« January 2005 | Main | March 2005 »
February 28, 2005
Babies learn sign language to communicate
Carefully positioning their thumbs while clenching their fingers in a fist, a group of mothers stare into the eyes of their bewildered babies while repeating aloud the word "milk."
Posted @ 3:46 PM
Plugs for long hearing
Regular exposure to loud music can result in permanent hearing damage.
Posted @ 7:31 AM
Trouble hearing may not be in your ears
Your ears may be in fine shape, but you may still develop trouble hearing as you age - because of an aging brain.
Posted @ 7:28 AM
February 25, 2005
Should hearing aids be covered by health insurance?
With two young children who suffer hearing loss, Ann and Greg Fullington of Snoqualmie rely heavily on their relatively lavish health insurance policy. The plan covers nearly all of their children's needs: office visits with audiologists, brain scans, speech and language therapy, even a $60,000 cochlear implant for their baby.
Posted @ 4:59 PM
Repeat tests help spot newborn hearing loss
Repeat testing of newborns within 10 days of delivery may be the best way to catch hard-to-spot hearing difficulties and to rule out false diagnoses, according to a new study.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
Hearing-aid maker earns a star for deeds
Since the 1970s, he has helped people hear better. On Friday, part-time Rancho Mirage resident William "Bill" Austin gets his own star. Joining the ranks of Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren and Sonny Bono - Austin's name will grace the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
Posted @ 12:02 AM
February 24, 2005
Kids learn about disabilities
Adams Elementary students are learning an important lesson this week. Everybody counts.
Posted @ 11:05 AM
Avoiding hearing loss from concerts
In order to reduce the risk of hearing loss for concertgoers, a new study recommends the use of earplugs, education, and the reduction of music sound levels.
Posted @ 12:35 AM
February 23, 2005
Problems with brain cause a great deal of hearing loss in elderly
The number-one hearing complaint among the elderly is that they have trouble hearing speech because of background noise. Someone might hear fine in a quiet environment like their home, but when they go to a restaurant or a meeting or a party, it sounds like chaos to them.
Posted @ 12:14 PM
New study offers hope for tinnitus sufferers
A new study undertaken at the School of Human Communications Disorders at Dalhousie University used a new software product called Quiescence to prove that a form of tinnitus treatment called residual inhibition is an effective means for offering relief to sufferers of this mostly incurable condition. The study results were greeted with optimism by leading tinnitus researchers, including leading tinnitus researcher Dr. Jack Vernon of the Oregon Health & Science University.
Posted @ 12:10 AM
New world of hearing
Six years ago, Bonnie Russo was in Erie, Pa., to attend a soccer tournament for her son, Marco.
Along for the ride was her younger son, Nino, who was 11. He has a cochlear (pronounced "COKE-lee-ar") implant, a device that helps profoundly deaf people hear.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
February 22, 2005
When the brain, not the ears, goes hard of hearing
Problems with the brain – not just the ears – cause a great deal of the age-related hearing loss in older people. Researchers are finding more and more subtle problems in the way our brain processes information as we age, so much so that an older person whose ears are in fine shape may have trouble hearing because of an aging brain.
Posted @ 10:12 PM
Company picks White to run marathon to tout hearing aid
For years Wendell White ran Charlotte as city manager. Now, at 73, he's running a marathon.
Posted @ 12:53 AM
February 21, 2005
Grant provides floor for hearing impaired
The fourth floor of Grant South’s B Tower is relatively quiet. The decorations on doors and walls resemble other residence hall floors - flyers fare posted, pictures of celebrities and cartoons cover doors. Except on this floor, the residents speak with their hands - this is the deaf interest floor.
Posted @ 3:03 AM
Digital hearing aid launched
Digital hearing aids major, Widex India would start commercial production of computerised cell within two years and also invest Rs.10 crore to expand its activities across the country, a senior company official said.
Posted @ 2:59 AM
Therapy at UMC treats 'ringing in the ears'
Tucsonan Jo Ann Ripley hears a buzzing in her head all day long that she describes as "a 90-decibel chain saw."
