Aural Rehabilitation Program Research Articles

Sign Language (review)

Reviews Communication for the Hearing Handicapped—An International Perspective, edited by Herbert J. Oyer, Ph.D., 537 pp., $19.50, University Park Press, International Publishers in Science and Medicine, Chamber of Commerce Building, 233 E. Redwood St., Baltimore , Md. 21202, 1976. This book attempts to present a comparative description of the aural rehabilitation programs for the hearing impaired in selected countries. However, the selection of specialists is severely limited, most of them being audiologists or physicians. Some of the descriptions are based on a specific program and therefore not representative of the total program or philosophy in that country. Many of the contributors show a lack of awareness of recent research on sign language and total communication. The book can be used as a source of information on audiological or educational facilities in foreign countries since most chapters include a list of periodicals both for the professional and lay person as well as a list of professional organizations and a bibliography for the hearing impaired. Yerker Andersson, M.A. Associate Professor, Department of Sociology Gallaudet College Washington, D.C. 20002 I Can Write, Dorothy McCarr, 6 booklets, 80 pp. each, $2.25 each, Dormac Publishing Company, Lake Oswego, Or. 97034, 1975. J Can Write is designed as a supplement for students who need repititous gradual steps in learning to write simple sentences. The series contains six carefully programmed booklets, each dealing with four action verbs. The fading device is employed to develop their semantic and syntactic usage. For example, Booklet I shows a picture of a boy walking. The sentence beneath it reads: "The boy is walking." Under that is: "---------------------------------walk____" The student is required to fill in the blanks. By the end of the booklet, through variations of this technique, the student should be able to generate a sentence using each of the four verbs in the book. The booklets should lend themselves easily to individualization on many levels. The illustrations are simple, attractive, but not to "young." These are an excellent supplement to the Apple Tree writing program and could reinforce any program stressing simple sentence patterns. Deborah Clark, M.A. Maryland School for the Deaf Frederick, Md. 21701 Sign Language, Lou Fant, M.Α., 164 pp., Joyce Media, Inc., 8613 Yolanda, P.O. Box 458, Northridge, Ca. 91328,1977. Lou Fant, one of the best known proponents of American Sign Language as well as one of the greatest demonstrators of its richness, variety and artistry, has come out with an Ameslan text that incorporates still photographs and drawings. The chapters include review exercises , space for notes, explanations of Sign within the dimensions of space, size, directionality , body movements, and facial and other expressions. The excellent photography helps make it easy to understand and follow the introduced signs. Mr. Fant does not just depict signs but teaches how to use them. Since the learner will need feedback, this text is best utilized for a class in Ameslan with an instructor well versed in this mode of communication. Lawrence Newman, Assistant Supt. California School for the Deaf Riverside, Ca. 92506 Hearing Aids—Current Developments and Concepts , Martha Rubin, Ed.D., 293 pp., $16.50, University Park Press, Chamber of Commerce Building, Baltimore , Md. This book is a product of a conference held in May 1975, at the Lexington School for the Deaf. There are 19 people listed as contributors. With the exception of the chapter by Gerstman , "The Development of a Test Instrument for Speech Discrimination," there is little new material in this book. There is some interesting dialogue between some of the speakers and "Audience Members." The book could most likely be summarized as a compilation of a few facts and a great deal of personal opinion unsupported by fact. One doesn't have to read past the "Introduction " to realize that more than one of the contributors is willing to take a shot at the American Speech and Hearing Association for their stand on hearing aids. One point of interest is in Rubin's presentation where she implies that children who are on phénobarbital may have an abnormal acoustic reflex, and this will necessitate a reduction of the MPO of an aid "because their stapedius 486 A...

Some effects of training on speech recognition by hearing-impaired adults.

The purpose of this research was to determine some of the effects of consonant recognition training on the speech recognition performance of hearing-impaired adults. Two groups of ten subjects each received seven hours of either auditory or visual consonant recognition training, in addition to a standard two-week, group-oriented, inpatient aural rehabilitation program. A third group of fifteen subjects received the standard two-week program, but no supplementary individual consonant recognition training. An audiovisual sentence recognition test, as well as tests of auditory and visual consonant recognition, were administered both before and following training. Subjects in all three groups significantly increased in their audiovisual sentence recognition performance, but subjects receiving the individual consonant recognition training improved significantly more than subjects receiving only the standard two-week program. A significant increase in consonant recognition performance was observed in the two groups receiving the auditory or visual consonant recognition training. The data are discussed from varying statistical and clinical perspectives.

Combining auditory and visual stimuli in the adaptive testing of speech discrimination.

This investigation determined the feasibility of using both auditory and visual stimuli in the adaptive testing of speech discrimination. Thirty-six adults with normal hearing and vision were subjects. Using the adaptive methodology known as the Doublet technique, speech-discrimination testing using monosyllabic word lists from the Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (NU-6) (Tillman and Carhart, 1966) was performed at the target levels of 29.3 and 70.7% for both auditory-only and auditory-visual conditions. The results indicated that a specific discrimination score could be obtained under more adverse listening conditions with the addition of visual cues. The contribution of visual cues was constant for the two target scores. The adaptive technique at the 29.3 and 70.7% targets was reliable for both the auditory-only and auditory-visual conditions. Constant level testing showed good agreement with the adaptive technique for the auditory-visual condition. In conclusion, the use of standard error calculations is useful in determining measurement errors and the effects of an aural rehabilitation program.

Counselling the hearing-impaired geriatric patient

Auditory dysfunction is a major health problem for people over 65 years of age. However, the problem of hearing loss is often ignored by society because it usually occurs without trauma over a long period of time. Patients with impaired hearing do not have an equal loss of hearing acuity. Each patient should be given adequate audiological evaluation before a total aural rehabilitation program is begun. Patient counselling to determine needs and to assist in adjustment to the impairment should be utilized to insure successful rehabilitation.

Aural Rehabilitation Program in the Elderly

Aural Rehabilitation Program in the Elderly

Audiologic aspects of audiosurgery.

In recent years two major approaches have emerged for the relief of the handicap of deafness—auditory rehabilitation and audiosurgery. * The early part of the 20th century saw the first organized efforts to develop compensatory skills for the communication handicap which divided the person with impaired hearing from his fellow man. Leagues for the hard of hearing and some universities developed systems for teaching lipreading and offered help in the eradication of voice and speech changes resulting from the defective hearing. In the 1940's the electronic hearing aid gained maturity and its acceptance on an increasingly large scale was assured. During and after World War II the Army and Navy aural rehabilitation programs brought a fresh emphasis on the team approach to deafness and stimulated the development of the science of audiology. At about the same time the surgical treatment of middle-ear deafness, abandoned some years before, commanded renewed interest, particularly

Speech Correction In Army Aural Rehabilitation Program

Speech Correction In Army Aural Rehabilitation Program

The Army Aural Rehabilitation Program

The Army Aural Rehabilitation Program