Books-on-tape was what we used to call them, once upon a time. Of course, that was well before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. Today, they have a much better name; audiobooks.
With an audiobook, you will listen to the book as it’s being read by a narrator. It’s kind of like when you were a kid and a parent or teacher read to you. You can connect with new ideas, get swept up in a story, or learn something new. Listening to audiobooks when you’re passing time will be a mentally enriching experience.
And they’re also a great tool for audio training.
Auditory training – what is it?
Wait, wait, wait, what’s this auditory training thing, you may ask? It sounds tedious like homework.
Auditory training is a specialized type of listening, developed to help you improve your ability to process, comprehend, and decipher sounds (medically known as “auditory information”). We frequently talk about auditory training from the context of getting accustomed to a pair of hearing aids.
Because untreated hearing loss can cause your hearing to become used to a quieter environment and your brain can grow out of practice. So your brain will need to deal with a significant influx of new auditory signals when you get new hearing aids. Practically, this often means that your brain can’t process those sounds as well as it generally does (at least, not at first). Auditory training can be a practical tool to help handle this. Also, for individuals who are dealing with auditory processing conditions or have language learning challenges, auditory training can be a helpful tool.
Another perspective: Audio books won’t necessarily make you hear clearer, but they will help you better understand what you’re hearing.
What happens when I listen to audiobooks?
Auditory training was designed to help your brain get accustomed to making sense out of sounds again. If you think about it, humans have a really complicated relationship with noise. Every sound means something. It’s a lot for your brain to manage. The concept is that audiobooks are an excellent way to help your brain get used to that process again, especially if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids.
Here are a number of ways audiobooks can assist with auditory training:
- Improvements of focus: With some help from your audiobook, you’ll stay focused and engaged for longer periods of time. Maybe it’s been some time since you’ve been able to engage in a complete conversation, especially if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids. You might require 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 bigger 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 issues with your boyfriend. Either way, audiobooks can help you pick the right word for the right situation.
- Perception of speech: When you listen to an audiobook, you get real-time practice understanding somebody else’s speech. During typical conversations, however, you will have far less control than you get with an audiobook. You can rewind if you can’t understand something and listen to something as many times as you want to. It’s the perfect way to practice understanding words!
- Listening comprehension: It’s one thing to hear speech, it’s another to understand it! When you follow the story that the narrator is reading, you will get practice differentiating speech. Your brain requires practice helping concepts take root in your mind by practicing linking those concepts to words. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your daily life.
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll frequently need practice with more than just the hearing part. Individuals who suffer with hearing loss frequently also deal with social isolation, and that can leave their communication skills a little out of practice. Audiobooks can make communication a great deal easier by helping you get a handle on pronunciation.
Using audiobooks as aids to auditory training
Reading along with a physical copy of your audiobook is highly advisable. This will help make those linguistic connections stronger in your brain, and your brain could adapt faster to the new auditory inputs. In essence, it’s the perfect way to reinforce your auditory training. That’s because audiobooks complement hearing aids.
Audiobooks are also nice because they’re pretty easy to get right now. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. Many online vendors sell them, including Amazon. Anyplace you find yourself, you can cue one up on your phone.
And you can also get podcasts on nearly every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you want to listen to. You can improve your hearing and improve your mind simultaneously!
Can I use my hearing aids to play audiobooks?
A wide variety of modern hearing aids are Bluetooth enabled. This means 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 place huge headphones over your hearing aids just to listen to an audiobook. Rather, you can listen directly through your hearing aids.
This results in an easier process and a higher quality sound.
Talk to us about audiobooks
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 might be experiencing hearing loss.