Books-on-tape was what we used to call them, once upon a time. Naturally, that was well before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. Nowadays, people refer to them as audiobooks (which, we won’t lie, is a far better name).
With an audiobook, you will listen to the book being read by a narrator. It’s kind of like having somebody read a book aloud to you (okay, it’s precisely that). You can connect with new ideas, get swept up in a story, or learn something new. Listening to audiobooks while passing time will be a mentally enriching experience.
As it turns out, they’re also a fantastic way to achieve some auditory training.
Auditory training – what is it?
So you’re most likely rather curious about exactly what auditory training is. It sounds tedious like homework.
As a specialized kind of listening, auditory training is created to give you a better ability to perceive, process, and understand sounds (medically known as “auditory information”). One of the main uses of auditory training is to help individuals learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
That’s because when you have untreated hearing loss, your brain can gradually grow out of practice. (Your auditory centers become used to being in a quieter environment.) So your brain will have to cope with a huge influx of new auditory information when you get new hearing aids. When this occurs, 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. (As a side note, auditory training is also useful for individuals who have language learning difficulties or auditory processing conditions).
Think of it like this: Audio books won’t necessarily make you hear clearer, but they will help you better distinguish what you’re hearing.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Helping your brain make sense of sound again is precisely what auditory training is designed to do. If you think about it, humans have a very complicated relationship with noise. Every sound signifies something. It’s a lot for your brain to process. The idea is that audiobooks are an ideal way to help your brain get used to that process again, especially if you’re breaking in a new set of hearing aids.
Here are a few ways audiobooks can help with auditory training:
- A bigger vocabulary: Most individuals would love to expand their vocabulary. Your vocabulary will get stronger as you’re exposed to more words. Let your impressive new words impress all of your friends. Perhaps those potatoes look dubious, or you’re concerned that bringing your friends to the bar will really exacerbate your problems with your boyfriend. Either way, audiobooks can help you pick the right word for the right situation.
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get used to hearing and comprehending speech again. But you also have a bit more control than you would during a normal conversation. You can rewind if you can’t understand something and listen to something over and over again. It’s an excellent way to practice understanding words!
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll frequently need practice with more than just the hearing part. Hearing loss can often bring about 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.
- Improvements of focus: You’ll be able to pay attention longer, with some help from your audiobook friends. Perhaps it’s been some time since you’ve been able to take part in a complete conversation, especially if you’re breaking in a new set of hearing aids. An audiobook can give you some practice in staying focused and tuned in.
- Listening comprehension: Hearing speech is one thing, understanding 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 requires practice helping ideas take root in your mind by practicing connecting those concepts to words. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your everyday life.
Using audiobooks as aids to auditory training
WE recommend that, as you listen to your audiobook, you also read along with a physical copy of the book too. Your brain will adjust faster to new audio inputs making those linguistic connections more robust. It’s definitely a great way to enhance your auditory training adventure. Because hearing aids are enhanced by audiobooks.
It’s also really easy to get thousands of audiobooks. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. A wide variety of online vendors sell them, including Amazon. Anywhere you find yourself, you can cue one up on your phone.
And you can also get podcasts on just about every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you feel like listening to. You can sharpen your hearing and improve your mind at the same time!
Can I utilize my hearing aids to listen to audiobooks?
A wide variety of modern hearing aids are Bluetooth equipped. So all of your Bluetooth-enabled devices, including your phone, your tv, and your speakers, can be paired with your hearing aids. With this, when you listen to an audiobook, you won’t need uncomfortable headphones over your hearing aids. Instead, you can listen directly with your hearing aids.
This creates an easier process and a higher quality sound.
Ask us about how audiobooks can help with your auditory training
So come in and talk to us if you’re worried about having trouble getting used to your hearing aids or if you believe you might be experiencing hearing loss.