A New Resource for Learning Lipreading/Speechreading
at Home
by Mary J. Allen, Ph.D., University of South
Australia
Editor: We're seeing a growing interest in
speechreading (also called lipreading) within the hearing loss
community. Speechreading interest seems to have lagged in the past few
years, but we've recently been getting requests for speechreading
resources.
There's nothing like a "live" class for learning
speechreading, and we encourage people to take them whenever possible.
If that's not an option, you might consider computer based instruction
that you can do at home. Here's Mary Allen, Ph.D., of the University of
South Australia, with her thoughts on the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hearing loss is a common problem in today's
society. It is expected that the numbers of people with hearing loss
will increase due to: (a) increasing ageing population, (b) earlier
onset of hearing loss in young people (LePage, 1994) (c) more people
acknowledging their previously undiagnosed and unreported hearing loss,
due to increased public education and growing awareness about hearing
loss. This could mean that existing aural rehabilitation providers may
not be able to meet the increased demand to provide lipreading/speechreading
training as part of aural rehabilitation. Greater use of computer
technology could be used to alleviate this expected demand; either in
class or self instruction. Using computer technology to provide aural
rehabilitation would also allow the person with a hearing loss ready
access to necessary information, help and communication - and even,
lipreading/speechreading training.
Generally, lipreading/speechreading is taught face
to face but this is not always possible for people who live in areas
(especially rural) where such help may not be available, or are
housebound due to physical or psychological restraint. At present,
self-instruction of lipreading/speechreading is available using
videotapes and paper-based materials, which are limited in providing
feedback and interaction.
The advent of computer technology has brought
enormous potential as a new medium for active learning. This is
evidenced by the wide range of educational software available, and the
existence of the Open University in England which delivers a wide range
of university educational courses externally to a very large population
of students. Computers are changing the way we work, and the way we live
and learn.
The advantages for learning lipreading/speechreading
from a computer are:
* Ready access to lessons, in a private,
non-obligatory, non-threatening environment of their home
* Flexibility of learning in style, pace and rate
* Ease of access to replay or revision of elements
of material learnt or being learnt
* Instant feedback
To the best of my knowledge, there are seven (7)
English lipreading/speechreading programs in the world; 3 in the US, 2
in Australia, and 2 in the UK. I have seen all these programs, except
for one of the US ones, and have found them all fascinating from a
researcher's point of view. It is encouraging to have as many lipreading
programs available for the person wanting to learn lipreading/speechreading,
as it is variety and different approaches create good learning
opportunities.
It is not possible to review all of the lipreading
programs here but they essentially all cover the speech movements of the
English language, and present words and sentences in either moving video
or graphic animation form. They all provide opportunities for the
learner to test their lipreading skill, in either a test or exercise
format.
The following is an illustration of an interactive
exercise in the Australian lipreading program "Learning to Lipread:
an Introductory Course" (Allen, 2000). [Ed. Illustration not
provided.]
Results from a clinical trial of this lipreading
program with hard of hearing adults proved that it is possible to
improve lipreading/speechreading skill using computer based training.
There will continue to be a place for face to face
teaching of lipreading/speechreading as hard of hearing adults need
contact with others like themselves. The nature of hearing loss already
places a person in isolation and less interaction may increase the
feelings of isolation. Therefore, contact and meeting and interaction
with other people should be encouraged, as well as looking at all the
resources and help available for the hard of hearing person to improve
their quality of life.
But what about those hard of hearing people living
in areas where there is no access to lipreading/speechreading classes?
Apart from doing these lipreading/speechreading programs at home, it is
possible to start up a self-help class using various materials. At this
present time, I am actually developing a working model for such a
self-help class, to be piloted in Australia and the US (with the help of
American colleagues and organisations) hopefully in the near future.
In conclusion, I would like to repeat a question a
presenter raised at the international conference (3rd adult aural
rehabilitation, Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation, Boston) I attended in
Portland Maine in May 2005: "Is aural rehabilitation dying?" I
would suggest that it is not, as long as support groups such as SHHH and
ALDA exist to help and support hard of hearing people, and to encourage
them to augment their hearing loss with hearing aids, information and
self-help strategies to cope with daily life.
Email me at: DrAllen@lipread.com.au, if you have
any comments or answers to that question, or wish for more information
on the lipreading programs, or the pilot self-help class, or even to
tell me about aural rehabilitation services in your area. Let's open up
a debate on aural rehabilitation and help keep it alive.
