Books-on-tape was what we used to call them, once upon a time. Naturally, that was long 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 as it’s being read by a narrator. It’s sort of like when you were a kid and a parent or teacher read to you. You’ll be able to learn new things, get lost in an enchanting story, and explore ideas you never knew about. Audiobooks are a wonderful way to pass time and enhance your mind.
Turns out, they’re also a fantastic way to achieve some auditory training.
Auditory training – what is it?
So you’re probably pretty curious about exactly what auditory training is. It sounds complicated and a lot like school.
As a specialized form of listening, auditory training is designed to give you a better ability to perceive, process, and comprehend sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). We often talk about auditory training from the context of getting used to a pair of hearing aids.
Because neglected hearing loss can cause your hearing to get used to a quieter environment and your brain can get out of practice. So when you get a new pair of hearing aids, your brain suddenly has to deal with an influx of extra information. Practically, this often means that your brain can’t process those sounds as well as it generally does (at least, not initially). Auditory training can be a practical tool to help handle this. Also, for individuals who are dealing with auditory processing disorders or have language learning challenges, auditory training can be a helpful tool.
Think of it like this: Audio books won’t really make you hear clearer, but they will help you better understand what you’re hearing.
What happens when I listen to audiobooks?
Helping your brain make sense of sound again is exactly what auditory training is designed to do. If you think about it, humans have a really complex relationship with noise. Every sound signifies something. Your brain needs to do a lot of work. The idea is that audiobooks are an ideal way to help your brain get accustomed to that process again, particularly if you’re breaking in a brand-new pair of hearing aids.
Audiobooks can help with your auditory training in various different ways, including the following:
- Listening comprehension: Perceiving speech is one thing, comprehending it is another thing completely. When you follow the story that the narrator is reading, you will get practice differentiating speech. Your brain needs practice joining words to concepts, and helping those concepts remain rooted in your mind. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your daily life.
- A bigger vocabulary: Most individuals would love to increase their vocabulary. The more words you’re exposed to, the bigger your vocabulary will become. Let your stunning new words impress all of your friends. Perhaps those french fries look dubious, or you’re concerned that bringing your friends to the bar will really exacerbate your problems with your boyfriend. With audiobooks, you’ll have just the right words queued up for any situation.
- Improvements of focus: You’ll be able to focus your attention longer, with a little help from your audiobook friends. Maybe it’s been some time since you’ve been able to take part in a complete conversation, particularly if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids. An audiobook can give you some practice in staying focused and tuned in.
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get used to hearing and understanding speech again. During typical conversations, however, you will have a lot less control than you get with an audiobook. You can rewind if you can’t understand something and listen to something over and over again. This works really well for practicing following words.
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll often need practice with more than just the hearing part. Individuals that have hearing loss frequently also suffer from social isolation, and that can leave their communication skills a little rusty. Audiobooks can help you get a handle on the pronunciation of words, making basic communication a lot smoother!
Audiobooks as auditory aids
Reading along with a physical copy of your audiobook is absolutely recommended. This will help make those linguistic associations stronger in your brain, and your brain could adapt more quickly to the new auditory inputs. In other words, it’s a great way to bolster your auditory training. Because hearing aids are enhanced by audiobooks.
It’s also very easy to get thousands of audiobooks. There’s an app called Audible which you can get a subscription to. Many online vendors sell them, and that includes Amazon. And you can listen to them anywhere on your phone.
And you can also get podcasts on nearly every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you feel like listening to. Your mind and your hearing can be enhanced at the same time.
Can I listen to audiobooks with my hearing aids
Many modern hearing aids are Bluetooth equipped. So all of your Bluetooth-equipped devices, including your phone, your television, and your speakers, can be paired with your hearing aids. This means you don’t have to put huge headphones over your hearing aids just to play an audiobook. Instead, you can listen directly through your hearing aids.
You’ll now get superior sound quality and increased convenience.
Talk to us about audiobooks
So come in and speak with us if you’re worried about having difficulty getting accustomed to your hearing aids or if you believe you might be experiencing hearing loss.