Posted @ 2:57 AM
February 20, 2005
Deaf residents try to make sign language 'foreign'
Kayleen Pugh had a distinct disadvantage compared to other students when she was in high school and college, and it wasn't because she is deaf.
Posted @ 9:14 AM
February 18, 2005
Hand-y baby talk
Infants taught to sign before they can speak are less frustrated, parents say. When Gabrielle Vargo was 10 months old, she awoke at 3 a.m. screaming. Her groggy parents went to their daughter's bedside, where Gabrielle moved her tiny hands in the sign for "drink."
Posted @ 12:28 AM
Siren joke backfires on police
A NSW police division has been convicted of safety breaches after a practical joke with a police siren at a Waratah workshop, on the state's central coast, left an employee with permanent deafness in one ear.
Posted @ 12:22 AM
Japan government to pay US$27m in noise pollution suit
A court ordered the Japanese government yesterday to pay a record US$27 million dollars to compensate people in Okinawa who said they lost their hearing and suffered psychologically from noise from a US air base.
Posted @ 12:19 AM
Man donates hearing aids for mission
Doug Cirino donates hearing aids to Temple Baptist Church every year. His attendance on last year's mission gave him insight on the impact one little piece of machinery has on a child.
Posted @ 12:15 AM
February 17, 2005
Sorenson Media donates $250,000 to 2007 Deaflympic winter games
Salt Lake City-based technology company and nation's largest video relay service provider for the deaf, will donate a quarter-million dollars to help stage international sporting event
Posted @ 9:22 AM
Infants with hearing loss may get help via new MRI
Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are researching whether a new type of MRI can help predict which infants will benefit from ear implants to improve hearing.
Posted @ 9:15 AM
Hearing-impaired girl rides high in rodeo event
When Molly Arnold was 3, her doctor told her parents she was going to die from the bacterial spinal meningitis that brought her, vomiting and with a high fever, to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac.
Posted @ 9:14 AM
Hearing loss can’t silence these skills
Grant Isenbarger was 24 hours old when he underwent his first surgery. He was born with a diaphragmatic hernia, and all his intestines were shoved into his chest cavity, stopping his left lung from inflating.
Posted @ 9:13 AM
February 16, 2005
Boy on the flight to recovery after cochlear implant
THOMAS Honeysett lost his hearing when he was 10 months old from a bout of meningitis.
Posted @ 12:12 AM
Retired U of L professor publishes memoir
After retiring from more than 30 years of teaching English at the University of Louisville, Dr. Robert Miller reflected on his life and early childhood in producing the book “Deaf Hearing Boy.”
Posted @ 12:10 AM
Deaf kids get help with special hearing implants
Some deaf children studying at Burleson Elementary School in El Paso are learning to hear for the first time with the aid of a device that's called a cochlear implant.
Posted @ 12:09 AM
Speaking with her hands
In a small Southwestern High School classroom, a teacher tries to explain to her student how the wind sounds when it howls. In doing so, the teacher does not throw her voice like a wolf, she does not whistle and she does not oohh... In fact, she makes no noise at all.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
February 15, 2005
Dear Dr. Cynthia: Husband won't admit hearing problem
My husband is 67. For the past few years he has had more and more trouble hearing. He frequently asks me to repeat what I have just said or to tell him what someone else has just said. Recently we were at dinner with friends and I could tell that he was having trouble hearing some of the conversation.
Posted @ 2:21 PM
Breaking the silence
When their child was born deaf, this couple had to decide if a complicated surgery was worth the risks.
Posted @ 2:14 PM
Two-week trip to Micronesia deemed a success by medical team
It was mostly hard work in difficult circumstances, but in between treating the hearing problems of hundreds of Micronesians, the local medical team that returned last week from a stint at an island clinic had time to fit in a little fun.
Posted @ 12:07 AM
Expansion of infant deaf center stalls
Berkeley’s Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf, an early intervention program for hearing-impaired children between 15 months and 5 years old, hit a roadblock last week in its attempts to expand its services.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
February 14, 2005
Deaf to hearing
My bed vibrates and I push the 'Alarm Off' button on my Sonic Boom clock. I look at the time and it reads 7 o'clock in the morning, another day to go to work. As I brush my teeth in the bathroom, I look out the window, through the patio, to a tree where I see two birds what appears to be singing to each other. I pause and wonder what the bird sounds are like, what affect it would have in my mind if I could be able to hear, whether it would it change my mood and be happy. If only I could hear those birds sing for just one minute, that's all I ask for, would it change my life forever?
