Where did that come from? It’s a common question people with hearing loss ask because sound direction is hard to determine for them. You can focus your ears and brain to locate where a sound is coming from with one simple hearing exercise.
Getting Started
You’ll need to gather a few things together to get this exercise going such as:
- A quiet space – even consider a couple different rooms
- A friend
- A horn, drum or whistle – Something portable that makes an easy to identify sound
The goal is to have your friend move around outside your space and makes a noise that you can easily pick out.
The Sound Location Exercise
You probably already have an idea of how this exercise is going to work. Situate yourself in a comfortable spot. Make sure it is somewhere you won’t be easily distracted or fidgeting.
Now, send you friend outside of your space. For example, if working in your bedroom, your friend might go outside near the windows, into the bathroom and use the hallway, as well. The point is the noise you want to focus on should be a little distance from you and very mobile.
Once you are ready, sit back and close your eyes. As your friend makes the sound, focus on it and then attempt to identify the location. Your partner should move each time you respond correctly. Make sure the sound changes both direction and distance, too, during this exercise. For example, if one location is near the patio doors, the next time the sound comes from there; it could be from farther into the yard.
You can change rooms each time you do the exercise, as well. You might even change out the sounds like using a horn one day and a whistle the next. This will add a bit of mystery to the task and keep you guessing, which is really the point. The more directional and distance variation you incorporate into this practice, the better. It might be a bit frustrating, at first, but just try to have fun with it.