We used to call them books-on-tape, way back when. Naturally, that was well before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. Nowadays, people refer to them as audiobooks (which, we won’t lie, is a much better name).
With an audiobook, you will listen to the book being read by a narrator. It’s kind of like having someone read a book out loud to you (okay, it’s precisely that). You can engage with new ideas, get swept up in a story, or discover something new. Listening to audiobooks when you’re passing time will be a mind enriching experience.
Turns out, they’re also a wonderful 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 an awful lot like school.
As a skilled form of listening, auditory training is created to give you a stronger ability to perceive, process, and understand sounds (medically known as “auditory information”). We frequently talk about auditory training from the perspective of getting used to a pair of hearing aids.
That’s because when you have untreated hearing loss, your brain can gradually grow out of practice. (Your auditory centers become used to living in a less noisy environment.) So your brain will need to cope with a huge increase of new auditory signals when you get new hearing aids. In practice, this often means that your brain can’t process those sounds as well as it normally does (at least, not at first). Consequently, auditory training frequently becomes a useful exercise. (As a side note, auditory training is also useful for people who have language learning difficulties or auditory processing conditions).
Another perspective: It’s not so much that audiobooks can improve your hearing, it’s that they can help you better distinguish what you hear.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Helping your brain distinguish sound again is exactly what auditory training is designed to do. If you think about it, humans have a very complicated relationship with noise. Every single sound signifies something. Your brain has to do a lot of work. The idea is that audiobooks are an ideal way to help your brain get used to that process again, particularly if you’re breaking in a brand-new set of hearing aids.
Audiobooks can assist with your auditory training in a number of different ways, including the following:
- Improvements of focus: You’ll be able to pay attention longer, with some help from your audiobook pals. Perhaps it’s been some time since you’ve been able to participate in a full conversation, particularly if you’re breaking in a new set of hearing aids. An audiobook can give you some practice in remaining focused and tuned in.
- Perception of speech: When you listen to an audiobook, you get real-time practice comprehending someone else’s speech. During normal conversations, however, you will have far less control than you will with an audiobook. 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!
- A bigger vocabulary: Who doesn’t want to improve their vocabulary? Your vocabulary will get bigger as you’re exposed to more words. Let your stunning new words impress all of your friends. Perhaps those french fries look dubious, or you’re worried that bringing your friends to the bar will really exacerbate your problems with your boyfriend. Either way, audiobooks can help you find the right word for the right situation.
- Improvements in pronunciation: In some cases, it’s not only the hearing part that can need a little practice. People 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 general communication much smoother!
- Listening comprehension: Hearing speech is one thing, understanding it is another thing entirely. Audiobooks give you practice processing and understanding what is being spoken about. Your brain requires practice helping concepts take root in your mind by practicing joining those concepts to words. In your daily life, this will help you understand what people are saying to you.
Audiobooks as auditory aids
Reading along with a physical version of your audiobook is definitely recommended. Your brain will adjust faster to new audio signals making those linguistic links stronger. In essence, it’s a great way to bolster your auditory training. That’s because audiobooks complement hearing aids.
It’s also really easy to get thousands of audiobooks. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. Many online vendors sell them, including Amazon. And you can hear them anywhere on your phone.
Plus, if you can’t find an audiobook you really like, you could always listen to a podcast to get the same experience (and there are podcasts on pretty much every topic). You can improve your hearing and enrich your mind at the same time!
Can I use my hearing aids to listen to audiobooks?
Bluetooth capability is a feature that is included with many contemporary hearing aids. Meaning, you can connect your hearing aids with your cellphone, your speakers, your television, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. This means you don’t have to put huge headphones over your hearing aids just to play an audiobook. You can utilize your hearing aids for this instead.
This creates a simpler process and a better quality sound.
Talk to us about audiobooks
So if you think your hearing may be on the way out, or you’re worried about getting used to your hearing aids, consult us about audiobooks.
