Phonological, orthographic and morphological skills are related to structural properties of ventral and motor white matter pathways in skilled and impaired readers.

Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we assessed the extent to which fractional anisotropy values in the dorsal (i.e., arcuate fasciculus; AF) versus ventral (i.

Which threshold do we trust? A comparison of threshold measurements in adult bone-conduction device users and normal hearing adults.

Objectives: Advancements in prescriptive formulae for bone-conduction hearing devices (BCDs) have highlighted the importance of measuring in-situ bone-conduction hearing thresholds. In-situ measurements are performed within the BCD manufacturer's software, using the patient's BCD as a transducer. While in-situ testing is a different approach than standard diagnostic bone-conduction testing, both approaches are in fact measuring the same inner ear hearing.

An investigation of white matter properties as they relate to spelling behaviour in skilled and impaired readers.

Results: While the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling behaviour in skilled adults, the uncinate fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling behaviour in impaired adults. We found strong left lateralization of the arcuate fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in both groups. However, lateralization of the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling response time behaviour in skilled adults, whereas lateralization of the uncinate fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling accuracy behaviour in the impaired adults.

A survey of public awareness of dysphagia.

Objectives: Dysphagia affects a wide cross-section of society. Reports of stigma and missed diagnoses suggest limited public awareness of this prevalent condition, exacerbating the hidden disability stemming from this impairment. This study explored the public awareness of dysphagia among people both with and without occupational ties to healthcare to assess the level of awareness and identify topics where public knowledge may be deficient.

Psychosocial outcome measures for conductive and mixed hearing loss treatment: An overview of the relevant literature.

Objective: To identify the psychosocial assessments utilized with individuals with conductive and/or mixed hearing loss as part of a broader effort by the Auditory Rehabilitation Outcomes Network (AURONET) group to develop a core set of patient-centred outcome measures.

Design: A review of articles published between 2006 and 2016 was completed. Included studies had more than three adult participants, were available in English, and reported a psychosocial outcome from any treatment of mixed and/or conductive hearing loss.

Listen before you drive: the effect of voice familiarity on listening comprehension and driving performance.

Objective: Voice familiarity has been reported to reduce cognitive load in complex listening environments. The extent to which the reduction in listening effort allows for mental resources to be reallocated to other complex tasks needs further investigation. We sought to answer whether a familiar audiobook narrator provides benefits to (1) listening comprehension and/or (2) driving performance.

Hearing outcome measures for conductive and mixed hearing loss treatment in adults: a scoping review.

Objective: Rehabilitation options for conductive and mixed hearing loss are continually expanding, but without standard outcome measures comparison between different treatments is difficult. To meaningfully inform clinicians and patients core outcome sets (COS), determined via a recognised methodology, are needed. Following our previous work that identified hearing, physical, economic and psychosocial as core areas of a future COS, the AURONET group reviewed hearing outcome measures used in existing literature and assigned them into different domains within the hearing core area.

Comparison Of Health Insurance Coverage For Hearing Aids And Other Services In Alberta.

Objectives: Of the several barriers associated with uptake and adherence to hearing services, cost is the most commonly identified barrier in Canada. This study evaluated health insurance plans for hearing care coverage within Alberta, Canada, and subsequent out-of-pocket expenses that would result if an individual chose to pursue treatment.

Methods: An investigation of eight companies that provide supplementary health coverage in Alberta was conducted.

Are Open-Fit Hearing Aids a Possible Alternative to Bone-Anchored Hearing Devices in Patients with Mild to Severe Hearing Loss? A Preliminary Trial.

Open-fit hearing aids (OFHAs) may be of benefit for some individuals with chronic outer and middle ear conditions for which boneanchored hearing devices (BAHDs) are normally recommended. The purpose of this study was to compare performance between OFHAs and BAHDs. A Starkey Destiny 800 OFHA was fit on eight adult BAHD users and speech perception measures in quiet and in background noise were compared under two different test conditions: i) BAHD only and ii) OFHA only.

Listening levels of teenage iPod users: does measurement approach matter?

The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of background noise levels and measurement approach on user-selected listening levels (USLLs) chosen by teenaged MP3 player users. It was hypothesized that the presence of background noise would (i) increase the USLL across all measurement approaches, (ii) result in no significant USLL differences between survey reports, objective lab measures or calibrated self-report field measures, and (iii) cause no interaction effect between level of background noise and measurement approach. There were two independent variables in this study: the level of background noise and measurement approach.