Books-on-tape was what we used to call them, way back when. Back then, of course, we didn’t even have CDs never mind streaming services. These days, people refer to them as audiobooks (which, we won’t lie, is a far better name).
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 parent or teacher read to you. You’ll be able to discover new things, get lost in an enchanting story, and explore ideas you never knew about. Listening to audiobooks while passing time will be a mentally enriching experience.
And they’re also a great tool for audio training.
Auditory training – what is it?
Hold on, what’s this auditory training thing, you may ask? It sounds complex and an awful lot like school.
As a specialized kind of listening, auditory training is designed to give you a stronger ability to perceive, process, and comprehend sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). One of the primary uses of auditory training is to help individuals learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
Because neglected 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 cope with a big influx of new auditory information when you get new hearing aids. When this happens, your brain will find it hard, at first, to process all those new sounds as well as it should. Auditory training can be a practical 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 distinguish what you’re hearing.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Auditory training was designed to help your brain get accustomed to making sense out of sounds again. Humans have a rather complicated relationship with noise if you really think about it. Every sound means something. It’s a lot for your brain to absorb. So if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids, listening to audiobooks can help your brain get used to hearing and comprehending again.
Audiobooks can assist with your auditory training in a few different ways, including the following:
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll often need practice with more than just the hearing part. Hearing loss can often bring about social solitude which can cause communication skills to atrophy. Audiobooks can make communication a lot easier by helping you get a grip on pronunciation.
- A bigger vocabulary: Most individuals would love to increase their vocabulary. Your vocabulary will get stronger as you’re exposed to more words. Impress your friends by throwing out amazingly apt words. Perhaps those french fries look dubious, or you’re worried that bringing your friends along to the bar will really exacerbate your problems with your boyfriend. With audiobooks, you’ll have just the right words ready for any situation.
- Listening comprehension: Hearing speech is one thing, understanding it is another thing completely. Audiobooks help you practice processing and understanding what is being spoken about. Your brain requires practice helping ideas take root in your mind by practicing joining those concepts to words. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your day-to-day life.
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get used to hearing and comprehending speech again. But you also have a little bit more control than you would during a regular old conversation. You can listen to sentences as many times as you need to in order to understand them. It’s the perfect way to practice understanding words!
- Improvements of focus: With a little help from your audiobook, you’ll stay focused and involved for longer periods of time. Perhaps it’s been some time since you’ve been able to engage in a full conversation, especially if you’re breaking in a new set of hearing aids. You may require some practice tuning in and remaining focused, and audiobooks can help you with that.
Audiobooks as auditory aids
WE suggest that, as you enjoy your audiobook, you read along with a physical copy of the book also. This will help make those linguistic associations stronger in your brain, and your brain could adapt faster to the new auditory signals. It’s definitely a great way to enhance your auditory training adventure. Because hearing aids are complemented by audiobooks.
It’s also really easy to get thousands of audiobooks. There’s an app called Audible which you can get a subscription to. You can easily purchase them from Amazon or other online vendors. Anywhere you find yourself, you can cue one up 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 improve your hearing and improve your mind simultaneously!
Can I listen to audiobooks through my hearing aids
Bluetooth functionality is a feature that comes with many contemporary hearing aids. This means you can connect your hearing aids with your phone, your speakers, your tv, or any other Bluetooth-equipped device. With this, when you play an audiobook, you won’t need uncomfortable headphones over your hearing aids. Rather, you can listen directly through your hearing aids.
You’ll now get superior sound quality and greater convenience.
Ask us about how audiobooks can help with your auditory training
So come in and speak with us if you’re worried about having difficulty getting used to your hearing aids or if you think you might be experiencing hearing loss.
