Back in the old days they were called “books-on-tape”. Back then, obviously, we didn’t even have CDs let alone streaming services. These days, they have a much better name; audiobooks.
An audiobook gives you the ability to read a book by, well, listening to it. It’s sort of like when you were younger and a teacher or parent read to you. You’ll be able to discover new things, get lost in an enchanting tale, and experience ideas you were never aware of. Listening to audiobooks while passing time will be a mentally enriching experience.
And they’re also a great tool for audio training.
Auditory training – what is it?
Hold on, what’s this auditory training thing, you may ask? It sounds laborious like homework.
As a skilled form of listening, auditory training is designed to give you a better ability to perceive, process, and understand sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). One of the principal uses of auditory training is to help people learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
That’s because when you have neglected hearing loss, your brain can gradually grow out of practice. (Your auditory centers become accustomed to living in a less noisy environment.) So when you get a new pair of hearing aids, your brain abruptly has to cope with an increase of additional information. When this occurs, your brain will find it difficult, at first, to process all those new sounds as well as it should. As a result, auditory training often becomes a helpful exercise. Also, for individuals who are coping with auditory processing disorders or have language learning challenges, auditory training can be a helpful tool.
Another perspective: It’s not really that audiobooks can sharpen your hearing, it’s that they can help you better understand what you hear.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Auditory training was designed to help your brain get used to distinguishing sounds again. If you think about it, humans have a really complicated relationship with noise. Every sound you hear has some meaning. Your brain has to do a lot of work. So if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids, listening to audiobooks can help your brain become accustomed to hearing and comprehending again.
Here are a few ways audiobooks can help with auditory training:
- Listening comprehension: It’s one thing to hear speech, it’s another to comprehend it! Audiobooks give you practice processing and understanding what is being spoken about. Your brain needs practice helping concepts take root in your mind by practicing joining those ideas to words. In your day-to-day life, this will help you understand what people are saying to you.
- Improvements of focus: You’ll be able to pay attention longer, with some help from your audiobook pals. After all, if you’re getting used to a new pair of hearing aids, it may have been a while since you last engaged in and listened to an entire conversation. You may require some practice tuning in and remaining focused, and audiobooks can help you with that.
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get accustomed to hearing and understanding speech again. But you also have a bit more control than you would during a regular old conversation. You can listen to sentences as many times as you need to in order to understand them. It’s the perfect way to practice understanding words!
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll frequently need practice with more than only the hearing part. Hearing loss can often bring on social isolation which can cause communication skills to atrophy. Audiobooks can make communication a great deal easier by helping you get a grip on pronunciation.
- A bigger vocabulary: Who doesn’t want to increase their vocabulary? The more words you’re subjected to, the larger your vocabulary will become. Surprise your friends by using amazingly apt words. Perhaps that guy standing outside the bar looks innocuous, or your meal at that restaurant is sumptuous. Either way, audiobooks can help you pick the right word for the right situation.
Using audiobooks as aids to auditory training
Reading along with a physical copy of your audiobook is definitely recommended. Your brain will adjust faster to new audio signals making those linguistic links stronger. It’s definitely a beneficial way to enhance your auditory training adventure. Because hearing aids are complemented by audiobooks.
Audiobooks are also good because they’re pretty easy to come by right now. There’s an app called Audible which you can get a subscription to. A wide variety of online vendors sell them, including Amazon. Anyplace you find yourself, you can cue one up on your phone.
And there are also podcasts on just about every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you want to listen to. You can improve your hearing and enrich your mind at the same time!
Can I listen to audiobooks with my hearing aids
Lots of contemporary hearing aids are Bluetooth equipped. Meaning, you can pair your hearing aids with your cellphone, your speakers, your tv, or any other Bluetooth-equipped device. This means you don’t need to put cumbersome headphones over your hearing aids just to play an audiobook. You can utilize your hearing aids for this instead.
This results in a simpler process and a higher quality sound.
Ask us about how audiobooks can help with your auditory training
So come in and speak with us if you’re concerned about having trouble getting used to your hearing aids or if you think you may be experiencing hearing loss.