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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.

The field of spatial hearing has exploded in the decade or so since Jens Blauert's classic work on acoustics was first published in English. This revised edition adds a new chapter that describes developments in such areas as auditory virtual reality (an important field of application that is based mainly on the physics of spatial hearing), binaural technology (modeling speech enhancement by binaural hearing), and spatial sound-field mapping. The chapter also includes recent research on the precedence effect that provides clear experimental evidence that cognition plays a significant role in spatial hearing.The remaining four chapters in this comprehensive reference cover auditory research procedures and psychometric methods, spatial hearing with one sound source, spatial hearing with multiple sound sources and in enclosed spaces, and progress and trends from 1972 (the first German edition) to 1983 (the first English edition) -- work that includes research on the physics of the external ear, and the application of signal processing theory to modeling the spatial hearing process. There is an extensive bibliography of more than 900 items.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

Humans receive the vast majority of sensory perception through the eyes and ears. This non-technical book examines the everyday physics behind hearing and vision to help readers understand more about themselves and their physical environment. It begins wit

If you are a parent or teacher working with individuals who struggle to process auditory and sensory information, you will find that this book offers new understanding of these problems, and most importantly, explains the intervention called Berard auditory integration training (AIT). This 10-hour training program reorganizes the dysfunctional auditory and sensory center so the brain no longer gets overloaded with confusing information. Berard AIT is regarded as the most effective approach available for enhancing listening skills, language, learning, sound tolerance, and sensory modulation. Evaluation of learning and behavior difficulties should include how the individual hears. Are there distortions, timing delays, misperceptions, sequencing problems? These disruptions will interfere with processing until the auditory system is reorganized and balanced. Pre- and post-test data provided in this book demonstrates the types of improvements that may be observed after this 10-day retraining program. Readers will understand how listening and learning can "switch on" when the auditory system is rebalanced and functioning effectively. Studies show that this short-term intervention leads to long-term achievement when distortions, timing delays, and misperceptions in processing are eliminated. This 300-page book explains the concepts underlying Dr. Berard's method and how he developed his retraining program through years of detailed clinical observations. Professionals familiar with Berard AIT recommend his program for those struggling with learning and behavior.

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.

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 International Symposium on Hearing is a highly-prestigious, triennial event where world-class scientists present and discuss the most recent advances in the field of hearing research in animals and humans. Presented papers range from basic to applied research, and are of interest neuroscientists, otolaryngologists, psychologists, and artificial intelligence researchers. Basic Aspects of Hearing: Physiology and Perception includes the best papers from the 2012 International Symposium on Hearing. Over 50 chapters focus on the relationship between auditory physiology, psychoacoustics, and computational modeling.