Posted @ 8:05 PM
Cochlear lifts earnings forecast
BIONIC ear maker Cochlear today lifted its guidance for full-year net profit to between $53 million to $55 million, as it hopes a new marketing campaign will boost sales during the second half.
Posted @ 3:29 PM
GenVec announces publication of hearing loss research
GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNVC) today reported that encouraging preclinical findings on a novel approach to treating hearing loss have been published in the March 2005 issue of Nature Medicine. The article, "Auditory Hair Cell Replacement and Hearing Improvement by Atoh1 Gene Therapy in Deaf Mammals," describes research conducted by Yehoash Raphael, Ph.D. and colleagues at the University of Michigan, in which the delivery of GenVec's proprietary Atoh1 (MATH1) gene by the company's proprietary adenovector generated new hair cells in mature deaf guinea pig inner ears and improved hearing thresholds.
Posted @ 2:09 PM
Gene therapy restores hearing in guinea pigs, scientists report
Michigan researchers have restored hearing in deaf mammals for the first time, a feat that could be a major step toward the treatment of the 27 million Americans with acquired hearing loss.
Posted @ 12:15 AM
February 13, 2005
A deaf patient's eight-hour wait points out gaps in hospital communications
Rodney McFeeley, 64, said he was "waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting" for a sign-language interpreter after he was in an accident and taken by ambulance to the Queen's Medical Center on Jan. 13.
Posted @ 4:35 PM
School in transition, with controversy quieted, new administrators pursue improvements
It's a normal lunch period at the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind. Students gather around tables with their trays to eat burritos and other cafeteria food. Chatter, both spoken and signed, fills the room.
Posted @ 2:00 AM
State wants to clarify 'disabled'
A proposed amendment to the rules that govern the Maine Human Rights Commission would clarify who is considered disabled.
Posted @ 1:53 AM
A world of sound, silence for South Rowan basketball player
David Wolford stands at the free-throw line. He spins the ball, drops it and dribbles three times. Behind him, fans from the opposing team start chanting, "Brick! Brick! Brick!"
Posted @ 1:45 AM
How we view being deaf
One of the biggest difficulties in writing this column is trying to bridge the gulf between those who see sign language as the solution to all our problems and others who prefer the term 'hearing impaired' and want to make use of modern means of amplification such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Posted @ 1:00 AM
February 12, 2005
Many leave their hearing aids at home
Without his hearing aids, Dr. Don Thaler has trouble holding a conversation in a crowded restaurant. With the devices in, however, the ambient noise -- the clinking of dishes, the shuffling of feet, the drone of table talk throughout the room -- can be intolerable.
Posted @ 3:10 AM
Some dog breeds prone to deafness
If Spot never seems to come when you call, obedience class may not be the answer. The dog may be suffering from a hearing problem and could be deaf in one or both ears, and certain breeds of dog are more prone to acquire a hearing problem.
Posted @ 3:02 AM
Tinnitus: Noise in the absence of sound
The cause of tinnitus is not certain. Exposure to loud noises can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear and lead to hearing loss. Sometimes that hearing loss is associated with a "ringing" sound in the ears. Wax build-up in the ear canal can also obstruct hearing and cause tinnitus.
Posted @ 3:00 AM
Newborns' hearing should be tested at least twice, study indicates
Newborns should be tested for hearing problems more than once before leaving the hospital, a new study has found, because initial tests may falsely indicate auditory problems, resulting in parental anxiety and costly follow-up evaluations later.
Posted @ 12:30 AM
February 11, 2005
Bell Labs research pioneer to receive IEEE medal of honor
The IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional society, has named James. L. Flanagan, a pioneer in the areas of speech analysis, speech transmission and acoustics, as recipient of the 2005 IEEE Medal of Honor. The award celebrates Flanagan’s sustained leadership and outstanding contributions in speech technology.
