Speech Mapping

Speech Mapping allows you to illustrate to your patient how the hearing aid is processing speech or any other input in real-time by capturing curves and displaying them for easy understanding and verification of performance. It also allows you to provide counseling, fitting, and troubleshooting support during the initial fitting and follow-up fittings. A copy of up to 6 captured curves can be printed for reference. This feature is available for all product families and tiers except basic and economy.

Speech Mapping is only available during a live fitting. Curves can either be captured via Speech Mapping or any Fitting or Advanced Tools screen with a graphical view except Frequency Lowering, Hearing Aid Test, SoundPoint, and Verify Comfort. The options to capture, manage, pause/play, and select the desired views are available via both avenues. Once Speech Mapping is activated, the frequency response graph changes to display the real-time information of the hearing aid(s) via bars or lines for speech input.

Inspire provides numerous audio files to play (e.g., Airplane, Car Horn, Rain, etc. and samples of the various voice indicators) via Media Player, however, audio files and categories (e.g., Moderate Sounds, Speech, etc.) can be added and maintained via Audio Files Preferences. Prior to using Speech Mapping, it is important to calibrate your system speakers. See Speaker Calibration for more information.

Integrated Speech Mapping is an automated process of Speech Mapping that assists with verifying the hearing aid operation to assure good speech audibility and comfort for the fitting. It uses a calibrated input signal with a known spectral shape in order to give the most accurate possible measure of the hearing aid output in response to a known speech input. Integrated Speech Mapping first calibrates the hearing aid's input signal and then captures speech to verify the performance for Normal memory. This wizard can be launched via this screen or at the conclusion of Adult Auto Path.

1. Connect and select the desired hearing aid(s) to capture via Get Started.

2. Click on the Read Device Settings or Load a Previous Session radio button and then click .

3. Click Advanced Tools from the Left Navigation Menu.

4. Click Speech Mapping from the Left Navigation Menu or click Speech Mapping from select Fitting or Advanced Tools screens.

   Note:  Regardless of the graphical view currently selected, Real Ear Response output and Input Type: Speech always displays on the fitting graph while Speech Mapping is activated. In addition, Acoustic Options is hidden and replaced with a panel of Speech Mapping buttons (e.g., , , etc.).

   Tip:  For instructions on calibrating the speakers using the input monitor, clickfrom the Speech Mapping screen. Click X in the upper right hand corner to close the instructions. To launch Integrated Speech Mapping, click.

   Tip:  Click Tools from the Menu Bar and click Speech Mapping to activate.

5. Click on the specific memory to capture if applicable.

   Note:  If capturing Honor, Pride, or Pride IIC products, this feature is not available for Telecoil, Autocoil, or Loop memories and for the Music memory, the standard fitting graph, rather than the music equalizer graph, displays.

6. Inspire automatically defaults to a binaural  or view if applicable. To capture only the right or left hearing aid, click  or , or  or .

   Note:  If fitting CROS/BiCROS devices, only the receiver aid can be captured, therefore, the side cannot be selected.

7. The table below provides the recommended stimuli, display, capture, and adjustments based on the patient's issue. Please refer to this table when completing steps 8-14.

