hearing Archives – educatingalpacas.com

Jj is for Jottings 148. Other Effects of Noise.

Most of us know about the effects of noise on our hearing, discussed in the previous post. Spending much time in noisy environments can cause long-term damage to your hearing. Examples are working in a noisy factory or living near an airport. Exposure to loud music has the same effect (and you usually have more control over that one).

“Protect your brain from the other effects of noise, Jagar.”

Jj is for Jottings 147. The Effects of Noise on Hearing.

Many of us have heard about the effects of noise on hearing – noise is a significant source of hearing loss. But we need to understand how noise causes hearing loss and about different noise levels if we are to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.

Jj is for Jottings 137. Auditory Processing Disorders.

Following on from auditory skills and developing auditory processing skills, we now turn our attention to auditory processing disorders. There are so many conflicting ideas in the literature as to exactly what constitutes auditory skills. One could really become bogged down by this and therefore any resulting disorders. There is even disagreement as to whether it should be “auditory processing disorders” or “central auditory processing disorders.” I’ve decided to go with the thinking that “central” implies problems only at the brain level and consequently limits the definition.

Auditory processing disorders – attempting to prevent them is a good policy.

Jj is for Jottings 131. Learning Vocabulary.

Learning vocabulary – the words a person knows and uses – is a lifelong process. Talking to and reading with your child right from the start is a good recipe for a child to develop a rich vocabulary. I have talked about vocabulary in previous articles, mainly in the context of reading with children and children reading for themselves. But, given that vocabulary is so important, I thought it was worth going into a little further.

Learning Vocabulary. The User Guide in “Aa is for Alpacas” explains how to use the book to enhance vocabulary skills.

Jj is for Jottings 130. Auditory Skills.

Auditory skills underpin the development of speech, language and literacy. Therefore it is vitally important to be aware of these skills and, wherever possible, assist our children to develop them.

WHAT ARE AUDITORY SKILLS?

Auditory skills include the following: Continue reading

Jj is for Jottings 115. Digital Distraction.

WHAT IS DIGITAL DISTRACTION?

Digital distraction is that constant checking of phones and multi-tasking which we see going on around us all the time (or even engage in ourselves). There is a theory that our ancient food-foraging survival instinct has evolved into info-foraging. It is sort of a hijacking of the same system that was critical for our survival in terms of seeking out food. It has now been directed at seeking out information, and the result is digital distraction.

“There is no digital distraction in this paddock, thank you very much.”

Jj is for Jottings 89. Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Does Geisha have a unilateral hearing loss? It looks as if she has only one ear, in which case she would have.

This is the third article on hearing loss. The previous articles are about fluctuating hearing loss and effects of hearing loss on speech, language and literacy. Continue reading

Jj is for Jottings 88. Hearing Loss Effects on Speech, Language and Literacy.

Hearing loss effects on Violet’s speech, language and literacy? None, because at this stage there is no evidence to suppose that Violet has a hearing loss. And Simon is certainly getting her off to a flying start with speech, language and literacy by reading “Aa is for Alpacas” to her.

Moving on from discussing fluctuating hearing loss in the previous article, we now turn our attention to the effects of hearing loss on speech, language and literacy. Continue reading

Jj is for Jottings 87. Fluctuating Hearing Loss.

Fluctuating hearing loss in young children often results in speech and language delays. (For an explanation of the differences between ‘speech’ and ‘language’ see here.) Figures quoted by the Audiometry Nurses Association of Australia Inc suggest that 90% of childhood hearing loss is of the fluctuating kind. For figures for Australian 4-5 year olds having a speech problem from any cause see here. Continue reading