Posted @ 12:26 AM
Vaccine advisers call for teen meningitis jab
Teenagers and preteens should be routinely immunized against meningitis using Sanofi-Aventis's newly approved Menactra, U.S. vaccine advisers agreed on Thursday.
Posted @ 12:18 AM
February 10, 2005
Tinnitus treatment
Long-time drummer Greg Sullivan has significant hearing loss. To make matters worse, he's one of 50 million Americans with tinnitus, "My tinnitus is ringing in the ears. I have it in both ears. It's louder in the left ear than it is in the right ear."
Posted @ 2:23 PM
Bridging the gap with the deaf community
How can hearing people help the deaf or hard-of-hearing not feel isolated? Much of it involves anticipating deaf needs and showing you care.
Posted @ 2:18 PM
Can you hear me now?
In a fast-paced world full of technological advances, blink once, and you've probably missed the "next best thing." Keeping up with the constant changes could, sometimes, take calling an expert to perform even the smallest of tasks.
Posted @ 2:15 PM
Can roads be made quieter?
People have been dealing with road noise for centuries. In ancient Rome, they were bothered by the clickety-clank of iron wheels on cobblestone pavement. In 17th century England, people complained about the rumble made by wagons with iron-tyred wheels as they drove over granite block streets.
Posted @ 2:13 PM
Sudden deafness needs immediate attention
An estimated 4,000 Americans experience something called sudden deafness, or sudden sensorineural hearing loss, every year. Many think it's nothing more than a plugged ear from a cold, but it's critical that people don't wait to see if it gets better, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.
Posted @ 1:02 AM
February 9, 2005
Seen and heard
My unique gifts as a deaf woman got me noticed by the FBI. God used the disability to get my attention as well. Looking back, it seems ironic that I lost my hearing in front of a TV set—considering that my life as a deaf woman became the basis of a PAX television series that debuted last fall. As an isolated child, I never dreamed my disability would turn into such a unique opportunity.
Posted @ 1:30 PM
MIT debuts 'bionic ear processor' for hearing impaired
At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) here, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) described an analog "bionic ear processor" with zero-crossing detection for the hearing impaired.
Posted @ 12:23 AM
Sign language skill helps Junior Miss Plant City win the crown
Tyneisha Mathews won the title of Junior Miss Plant City in part by learning a new way to communicate - sign language.
Posted @ 12:15 AM
Hearing relief for industrial workers
Relief from tinnitus – a condition which severely affects 1 in 50 Australians, and potentially many in the manufacturing, mining and construction industries – is now available by way of a clinically proven treatment that helps manage the condition.
Posted @ 12:13 AM
February 8, 2005
Cochlear implant facts
Children or adults who are profoundly or completely deaf are candidates for cochlear implants.
Unlike a hearing aid, which amplifies sound, the implant is an artificial ear that functions as a substitute cochlea, a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear that translates sound energy into nerve impulses.
Posted @ 11:40 AM
The claim: loud music can cause lasting hearing loss
The amplified din of a rock concert or a few hours at a noisy bar can numb your hearing for an evening. But permanent damage? Studies show that most people regularly experience levels of noise and music that over time can leave them hard of hearing for life.
Posted @ 11:36 AM
Sign of the times
Students at La Mirada High School have several ways to meet college foreign language requirements. They can take Spanish, French or even Korean.
Posted @ 11:35 AM
Cochlear implants take children out of the silent world
Devices bring hearing and speech to deaf children, but their use remains controversial. Six years ago, Bonnie Russo was in Erie to attend a soccer tournament for her son, Marco.
Posted @ 11:27 AM
Text police for 999 help
Thousands of people in Worcestershire will be able to text police for help instead of dialling 999 in an emergency under a new pioneering scheme.
Posted @ 11:26 AM
February 7, 2005
Macon woman says her calling is to help others hear
Rebecca Penney sees her work as more than just a career. She changes lives.
"I like helping people," said Penney, who bought Baker Hearing Aids in Macon 15 years ago.
Posted @ 12:15 PM
Sounds from silence
The cochlear implant is truly a medical miracle. Although it does not restore or create normal hearing, it does help a person understand speech.
