How music training can enhance auditory and psychosocial outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults with Dr Chi Yhun Lo

Date: 12-1pm AEST 28^th May 2025

Hearing loss affects communication, psychosocial wellbeing, and overall quality of life. While hearing aids and cochlear implants provide access to sound, they often do not fully restore the richness of speech and music perception, particularly in complex listening environments. As a result, researchers have been exploring strategies to enhance auditory processing and communication outcomes.

One promising avenue is music training, which engages multiple cognitive and sensory processes linked to speech perception. Evidence suggests that musical activities can improve the ability to hear speech in noisy settings, support cognitive functions like working memory, and foster social connection. Music engagement has also been shown to enhance emotional resilience and overall well-being, particularly for children and older adults with hearing loss. However, challenges remain—especially for cochlear implant users—regarding music perception and appreciation.

This presentation will explore the evidence supporting music training as a rehabilitative approach for individuals with hearing loss. We will discuss implications for clinical practice, highlighting how audiologists can integrate music-based strategies into auditory rehabilitation programs to optimize speech perception, social participation, and overall quality of life.

Exploring the intersection of identity, stigma, and cochlear implants with Dr Chi Yhun Lo

Date: 12-1pm AEST 18th June 2025

Hearing loss is not just an auditory challenge—it influences identity, social interactions, and quality of life. For late-deafened adults, the transition from hearing to deafness often involves a complex reconstruction of self-perception, particularly when cochlear implants (CIs) are introduced as a possibility. While CIs restore auditory access, they also make hearing loss visible, presenting new challenges related to stigma, self-identity, and social engagement.

This talk will examine how CI users navigate issues of identity and disclosure. Recent research suggests that CI recipients often categorize themselves into two perspectives: those who embrace their device as an empowering symbol of identity ("loud and proud") and those who prefer to minimize the visibility of their hearing loss ("out of sight, out of mind"). The emergence of totally implantable cochlear implants (TICIs) introduces a new conceptual dimension—offering users the ability to control the visibility of their hearing device and, consequently, their disclosure of deafness. While not currently commercially available, TICIs will likely represent new opportunities and challenges.

Beyond aesthetics, this presentation will also explore the psychosocial impacts of CIs, highlighting the role of social support networks, support groups, and the broader implications for audiological rehabilitation. By understanding how hearing technology shapes identity and social interaction, audiologists can adopt more holistic, patient-centred approaches to rehabilitation.

4 more sessions to be announced soon!

How music training can enhance auditory and psychosocial outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults endorsement number is CPD2425 077 and the category and CPD points are as follow: Category 1.2 – 1 CPD point. Endorsement expires 27 May 2026.

Exploring the intersection of identity, stigma, and cochlear implants endorsement number is CPD2425 078 and the category and CPD points are as follow: Category 1.2 – 1 CPD point. Endorsement expires 17 June 2026.