Jane Madell

Jane Madell, PhD, has a consulting practice in pediatric audiology. She is an audiologist, speech-language pathologist, and LSLS auditory verbal therapist, with a BA from Emerson College and an MA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin. Her 45+ years experience ranges from Deaf Nursery programs to positions at the League for the Hard of Hearing (Director), Long Island College Hospital, Downstate Medical Center, Beth Israel Medical Center/New York Eye and Ear Infirmary as director of the Hearing and Learning Center and Cochlear Implant Center. Jane has taught at the University of Tennessee, Columbia University, Downstate Medical School, and Albert Einstein Medical School, published 7 books, and written numerous books chapters and journal articles, and is a well known international lecturer.

Reader’s Choice 2013: What Does 4000 Hz Tell You?

This post is a Reader’s Choice selection for 2013. We all know hearing aids make things louder. But does it matter exactly how much louder and whether it makes it louder throughout the frequency spectrum? Everyone will say yes, it does. But how often do we check that hearing aids (or cochlear implants) are doing what we hope they

Happy New Year!

Dear Readers: During this holiday season, the editors at Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) are taking some time off. However, we are not leaving you without anything to read on our blog this week. Instead, we are publishing a special holiday edition filled with what we call our Readers’ Choices. The Readers’ Choices are the posts published on each

Holidays for Children with Hearing Loss

It is the holiday season and we are always looking for gifts for the children in our lives. If children have specific interests it is easy to find gifts. They need not be specific to hearing loss. However, there are some presents that might work especially well for a child with hearing loss. Decorating hearing aids We would like

When Should Children Be Fit With Directional Hearing Aids

Adults are very good at knowing to look at the person who is speaking if they want to understand speech better. Adults with hearing loss and adults with normal hearing will turn to face the talker. This is more than being polite. We all get benefit from both seeing and hearing the person who is speaking. What about children?

Audiologists Needed for Mission in Vietnam

Today’s blog is written by Paige Stringer and myself. Paige is the Executive Director of the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss and she is the person who developed the program in Vietnam and is continuing to build the program. The Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss is seeking pediatric and educational audiologists to join our 2014

When Do We Recommend that Children Learn Sign Language?

I presented workshops last week at the Arkansas Speech and Hearing Association and the Arkansas Academy of Audiology. I talked, as I usually do, about how to help children develop listening and spoken language skills. I spoke about how we take our lead from parents and how, since 95% of children with hearing loss are born to hearing parents, they

Viral Conditions Associated with Hearing Loss

This Week’s Blog Post is contributed by Lisa Klop, AuD. Dr. Lisa Klop received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wyoming before completing her Au.D. at Central Michigan University in 2005. She practiced in ENT, hospital, and non-profit settings before opening her private practice in 2006. She was a contract trainer with Siemens Hearing Instruments prior to

Selecting a Musical Instrument for a Child With Hearing Loss

In an earlier post I wrote about the value of having a child with hearing loss learn a musical instrument. Lots of research has demonstrated that music helps develop the auditory brain. But, is every musical instrument appropriate for every child? A Parent’s Question A few days ago when I was doing a school visit for a third grader, her

Providing Equal Communication Access In School

Children with hearing loss need access to classroom information. Ideally, they would be able to hear the teacher speak and follow conversation with their peers in a noisy classroom, but the truth of the matter is, that is not always possible. If the teacher is using an FM system, the child will likely hear her, but will he hear his

Responsibilities of Pediatric Audiology

Pediatric audiology is a complex profession. In addition to diagnostic responsibilities, pediatric audiologists need to provide and monitor habilitation services including selecting and fitting technology and counseling services to the families and the children they serve. Audiologists are case managers. So what are the components of their jobs? Diagnosing hearing loss First, we need to diagnose degree and type