In the past they were called “books-on-tape”. Naturally, that was well before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. Today, they have a much better name; audiobooks.
An audiobook gives you the ability to read a book by, well, listening to it. It’s kind of like when you were a kid and a teacher or parent read to you. You’ll be able to discover new things, get lost in an enchanting story, and explore ideas you were never aware of. Audiobooks are an excellent way to pass time and enhance your mind.
And they’re also a terrific tool for audio training.
What’s auditory training?
Hold on, what’s this auditory training thing, you ask? It sounds laborious like homework.
As a specialized kind of listening, auditory training is designed to give you a better ability to perceive, process, and distinguish sounds (medically known as “auditory information”). One of the main uses of auditory training is to help people learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
Because untreated hearing loss can cause your hearing to become used to a quieter environment and your brain can get out of practice. So your brain will have to cope with a substantial increase of new auditory information when you get new hearing aids. When this takes place, your brain will find it hard, at first, to process all those new sounds as well as it should. Auditory training can be a useful tool to help handle this. Also, for those who are dealing with auditory processing disorders or have language learning challenges, auditory training can be a useful tool.
Another perspective: Audio books won’t really make you hear clearer, but they will help you better understand what you’re hearing.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Auditory training was created to help your brain get accustomed to making sense out of sounds again. If you think about it, people have a very complex relationship with noise. Every single sound you hear has some significance. It’s a lot for your brain to process. The idea is that audiobooks are an excellent way to help your brain get used to that process again, especially if you’re breaking in a brand-new pair of hearing aids.
Audiobooks can assist with your auditory training in various different ways, including the following:
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get used to hearing and comprehending speech again. During normal conversations, however, you will have much less control than you will with an audiobook. You can listen to sentences as many times as you need to in order to distinguish them. It’s an excellent way to practice understanding words!
- Listening comprehension: Hearing speech is one thing, comprehending it is another thing completely. When you follow along with the story that the narrator is reading, you will get practice distinguishing speech. Your brain needs practice connecting words to concepts, and helping those concepts remain rooted in your mind. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your everyday life.
- Improvements in pronunciation: In some cases, it isn’t just the hearing part that can need a little practice. Hearing loss can often bring on social isolation which can cause communication skills to atrophy. Audiobooks can make communication much easier by helping you get a grip on pronunciation.
- Improvements of focus: You’ll be able to focus your attention longer, with a little help from your audiobook pals. After all, if you’re getting accustomed to a new pair of hearing aids, it may have been a while since you last took part in and listened to a complete conversation. You may need some practice tuning in and remaining focused, and audiobooks can help you with that.
- A bigger vocabulary: Most people would love to increase their vocabulary. Your vocabulary will get stronger as you’re exposed to more words. Surprise your friends by throwing out amazingly apt words. Perhaps that guy sitting outside the bar looks innocuous, or your dinner at that restaurant is sumptuous. Either way, audiobooks can help you pick the right word for the right situation.
Audiobooks as auditory aids
Reading along with a physical version of your audiobook is absolutely advisable. Your brain will adjust faster to new audio signals making those linguistic connections more robust. It’s definitely a great way to enhance your auditory training adventure. That’s because audiobooks complement hearing aids.
Audiobooks are also good because they’re pretty easy to come by these days. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. You can instantly get them from Amazon or other online vendors. And you can hear them anywhere 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 sharpen your hearing and enrich your mind simultaneously!
Can I listen to audiobooks with my hearing aids
Bluetooth functionality is a feature that comes with many modern hearing aids. So all of your Bluetooth-enabled devices, including your phone, your television, and your speakers, can be paired with your hearing aids. This means you don’t have to place huge headphones over your hearing aids just to listen to an audiobook. Rather, you can listen directly with your hearing aids.
You’ll now get better sound quality and increased convenience.
Talk to us about audiobooks
So come in and talk to us if you’re worried about having difficulty getting used to your hearing aids or if you think you may be experiencing hearing loss.