


Auditory training typically is used to improve auditory function, auditory behaviors, and the manner in which a patient approaches auditory tasks. With adults, the goals for auditory training usually depend on the needs of the patient, the treatment bias of the clinician, and far too often, whether services can be reimbursed by third-party payers. Update: Auditory Training in Adults With Hearing Loss In addition, computers and training packages have changed the complexion of auditory training. While the value of using residual hearing has been realized for a long time, rapid advances in technology during the 20th and 21st centuries have increased the range of services necessary in order for individuals to maximize the use of amplification instrumentation available. The procedures and techniques used have evolved over time. The goal of auditory training is to develop the ability to recognize speech using the auditory signal and to interpret auditory experiences. According to Raymond Hull, aural/audiologic rehabilitation is "an attempt to reduce the barriers to communication that result from hearing impairment and facilitate adjustment to the possible psychosocial, educational, and occupational impact of that auditory deficit." Those services may include a program of auditory training as a means of improving the individual's auditory discrimination abilities. There is a growing body of research documenting the benefits of providing aural/audiologic rehabilitation/habilitation to adults with hearing loss. At that point the emphasis turned toward diagnosis, instrumentation, and research. The field of audiology expanded as instrumentation became more elaborate in the 1950s and research became more sophisicated in the 1960s. The field of audiology was an outgrowth of the military aural rehabilitation programs during World War II.
