The importance of the sense of hearing cannot be overemphasized. Within months after birth and even before an infant utters one word, the sense of hearing is shaping brain development. The sense of hearing plays a critical role in a child’s acquisition of speech, language, and communication in general. As a child enters school, hearing influences a child’s reading skills and academic performance.
Hearing loss and related disorders like balance problems are often early signs of a wide variety of diseases affecting children or adults. Results of hearing testing contribute to earlier identification and more effective treatment for many diseases. Hearing loss is very common in older adults but often not recognized by physicians and family members. Most people don’t realize that adults with untreated hearing loss lose up to $30,000 in income each year. And problems with hearing and listening are not uncommon in persons with disorders involving the nervous system like traumatic brain injury and dementia. In fact, recent research in elderly populations confirms a clear connection between hearing loss and decline in mental functions.
It’s important for teachers, speech pathologists, and health professionals to have an understanding of hearing and hearing loss. Introduction to Audiology Today was written for students in communicative sciences and disorders and related areas of study. In reading the book you will learn about how we hear. You’ll gain an appreciation for the profession of audiology and the ways audiologists detect, diagnose, and treat hearing loss. You’ll discover in this book that audiologists greatly improve the quality of life of children and adults with hearing and related disorders.
Part 1: Profession and Principles of Audiology
Chapter 1: Audiology Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Chapter 2: Sound, Acoustics, and Psychoacoustics
Chapter 3: Anatomy and Physiology of the Auditory and Vestibular Systems
Part 2: Audiology Procedures and Protocols
Chapter 4: Preparing for Hearing Assessment
Chapter 5: Pure Tone Audiometry
Chapter 6: Speech Audiometry
Chapter 7: Masking and Audiogram Interpretation
Chapter 8: Electro-Acoustic Measures
Chapter 9: Special Speech Audiometry Tests and Auditory Evoked Responses
Chapter 10: Differential Diagnosis of Auditory and Vestibular Disorders
Part 3: Patient Populations
Chapter 11: Outer, Middle, and Inner Ear Disorders
Chapter 12: We Hear with Our Brain: Retrocochlear and Central Nervous System Dysfunction and Disorders
Part 4: Audiologic Management Technology and Techniques
Chapter 13: Audiologic Habilitation/Rehabilitation: Technology
Chapter 14: Audiologic Habilitation/Rehabilitation: Techniques
Chapter 15: False and Exaggerated Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
Chapter 16: Management Strategies in Specific Patient Populations
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James W. Hall III - jwhall3phd@gmail.com