957   BIOGRAPHY AND RERC AFFILIATIONDr. Ross is involved with the dissemination of professional information to consumers via bimonthly articles in the journal Hearing Loss, the organ of the Hearing Loss …

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STI PROGRAM INFORMATION

System Requirements Minimum Configuration: Microsoftâ Windowsâ 95, 98 or NT 4.0 (or higher) 90 Mhz (or faster) Intelâ Pentiumâ or compatible processor 8 Megabytes system RAM 25 Megabytes hard disk space Windows-compatible sound hardware with line level inputs and outputs   About Sound Hardware: Lexington’s STI Program is designed to work with most Windows-compatible sound cards. The sound hardware …

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The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance

Recently, I’ve been trying to organize some of the columns and articles I’ve written over the past ten years. As I was looking through them, it became apparent that I’ve neglected to discuss what is perhaps most important hearing dimension of all, the simple audiogram. In reality, however, the “simple” audiogram, and particularly its implications, …

The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance Read More »

Low Frequency Residual Hearing Revisited

This article first appeared in Volta Voices (March/April 2000) We are living at a time characterized by major technological advances that impinge upon all aspects of our lives. As these developments concern children with hearing loss, we can note, for example, the introduction of cochlear implants, sophisticated digital signal processing hearing aids, and innovative classroom amplification systems. …

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When a Hearing Aid is NOT Enough: Consider other types of Hearing Assistance Technologies

Now don’t get me wrong: I think hearing aids are wonderful. I hate to think what my life would be like without them. But sometimes, and in some situations, either you’re not wearing them (like when you’re in bed, coming out of the shower, etc.) or they need to be supplemented by another type of …

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Dr. Ross on Hearing Loss Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs) Versus Hearing Aids

This article first appeared in Hearing Loss (Sep/Oct 2009) While browsing through the aisles of my local pharmacy, I came across some device that looked like a bluetooth receiver. Naturally, this piqued my curiosity. It turns out that it wasn’t a bluetooth receiver at all but, rather, a “personal sound amplifier.” Reading the printed blurb …

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The “Occlusion Effect” — What it is, and What to Do About it

by Mark Ross, Ph.D. This article first appeared in Hearing Loss (Jan/Feb 2004) The occlusion effect is not a new phenomenon and has been described here before. Still, it is a serious and continuing problem for some hearing aid users and thus is the kind of topic that merits some repetition now and then. It relates to …

The “Occlusion Effect” — What it is, and What to Do About it Read More »

Dr. Ross on Hearing Loss Listening to Music Through Hearing Aids: The “Music” Program

This article first appeared in Hearing Loss (May/Jun 2009) Recently I’ve noticed that the professional and trade journals are publishing more articles relating to listening to music through hearing aids and cochlear implants, rather than focusing on just speech. Without minimizing the overarching importance of speech communication, apparently this change reflects a growing appreciation of …

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