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GlossaryAssistive Listening Device: ‘Assistive Listening Device’ (ALD), also known as assistive listening systems (ALS) and in the USA, hearing assistive technology (HAT), is used to describe personal devices which help overcome deafness. These can be stand alone or used in conjunction with hearing devices such as hearing aids. Assistive Listening Technology: Also referenced as Assistive Listening Device (ALD) also known as assistive listening systems (ALS) and in the USA, hearing assistive technology (HAT). These are used to improve ability to hear in a variety of situations where it is difficult to distinguish speech in noise. The three main technologies use induction loops, infrared and radio frequency (RF). The latest ALDs are wireless and use the same 2.4GHz technology platform as is used with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices. Assistive Listening Technology Working Group (ALTWG): Previously known as the UK Children’s Radio Aid Working Group, and prior to that as the FM Working Group. This was set up to encourage developments in the field of assistive listening technology, promote good working practice and to share information. Attenuator: This reduces the strength of an audio signal. Used with a stetoclip when listening and checking powerful hearing aids so the listener’s hearing is not damaged. Audible: a sound which is able to be heard. Audiology refreshers: An open-access resource published by BATOD that has been designed to support professionals working in deaf education, audiology and technology to access new and updated content on
Auracast: Auracast is set to augment telecoil connectivity, streaming audio output to hearing devices. Released in December 2023 a number of phones and systems are now available, and these will slowly expand. It can be added to many existing telecoil/loop systems. Auracast is a broadcast system (i.e. one to many) and is aimed at public spaces, theatre’s etc plus personal use TV streamers etc: please view this PDF link to Mark-Laureyns' presentation 'Auracast-Where are we now?' Unlike telecoil it can have many channels i.e. multiple languages at an airport, selected via an Assistant” which currently may be an app or QR code. Devices compliant and tested to the Bluetooth Auracast specification (these carry the Bluetooth Logo) must have the 16-24KHz channels which are suitable for the majority of Auracast enabled ALDs, the higher quality channels will not be audible to most but not all hearing aids. BCHD: Bone conduction hearing devices can be fitted when there is a purely conductive deafness, e.g. glue ear, long-term middle ear problems, or when behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are not appropriate, eg microtia, atresia, or for single-sided deafness (SSD). Young children tend initially to wear it on a softband. It can also be fixed to an implant in the skull which is inserted under surgery. For further information visit BATOD Audiology Refreshers Section 6.2 BATOD: British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People (BATOD) is the only professional association for Qualified Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People (QToDs) in the UK representing the interests of QToDs and other professionals working with deaf children and young people. BATOD Foundation: BATOD Foundation closed in 2021.The BATOD Foundation was a research, training and information-based charity dedicated to improving the life chances of deaf children and young people by disseminating the outcomes of research projects supported by the Foundation. BATOD Foundation led on the creation of the MESHGuides for deaf education. British Association of Educational Audiologists - British Association of Educational Audiologists (BAEA) is the only professional association for Qualified Educational Audiologists in the UK representing the interests of Educational Audiologists and other professionals working with deaf children and young people. BKB sentence test: Lists of 10 sentences, each containing 50 key words put together by Bamford Kowal and Bench (BKB) for testing the ability of deaf children (usually >8 years old) to hear words in sentences. The test is scored by asking the child to repeat the spoken sentence and identify the correctly spoken target words. The final score is the number of correctly identified words from the list of 50 expressed as a percentage. The test can be administered in quiet conditions or in the presence of background noise. Bluetooth Special Interest Group: This group is the organisation that oversees the development of Bluetooth technology and the testing and licensing of the Bluetooth technologies and trademarks to manufacturers. Cochlear implant: “A cochlear implant is an electronic device which may be suitable for children and adults who receive little benefit from conventional hearing aids. Conventional hearing aids work by making sounds louder. A cochlear implant is different because sounds are turned into tiny electrical pulses, which are sent directly to the nerve of hearing. The implant can therefore bypass some of the inner ear structures which are not working. Naturally it is important to remember that no electronic device can be expected to restore function to the levels experienced by a normally hearing ear.” (British Cochlear Implant Group) British Cochlear Implant group: British Cochlear Implant Group (BCIG) is a group of health care professionals and other interested parties in auditory implant provision in the UK. dB: A decibel is a measurement which indicates how loud a sound is. The healthy human ear can hear approximately between 0dB and about 140dB. The smallest audible sound is about 0dB – silence, but a sound which is 1,000 times more powerful than silence is measured at 30dB. Normal conversation is measured at about 60dB Deafness: Deafness (temporary/permanent) also known as hearing impairment, is a partial or total inability to hear. It may occur in one or both ears. Temporary deafness, usually a conductive type of deafness, occurs when sound cannot pass through the outer and/or middle ear to reach the cochlea and continue along the auditory nerve. This can be caused by a variety of conditions and can be temporary or permanent. This type of deafness may be managed with hearing aids or grommets. Some CYP may have a more permanent type of conductive deafness which may fluctuate in hearing levels because of persistent infections. A sensorineural deafness is permanent. This type of deafness occurs when the hair cells inside the cochlea are not working correctly, or when sound cannot travel along the auditory nerve effectively. This type of deafness is permanent and may worsen, depending on the cause. Sensorineural deafness may be managed with hearing aids or cochlear implants (CIs), according to hearing thresholds. Direct input shoe: This allows direct connection of a hearing aid to other audio equipment. Often