Audiology & Aural Habilitation – Exam 3 Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering auditory development, classroom acoustics, hearing-aid technology, assistive devices, communication strategies, and cochlear implants for Exam 3 preparation.

Speech Error

Any deviation in producing phonemes that is independent of language structure (e.g., deletions, distortions).

Deletion / Omission

Speech-error type in which a phoneme is left out during production.

Distortion (Speech)

Imprecise or altered production of a phoneme’s acoustic features.

Final-Consonant Omission

Frequent speech error in hard-of-hearing children where word-final consonants are left out.

High-Frequency Fricative Distortion

Reduced precision of sounds such as /s/, /ʃ/, /f/ due to limited high-frequency audibility.

Language Error

Mistake involving rate, pitch, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, or prosody rather than single sounds.

Hearing Age

Amount of time a child has had auditory access; calculated as Chronological Age minus Age at Intervention.

Chronological Age

The child’s actual age in years and months.

Low-Frequency Speech Region

Frequencies below ~1 kHz that convey loudness and melody of speech.

High-Frequency Speech Region

Frequencies above ~1 kHz that carry most consonant information and speech meaning.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

Objective newborn test measuring neural activity up to the brainstem to screen hearing.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)

Objective newborn test that measures outer-hair-cell function within the cochlea.

1-3-6 EHDI Benchmarks

Screen by 1 month, diagnose by 3 months, and start intervention by 6 months of age.

Awareness / Detection

First auditory-skill level: noticing the presence or absence of sound.

Discrimination (Auditory)

Ability to judge whether two sounds are the same or different.

Identification (Auditory)

Recognizing or labeling a specific sound, word, or speaker.

Comprehension (Auditory)

Understanding linguistic meaning; following directions, answering questions.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

Signal level minus background noise level, expressed in dB.

Inverse-Square Law

Sound intensity decreases 6 dB each time the distance from the source is doubled.

Reverberation

Prolonged reflections that smear speech cues and reduce clarity in rooms.

Deaf (Audiologic Definition)

Pure-tone average (PTA) of 75 dB HL or greater.

Hard of Hearing

PTA between 20 dB HL and 70 dB HL.

Speech Banana

Area on an audiogram where most English speech sounds occur in frequency and intensity.

Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid

Device with electronics behind pinna and custom earmold; preferred for children for safety and growth flexibility.

Matkin’s Special Pediatric Considerations

Guidelines stressing BTE use, any-degree fitting, SSPL90 monitoring, ALDs, parent education, and frequent follow-up.

SSPL90

Saturated Sound Pressure Level with 90 dB input; measures maximum output of a hearing aid.

Maximum Power Output (MPO)

Greatest sound level a hearing aid can deliver without distortion.

FM / DM System

Wireless assistive device transmitting teacher’s voice directly to student’s receivers, improving SNR.

Five-Step Pediatric HA Fitting Protocol

Assessment → ENT clearance → Select HA → Verify/monitor → Parent training.

Aided Thresholds

Hearing levels obtained with amplification in place; reflect quality of fitting.

Auditory Training (AT)

Acoustic-only therapy hierarchy (voice → manner → place) to improve listening skills.

Speech Reading (SR)

Using visual cues (lip, facial, context) to supplement auditory information; place cues most visible.

Voice Cue

Low-frequency (~250 Hz) information conveying vocal fold vibration; easiest acoustic cue to hear.

Manner Cue

Mid-frequency (~1 kHz) information indicating sound category (stop, fricative, nasal, etc.).

Place Cue

High-frequency (~2 kHz) information revealing where in the mouth the sound is produced; hardest to hear acoustically.

Formant

Resonant frequency peak (F1, F2, etc.) produced by vocal tract shaping vowels.

F1

First formant; correlates inversely with vowel height.

F2

Second formant; correlates with vowel frontness/backness.

Telecoil (T-Coil)

Hearing-aid circuit that receives electromagnetic signals from phones or loop systems instead of acoustic input.

Ling 6 Sounds

/ɑ/, /u/, /i/, /ʃ/, /s/, /m/—quick check of audibility across speech spectrum.

Zinc-Air Battery

Disposable power source for hearing aids lasting about 5–7 days.

Lithium-Ion Battery

Rechargeable power source requiring nightly charging for hearing aids.

Hearing Aid Matrix

Three numbers describing a hearing aid’s Output, Gain, and Slope capabilities.

Gain (Hearing Aid)

Amount of amplification added to input; Output – Input.

Output (Hearing Aid)

Sound level produced by the device delivered to the ear canal.

Slope (Matrix)

Change in gain across frequencies to match hearing-loss configuration.

Equivalent Input Noise

Internal circuit noise of a hearing aid measured with 0 dB SPL input.

Distortion (Electroacoustic)

Percentage of unwanted frequencies a hearing aid produces when amplifying test tones.

Real Ear Measurement

Gold-standard objective verification that measures actual sound level in a patient’s ear canal.

Functional Gain

Difference between unaided and aided sound-field thresholds; subjective verification of benefit.

Infrared Assistive Listening System

ALD using light waves; needs direct line of sight, ideal for theaters with little sunlight.

Loop System

Electromagnetic wire around a room that transmits audio to telecoil-equipped devices.

IIC (Invisible-in-Canal) Hearing Aid

Very small custom aid sitting deep in canal; suitable for mild–moderate losses, high cosmetics.

CIC (Completely-in-Canal) Hearing Aid

Custom aid entirely within canal, slightly larger than IIC, for mild–moderate losses.

MiniRITE Hearing Aid

Slim receiver-in-the-ear device offering Bluetooth, telecoil, and discreet profile; good for teens.

Anticipatory Strategy

Communication approach where listeners predict likely content to ease upcoming interactions.

Assertive Strategy

Politely informing others of hearing needs (e.g., “Please slow down; I’m hard of hearing”).

Repair Strategy

Tactic such as repetition, clarification, spelling, or writing to resolve breakdowns in conversation.

Cochlear Implant (CI)

Surgically implanted device that bypasses damaged hair cells to electrically stimulate the 8th nerve.

Electrode Array (CI)

Set of electrodes (≈22) placed in the cochlea to deliver coded electrical signals to auditory nerve.

Auditory Brainstem Response

See ABR; objective measure of neural response up to brainstem used in newborn screening.

Otoacoustic Emission

See OAE; sound emitted by healthy outer hair cells, measured for hearing screening.

SSPL90 Measurement

Procedure presenting 90 dB SPL input to determine a hearing aid’s maximum undistorted output.