May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, and many SLPs use it as an opportunity to advocate for our profession and share tips and information related to communication. In honor of National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, this podcast episode discusses hearing care ideas to share with students and clients, as well as colleagues, friends, family, and the wider community.
In today’s episode, we review the basics of decibels, which are a measure of sound intensity. The decibel scale is logarithmic, meaning that sounds increase in intensity very quickly. We also differentiate between sound intensity and loudness, and provide a simple explanation of how excessive sound intensity, duration, or proximity can lead to noise-induced hearing loss.
The remainder of the episode is about practical hearing protection tips. These include:
- Use caution with noisy toys, especially because young children often hold them close to their faces
- Turn on volume limits and noise alert settings on smartphones
- Use output-limiting headphones (available for both children and adults)
- Attend special “sensory friendly” movie screenings that feature reduced sound intensity
- If no other hearing protection is available, cover your ears
- Install a free sound level meter phone app (available for both iPhone and Android)
- Use earplugs – the new high fidelity options work well in a variety of settings
If you’re looking for engaging, interactive, and time-saving speech therapy materials that both students and SLPs will love, check out what the Digital SLP® membership site has to offer, or sign up for our 30-day free trial for instant access to more than 2000 engaging, high-quality resources. Our TPT store is also available!
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