called a shoe or boot. They are specific to the make and model of each hearing aid. These are becoming less common as receiver technology becomes built in to the hearing device. Educational Audiologist: A Qualified Teacher of Deaf Children and Young People who also has an additional qualification in audiology working in an education support service or school for the deaf. Educational Audiology Association: The Educational Audiology Association (EAA) is an organisation that aims to connect and support an international organisation of audiologists and related professionals who deliver a full spectrum of hearing services to all children, particularly those in educational settings. Equality act – Legislation passed by the UK Government in 2010 and protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone. Equality Act 2010: guidance - GOV.UK ETSI: The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is an independent, not-for-profit, standardisation organisation in the telecommunications industry producing both Harmonised standards for placing equipment on the European (including UK) market and many other radio and communication based specifications. Hearing: Hearing, in humans, is the ability to detect and perceive sound using ears, which is then transmitted to the brain. Inverse Square Law: In this MESHGuide, this applies to the reduction in the volume of sound when the distance from the source is increased. The sound intensity is reduced in an inverse proportion to the square of the change in distance. For example: if the distance is doubled 22 = 4, the inverse of 4 is ¼ therefore the signal is one quarter of the original volume when it reaches the listener’s ear. Intelligibility: In the context of speech, intelligibility refers to the amount of the speaker’s output which can be understood. This will be affected by background noise. Listening: Listening requires effort from the listener and is a conscious processing of sound. It involves complex affective, behavioural and cognitive processes. Listening fatigue: “It is normal, natural and healthy to experience listening effort. However, if listening effort becomes too high for too long, this can cause “cognitive overload”. This is where the brain becomes overwhelmed and will start to struggle to process any new information.” “Dr Helen Willis ‘‘Go for Gold’ strategy’ Go for Gold_CHILDREN/Go for Gold_ADULTS LA: Local Authority is responsible for providing amongst other services, education, in a particular area of the UK. Education Authority in NI Latency: The time taken for a piece of electronic equipment to respond to commands or changes in conditions. This can affect the user’s enjoyment. MCHAS: Modernising Children’s Hearing Aid Services. Good Practice Guidelines. NDCS: The National Deaf Children's Society: a charity dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and young people. Parrot and Parrot plus: Portable automated speech tests using digitally and balanced male and female human voices. Personal radio aid: A device comprising a transmitter, which the speaker wears, and receivers which the child or young person wears. These make speech more audible in difficult listening conditions, such as background noise, reverberation and distance. Quality assurance: The checks used to ensure that a product or service meets the specified requirements. Radio aids: Radio aids are known by several different terms, including remote microphones (RM) or transmitters, which are an umbrella term for devices that either use a receiver to connect to the transmitter or pair via Bluetooth. Often, radio aids are now referred to as assistive listening devices (ALDs) or assistive listening technologies (ALTs). They allow sound to be transmitted directly to the users’ hearing device(s), overcoming the difficulty of listening in background noise and at a distance. Receiver: The part of the personal radio aid worn by the CYP. It can be body worn, attached to hearing technology by wires; ear level, attached directly to the hearing technology; integrated, part of the hearing technology itself or using a personal neckloop. Integrated receiver: a receiver which is built into the hearing device rather than added on as an accessory. Reverberation: The persistence of a sound after its source has stopped which is caused by bouncing of sound waves off hard surfaces before reaching the listener’s ear
Code of Practice: Wales The Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021 SEN: Special Educational Needs. The SEN Code of Practice suggests four main areas of special need: Cognition and learning; Behaviour, emotional and social development; Communication and interaction; Sensory and/or physical needs. SEND: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Soundfield system: An amplification system that evenly distributes the teacher’s voice around the room, using a microphone and speakers thus enabling pupils to hear equally well regardless of where they are seated or which direction the teacher is facing. Speech in Noise tests: Evaluation of personal radio aids and hearing aid technology is important. Speech testing in quiet and babble noise is used quite routinely. There are a range of tests available for different age groups, each with its own standardised systematic approach. Speech intelligibility: In speech communication, intelligibility is a measure of how comprehensive and understandable speech is in given conditions. Intelligibility is affected by the quality of the speech signal, the type and level of background noise, reverberation and the properties of the communication system used. SPiN or Speech in Noise tests: Speech is presented in quiet and with varying levels of background noise to ascertain the difficulty the child has in understanding the speech in the presence of noise. Sentences or single words can be used. Stetoclip: A device which can be used by a hearing person to listen to a hearing aid to make sure it is working, see also attenuator. Test Box (HIT): This is a sound treated enclosure which gives accurate repeatable measurements of a hearing aid and its functioning. It is also used by QToDs and Educational Audiologists to monitor the function of hearing aids and to ensure that when a radio aid is fitted, it is balanced with the hearing aids, so the sound level received gives the desired advantage and the CYP has a good listening experience. QToD /ToDs: A Qualified Teacher of Deaf Children and Young People is a qualified teacher who has an additional mandatory qualification in teaching deaf children and young people. Transmitter: This is the part of a personal radio aid system which is worn or held by the person talking, it can also be plugged into a TV/audio source. Assistive Listening Technology Working Group – formerly The UK Children's Radio Aid Working Group and FM Working Group: This was set up to encourage developments in the field of personal radio aids, promote good working practice and share information. |