Posted @ 11:49 AM
Jan Malcolm named Chief Executive Officer of Courage Center
Courage Center, a nationally-known rehabilitation and resource center for people with disabilities, announced today that Jan Malcolm has been named chief executive officer. Malcolm, who was previously Commissioner of Health for the State of Minnesota from 1999-2003, will begin her position with Courage as soon as April 1 and no later than June 1.
Posted @ 11:40 AM
Hearing loss and you
If you're an audiophile, the words "hearing loss" are bound to strike terror into your heart. Of course, many of us aren't preternaturally acute—and all of us lose some high-frequency sensitivity as we age—but there's no excuse for not taking care of what you've got. When it comes to hearing, more is always better.
Posted @ 12:51 AM
February 6, 2005
Technology signals a new deaf culture
In Philadelphia, where Jim Schooley grew up, there were four clubs for the deaf. They sponsored basketball and baseball teams. There were pool tables and dartboards. At Christmas, a deaf Santa gave presents to the children.
Posted @ 7:52 PM
February 5, 2005
Tinnitus prevented with earplugs
In Norway where rock concerts are popular among the young people, 100,000 earplugs are to be distributed by the Norwegian Rock 'n' Roll Federation to prevent Tinnitus.
Posted @ 10:51 AM
Dunk shot for deaf
The Roadrunners were down 13-1 in the first quarter, and coach Don Kitson was silently yelling at his players, imploring them with hand signals to box out on rebounds.
Posted @ 10:40 AM
February 4, 2005
Sorenson Media opens two new VRS centers
Sorenson Media(R) today announced the opening of two additional Sorenson Video Relay Service(R) (VRS) Interpreting Centers located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and San Diego. By increasing the amount of Sorenson VRS interpreters, Sorenson Media is able to help meet the rising demand for Sorenson VRS and the Sorenson VP-100(TM) videophone appliance.
Posted @ 11:35 AM
Coverage for hearing aids sought
For more than a year, $4,000 came between Bob Ford and his young son. The little boy's voice was barely audible to Ford, who had given up on his pair of outdated, nearly-useless hearing aids. New earpieces would make conversations easy again, but neither the Fords' budget nor their health insurance would cover the cost.
Posted @ 11:15 AM
Baby sign language
I have always had an interest in sign language since knowing my deaf aunt and uncle as a little girl. I myself know a little sign for worship at church. I read about the new idea of teaching sign to hearing babies and immediately knew I would like to do that with Haley. My adopted daughter will be 1 year old on Tuesday.
Posted @ 11:12 AM
Free hearing test available by phone for NH residents
Researchers are learning that hearing loss is more common than what they believed. Ninety-five percent of all hearing losses can be treated medically, surgically or with amplification. It all starts with early identification.
Posted @ 11:11 AM
February 3, 2005
Mechanical cochlea developed at U-M
The University of Michigan (U-M) announced that they have developed the first micro-machined, life-sized, mechanical cochlea that could be used as part of a cochlear implant.
Posted @ 9:51 AM
Antibiotics for middle-ear infections may not always be needed
For many parents, those could-turn-nasty middle-ear infections in their youngsters can set off a noisy internal debate: Treat them with antibiotics or let nature take its course?
Posted @ 9:50 AM
Speaking with his actions
The sun beat down on boys soccer players from Gardena and Carson on a recent Wednesday afternoon. Play had just begun in the Marine League opener for both teams, but most players already were breaking a sweat.
Posted @ 9:45 AM
February 2, 2005
Farming for years takes toll on ears
While many people associate rural living with quiet, peaceful locations, Leon Vaske knows farms can be loud working environments that put hearing at risk.
Posted @ 2:37 PM
Sonic Innovations Swings to 4Q Loss
Hearing aid manufacturer Sonic Innovations Inc. said Tuesday that it swung to a loss in the fourth quarter from year-ago earnings, as sales declined slightly and margins decreased.
Posted @ 7:38 AM
February 1, 2005
OSHA Aims to Prevent Occupational Hearing Loss
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has created a Web page for preventing occupational hearing loss. Dubbed the Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool, it is a product of OSHA's alliance with the National Hearing Conservation Association.
Posted @ 4:45 PM