This book provides thorough coverage of vital topics within aural rehabilitation for children and adults. It targets a wide audience, including audiologists, speech therapists, Teachers of the Deaf and parents. It can also be used by clinicians supporting people with hearing loss or anyone involved with their rehabilitation process.
The content is varied, with the video-based aspect being accessible online. The text provides a background to each video and contains prompts to highlight which sections have further accompanying media content. The videos are a combination of discussions with professionals around topics raised in the book, interviews with families of people with hearing loss, and footage of aural rehabilitation sessions. There are a wide range of videos available; in my opinion the videos containing patients and their families are the most beneficial. The sessional videos provide useful tutorials to guide clinicians on how to approach certain scenarios by clearly demonstrating possible techniques. Case studies are also nicely portrayed through interviews, showing the families’ experiences.
This book does not assume any prior knowledge in audiology. It covers hearing loss and rehabilitation comprehensively, from the anatomy and physiology of the ear to detailed information of the rehabilitation process. Diagrams and charts are used throughout to convey detailed information clearly and concisely to a wide audience. Each chapter is summarised well, with a list of recommended readings and internet sites for suggested further reading. I particularly appreciated the study questions for consolidating and cementing knowledge gained at the end of each chapter. The final section also provides an interesting background on every hearing-impaired person featured in the videos.
Overall, I found this a refreshing way of conveying a vast amount of information, suitable for people with an array of different learning styles. It is good value for money.
