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Sound familiar? A conversation that I have on a regular basis is explaining the difference hearing and understanding. Hearing refers to the physical phenomenon where sound vibrations enter the ear canal and then travel through the auditory nerve to the brain.
This is an involuntary, mechanical process.
Understanding lies in the brain. Your brain takes the sound it received from the auditory nerve, matches it with your language, groups it into phrases and assigns it meaning. When the auditory system is damaged, that is where the hearing loss becomes a factor.
When we perform a hearing test, we are testing both functions: we are testing the amount of volume a person needs to receive the sound and send it to the brain for classification. We need this information so we know how powerful the hearing aids need to be. The 2nd part of the test assesses how well a person understands speech that is presented in a quiet environment. The results of this part of the test can help predict how successful a person will be with their hearing aids. We also perform a Speech in Noise test which evaluates a person’s ability to understand speech in challenging, noisy environments. This test helps us determine the best level of technology for your needs.
There are three general reasons why you might hear, but not understand:
1. Any configuration of hearing loss. There are many configurations but the most common is a high-frequency hearing loss where a person is not “hearing” high pitched sounds such as “s”. “th”, “f” and “ch”. These sounds are important for distinguishing words from one another. A common situation would go something like this: “Let’s meet Mary at 5:00 for dinner” but you understood: “Let’s meet Mary at 9:00 for dinner” and you are now wondering why you are meeting so late when you normally eat dinner at 6:00.
2. Cognitive load and distraction: Understanding takes a lot of effort when you are in noisy/challenging situations. If you are in a loud environment or if your attention is divided, your brain may be too distracted to easily process and decode what is being said. This often results in the listener avoiding situations they might normally enjoy or leaving early because all that active listening is exhausting.
3. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD): Some people have normal auditory systems but their brain struggles to interpret and organize the auditory signals it receives. To receive a diagnosis of APD requires lengthy testing and most often results in being provided strategies to improve functioning in challenging situations. Even with normal hearing, hearing aids are often recommended to help boost the patient’s auditory system.
An interesting Blog post can be read at https://themindhears.org/2021/06/02/hearing-and-understanding-are-not-the-same/
The article is written by someone that lives this experience everyday.
So what happens next?
The most common intervention includes amplification in the form of hearing aids. Hearing aids can be life-changing especially with today’s technology; however, they do not restore normal hearing function and so depending on the hearing loss and the understanding ability, there may still be situations that are extremely challenging.
Auditory training “Physical therapy for the brain” is an app-based program (LACE AI) designed to complement amplification and to strengthen listening skills of people with APD. This app is also helpful with bolstering your cognitive/memory performance. We will often recommend both hearing aids and the LACE AI app in order to help the person get the most from their hearing aids and their brain.
For more information, please call 561-366-7219 or visit our website at www.audiologywithaheart.com
(561) 366-7219
www.audiologywithaheart.com
2324 S. Congress Ave.
Suite 2G Palm Springs, FL 33406
