2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/11/2025 | 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | A Makeover for an Old Friend: Introduction of an Evidence-based Familiar Sounds Audiogram | 301
A Makeover for an Old Friend: Introduction of an Evidence-based Familiar Sounds Audiogram
The familiar sounds audiogram contains speech and environmental sounds overlaid on the traditional audiogram graph to represent the frequency and intensity at which these sounds typically occur. The familiar sounds audiogram is used by audiologists as a counseling tool to illustrate where common, everyday sounds occur relative to an individual’s hearing thresholds. An audiologist can use the familiar sounds audiogram to better explain to caregivers the different sounds children may or may not hear with and without their hearing technology. A recent study by Hillis, Uchanski, and Davidson (2023) revealed that at least 52 versions of the familiar sounds audiogram are available online. They identified substantial variability in the types of speech and environmental sounds included on the different iterations of the familiar sounds audiogram and also in where these sounds are placed on the audiogram as a function of frequency and intensity. Moreover, they found that none of these familiar sounds audiogram contained citations to specify the acoustic measurements on which the sounds and their location on the audiogram were based. To address these limitations, a new familiar sounds audiogram was created with the location of speech and environmental sounds based on prominent research studies that have determined the intensity and spectral characteristics of speech and common environmental sounds. This evidence-based familiar sounds audiogram will be introduced and described in this presentation. The rationale for its design will be discussed, and recommendations for its use with families to empower them will be provided. An e-book was also created as a counseling tool to explain the familiar sounds audiogram to families and how to use it to determine the sounds their child may or may not hear with and without hearing technology.
- 1. Describe the familiar sounds audiogram and how it may be used to counsel and empower families of children with hearing differences.
- 2. Describe research that has been completed to explore the different familiar sounds audiogram in existence today along with the variability in the content of these audiograms.
- 3. Describe a new evidence-based familiar sounds audiogram and its potential benefit for families of children with hearing differences.
Presentation:
3545975_18079AndreaDunn.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Andrea Dunn
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Oberkotter Foundation, adunn@oberkotterfoundation.org;
Andrea is a pediatric audiologist and the Vice President of Programs at the Oberkotter Foundation.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Oberkotter Foundation.
Nature: I am an employee of the Oberkotter Foundation. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Jace Wolfe
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Oberkotter Foundation, jwolfe@oberkotterfoundation.org;
Jace Wolfe, Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President of Innovation at the Oberkotter Foundation. He is author of the textbook entitled “Cochlear Implants: Audiologic Management and Considerations for Implantable Hearing Devices,” and he is co-editor (with Carol Flexer, Jane Madell, and Erin Schafer) of the textbooks “Pediatric Audiology: Diagnosis, Technology, and Management, Third Edition” and “Pediatric Audiology Casebook, Second Edition.” He is also a co-author of the textbook entitled “Programming Cochlear Implants, Third Edition,” and he has published over 130 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed and trade journals. His areas of interests are pediatric hearing healthcare and overcoming barriers that prevent children with hearing loss from reaching their full potential.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.