editor

hearing health foundation dear editor: I was motivated to reach out when I read “The Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Issue” (Summer 2020), which was great. I am and have been a “hearing loss guy” since close to birth till today as I approach 76 years of age. I am quite familiar with adverse hearing conditions caused by loud sounds. Simply stated, too much noise will lead to hearing loss. Please join me in asking the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to do its job and 6 hearing health @ editor hhf.org warn consumers of dangerous noise levels on products available to the public. Wayne Lesser Founder, LesserSound California dear editor: In his article in the Summer 2020 issue, Hearing Health Foundation CEO Timothy Higdon states that he is “still trying to figure out the best way to wear a face mask” with hearing aids on. At a local shop I saw face masks for people who have hearing loss that use vinyl inserts where the mouth would be. I bought one, intending for a caregiver to use it so my sister and I could understand her better, but she declined. So I am saving it for the next caregiver in hopes they will use it! In any case, I’ve found that masks that tie around the head help with not getting caught on your hearing aids behind the ear. Betty Goss Texas dear editor: Some staff members at my audiologist’s office wear masks with a transparent area over the nose and mouth. This, of course, facilitates reading lips and facial expressions, including for those with typical hearing. But everyone has to participate to maximize their utility. They can also be useful when communicating with people who have an accent. Congratulations on an excellent journal. Sundaram V. Ramanan, M.D. Professor of Medicine University of Connecticut School of Medicine dear editor: In the Spring 2020 issue, Monica Chiarappi wrote an article about her daughter’s experience with auditory processing disorders (APD). This led her to publish a children’s book titled “The Silent Mockingbird.”

In the article Ms. Chiarappi identifies herself as not being a professional or specialist involved with auditory processing and its disorders, but writes about symptoms and coping strategies that may better be labeled as modifications and accommodations.

While I am sympathetic to her family’s experience, as a professional in this area, what struck me was that parents and others reading this article may walk away with some incorrect ideas and assumptions about APD that may lead them to think some children have it.

The two main points are that APD is more correctly identified as auditory processing disorders, pluralized, as there are many types; and that auditory processing involves multiple systems in the brain, not just the auditory system.

For more, please see my blog post at hhf.org/ blogs/apd-all-about.

Jay R. Lucker, Ed.D., CCC-A/SLP, FAAA

Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Howard University, Washington, D.C.

from the editor: We appreciate this clarification and see that we should have emphasized more than we did that the writer’s experiences are her own as a parent, not a professional, and that APD is an umbrella term for a variety of disorders affecting how the brain processes sounds. In addition to his blog post, Dr. Lucker has kindly agreed to join our editorial committee to help review articles about APD.

We always appreciate feedback from our community of readers. Letters are edited for length and clarity. Please email comments to editor@hhf.org.