Handbook of Clinical Audiology

For more than 40 years, Katz's Handbook of Clinical Audiology has been the go-to resource for graduate audiology students and audiologists. The text offers a clinical overview of current issues in and procedures in audiology, all based in sound science. This new edition incorporates the most recent in physiology, assessment, diagnosis, and management of hearing disorders. The Seventh Edition is divided into four sections: Section I: Basic Tests and Procedures. This section contains basic aspects of Audiology. This is critical information for the introductory graduate course. For this edition the authors are adding a chapter on Diagnostic Audiology. This illustrates how best to synthesize the pieces of their training into a meaningful diagnosis. This may ultimately lead to calling for additional evaluations that may be needed, making appropriate recommendations for minimizing the effects of hearing loss, and for improving auditory skills. Section II: Physiological Principles and Measures. This section contains information about electrophysiological procedures to assess the cochlea, auditory nerve, auditory brainstem and brain, plus measurements of vestibular functions. This section shows how the book has evolved with the field, for the first edition of the book all this information was contained in one chapter. Now there are 14. The new edition adds a chapter on treating dizzy patients and how to rehabilitate them. Section III: Special Populations. This section includes the unique problems of different populations: infants, children, adults, and the elderly. It involves the deaf, those with auditory processing disorders, multiple disabilities, and non-organic hearing issues. There are three new chapters in this section. Hearing Screening involves procedures for testing newborns, school children, and the elderly. Testing of industrial workers is in a later section of the Handbook. Most importantly is the inclusion of chapters on Hereditary Hearing Loss and Tele-Practice. The former is a new subject that is now part of the AuD requirement and the latter is a new practice that enables audiologists to evaluate and provide other services to people in remote places. Section IV: Management of Hearing Disorders. This section relates to aural rehabilitation, how Audiologists can determine the need and makeup of amplification systems, most importantly hearing aids, but also involving cochlear implants and other implantable devices and assistive instruments. It contains technical chapters dealing with room acoustics, the design of hearing aids and how to measure the needs of the individual who requires amplification. One chapter also instructs Audiologists in how to develop a quality and successful practice.