Innovative technologies advancing diagnoses and treatment in hearing and voice

Dr. David A. Eddins from University of Central Florida 

This presentation will highlight innovative technologies grounded in basic acoustics and psychoacoustics to address three different challenges in CSD. The first challenge is effective treatment of sound sensitivity disorder (i.e., loudness hyperacusis). Current barriers to treatment will be discussed along with a novel treatment that has produced encouraging initial results. The second challenge is to improve the rigor, reproducibility, and outcomes of voice quality assessment to support quantification of clinical change. Inspired by basic psychoacoustics and psychophysics, the goal is to improve diagnostic methods used to quantify voice quality through perceptual and computational methods that are amenable to clinical use. The third challenge is to promote increased inclusion of respiratory assessment in standard clinical voice evaluations. The development of a low-cost, accessible, highly effective, and ergonomic solution will be discussed. Basic principles, current successes, potential capabilities, and aspirational goals will be highlighted.