​This book provides various speech enhancement algorithms for digital hearing aids. It covers information on noise signals extracted from silences of speech signal. The description of the algorithm used for this purpose is also provided. Different types of adaptive filters such as Least Mean Squares (LMS), Normalized LMS (NLMS) and Recursive Lease Squares (RLS) are described for noise reduction in the speech signals. Different types of noises are taken to generate noisy speech signals, and therefore information on various noises signals is provided. The comparative performance of various adaptive filters for noise reduction in speech signals is also described. In addition, the book provides a speech enhancement technique using adaptive filtering and necessary frequency strength enhancement using wavelet transform as per the requirement of audiogram for digital hearing aids. Presents speech enhancement techniques for improving performance of digital hearing aids; Covers various types of adaptive filters and their advantages and limitations; Provides a hybrid speech enhancement technique using wavelet transform and adaptive filters.

Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

Hearing, health, and technologies are entangled in multi-faceted ways. This edited volume addresses this complex relationship by arguing that modern hearing was and is increasingly linked to and mediated by technological innovations. By providing a set of original interdisciplinary investigations that shed new light on the history, theory, and practices of hearing techniques, it is able to explore the heterogeneous entanglements of sound, hearing practices, technologies, and health issues. As the first book to bring together historians, scholars from media studies, social sciences, cultural studies, acoustics, and neuroscientists, the volume discusses modern technologies and their decisive impact on how "normal" hearing, enhanced and smart hearing, as well as hearing impairment have been configured. It brings both new insights into the histories of hearing technologies as well as allowing us to better understand how enabling hearing technologies have currently been unfolding an increasingly hybrid ecology engaging smart hearing devices and offering stress-free hearing and acoustic well-being in novel auditory environments. The volume will be of interest to all scholars and students of disability studies, sound studies, sociology of health and illness, medical history, health and society, as well as those interested in the practices and techniques of self-monitored and smart hearing.

The loss of hearing - be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age - can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time. In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function. Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.

The Auditory Brain and Age-Related Hearing Impairment provides an overview of the interaction between age-related hearing impairments and cognitive brain function. This monograph elucidates the techniques used in the connectome and other brain-network studies based on electrophysiological methods. Discussions of the manifestations of age-related hearing impairment, the causes of degradation of sound processing, compensatory changes in the human brain, and rehabilitation and intervention are included. There is currently a surge in content on aging and hearing loss, the benefits of hearing aids and implants, and the correlation between hearing loss, cognitive decline and early onset of dementia. Given the changing demographics, treatment of age-related hearing impairment need not just be bottom-up (i.e., by amplification and/or cochlear implantation), but also top-down by addressing the impact of the changing brain on communication. The role of age-related capacity for audio-visual integration and its role in assisting treatment have only recently been investigated, thus this area needs more attention.

Praise for the first edition: I cannot praise this book too highly it is undoubtedly now the benchmark text in this area, and is an absolute essential for every audiologist and student. Graham Sutton, International Journal of Radiology, Vol. 41, No. 6, 2002 One of the best textbooks I have ever used...written by a researcher with a stellar reputation [who is also] an expert on the clinical aspects of the field...packed with information from both a theoretical and practical perspective...makes difficult concepts comprehensible...from an instructors point of view, it is a sheer delight. Adrienne Rubenstein, PhD, Professor, Department of Speech Communication Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn College, New York Key Features: Completely revised to reflect the research and technological advances of the last decade New chapters on directional microphones and the latest digital signal processing strategies Extensive coverage of all aspects of open-canal, thin-tube hearing aids Practical tips, tables, and procedures designed to be pinned on the walls of clinics Each cross-referenced chapter builds on the previous chapters Hearing Aids, Second Edition, is a book within a book: Each chapter has a one-page synopsis that captures the key concepts of each topic The material that students most need is contained in marked paragraphs that flow after each other to form a coherent thin book inside the larger book Intervening additional paragraphs add satisfying depth Written, comprehensively referenced, and extensively reviewed by leaders in the field, this book is ideal as a core graduate text as well as a standard reference for clinicians.

Essentials of Modern Hearing Aids: Selection, Fitting, and Verification is a comprehensive textbook, ideal for graduate-level amplification courses in audiology programs. It also is the ultimate go-to reference for anyone fitting and dispensing hearing aids. This is truly an "A to Z" textbook, with topics including audiologic prefitting testing, needs assessment and treatment planning, hearing aid selection, verification, orientation and counseling, post-fitting follow-up, and real-world validation. Moreover, a substantial portion of the book reviews the underlying up-to-date design and function of digital hearing aid components, circuitry and processing, the wide assortment of hearing aid features, and the many algorithms that make these features work successfully. The world-renowned authors have included numerous prefitting and post-fitting tests that can be conducted along with step-by-step protocols for their administration and scoring. They also review the selection of hearing aid styles and fitting arrangements, explain the process of obtaining an ear impression, and making critical decisions regarding earmolds and hearing aid plumbing. Essentials of Modern Hearing Aidsprovides guidance for selecting prescriptive fitting approaches and detailed protocols for the use of behavioral measures and real-ear speech mapping to both verify the fitting and assess special hearing aid features. Follow-up care and validation options also are reviewed, with detailed guidelines for using a wide range of outcome measures. Key Features Included throughout the text are short paragraphs identified as "Technical Tips," "Key Concepts," "Things to Remember," "Points to Ponder," and "Soapbox" for quick reference.The text covers both foundation and direct clinical application.The veteran authors have over 100 years of combined experience in day-to-day patient care and clinical research.The book is infused with humor throughout! Written in an accessible and easy-to-read style, this text includes not only reference information, but also tools supported by research and clinical experience. The information is presented in a way that is both accessible to clinical students with little experience in the field and with enough depth for even the serious hearing aid researcher. The text is also appropriate as a handy companion for busy clinicians - a friendly resource where they can quickly find critical information needed for the next patient. *Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.