   Category	Patient's Issue	Recommended Stimuli	Recommended Display and Capture	Recommended Adjustments
   Loudness	Overall Too Loud Voices too loud All sounds too loud Harsh/Too loud	Live Voice at conversational level (65 dB) Media Player Audio Files	Max Output, Loud and Moderate Target/Responses Capture Average Response and compare to targets	Decrease gain
   	Overall Too Soft Voices too soft All sounds too soft Hearing aid(s) too soft	Live Voice - especially that of family/friend (familiar voices - best while reading) Media Player Audio Files	Max Output, Moderate and Soft Target/Responses Capture Average Response and compare to targets	Gradually increase gain in the frequencies falling below target
   	Loudness Comfort Sounds are painful Clattering dishes Running water Other environmental sounds too loud	Live simulation of offensive sounds (e.g., rattle dishes/pans, run water, etc.) Media Player Audio Files	Max Output and Loud Target/Responses Capture Single Response and attempt to capture peaks in response	Gradually decrease response at frequencies corresponding to peaks
   Feedback	Hearing Aids Whistle Chirping	Attempt to elicit feedback or chirping artifact	Loud or Moderate Target/Responses Capture Single Response and attempt to capture peaks in response	Gradually decrease gain at frequencies corresponding to peaks
   Sound Quality	Noisy Hearing aid(s) is noisy Refrigerator hum too loud Hearing aid(s) is noisy in quiet environments	Determine if noise source is internal or external to the hearing aid Internal - Soft Response with low or no input External - Media Player Audio Files (e.g., Refrigerator Noise, Computer Fan, etc.)	Soft Target/Response Capture Average Response	Gradually decrease the response in the frequencies exceeding targets
   	Pumping Hearing aid(s) cuts in and out Hearing aid(s) cut out when patient speaks Loud sounds fade in and out	Live Voice Media Player Audio Files Use sounds that elicit “pumping” response	Max Output and Loud Target/Responses - confirm output reduction in response to certain inputs (pumping) Capture Average Response	Make adjustments to the appropriate noise management feature (see Expert Assistant for more information) via Environment Manager or Noise Control Adjust settings for Maximum Adaptation or Time Constants for the appropriate feature via Environment Manager or Noise Control
   	Shutting Down Hearing aid(s) shut down with loud sounds Hearing aid(s) cut out when patient speaks Loud sounds fade in and out	Patient's own voice Live, loud sounds (e.g., clapping, loud talking, etc.) Media Player Audio Files	Max Output and Loud Target/Responses - confirm output reduction in response to certain inputs Capture Average Response	Gradually increase Maximum Output to allow use of full Dynamic Range Adjust settings for Maximum Adaptation or Time Constants for the appropriate feature via Environment Manager or Noise Control
   	Sounds Sharp Tinny	Live Voice Media Player Audio Files	Max Output, Loud and Moderate Target/Responses Capture Average Response and compare to targets	Gradually decrease gain in the frequencies exceeding targets
   Noise	Difficulty Understanding speech in background noise	Live, loud sounds (e.g., people talking with background noise/music, etc.) Media Player Audio Files	Max Output, Loud and Moderate Target/Responses Capture Average Response and compare to targets	Gradually increase gain in speech frequencies
   	Too Much Noise Low tolerance for noise Background noise is too loud	Live, loud sounds (e.g., people talking with background noise/music, etc.) Media Player Audio Files	Max Output, Loud and Moderate Target/Responses Capture Average Response	Gradually decrease Maximum Output until patient reports improvements in comfort

8. Check or uncheck the curves to display or hide on the fitting graph in the Display section on the Speech Mapping screen or click Display or  .

   Note:  If None is selected for any target level via Target Preferences, that option is disabled. For the Music memory in Honor, Pride, or Pride IIC products, regardless of the curves selected, only the Audiometric Thresholds display (if checked).

9. Select the real-time views to display on the fitting graph from the drop down lists on the Speech Mapping screen or click View or  .

   Note:  The default views are Input + Gain and Bars. Input is represented in gold bars or lines and Gain/Output is represented in red or blue. If Bars is selected, peak-level indicators display for each band and adjust as the real-time display increases or decreases. If Frequency Lowering is enabled in the selected memory, Frequency Lowering precedes the word Input and if selected, displays the input to multichannel expansion compression output.

10. Start the stimuli (e.g., talking, clapping, playing an audio file via Media Player, etc.).

11. Click or to capture the average response over time. Click or to capture a single response and a curve of the same color displays on the fitting graph.

    Tip:  The average response capture automatically stops recording after 10 seconds. To record less than 10 seconds, click or to stop the recording at any time. Once the average response capture is complete, a curve encased in a shaded region of the same color displays on the fitting graph.

12. Manage the curve in the Captures section on the Speech Mapping screen or click Captures or  .

    Note:  Inspire automatically assigns the curve color in a pre-determined sequence (e.g., black, green, etc.), therefore, based on the number of curves captured previously, determines the color assigned. However, any curve color can be changed by clicking on the color swatch (e.g., , , etc.).

    Field Name	Description	Details
    View	Denotes whether or not to display the captured curve on the fitting graph.	To display all captures, click View All.
    , , or	Icon representing the ear side and view captured (Input, Input + Gain, or Output).	If a binaural speech curve was captured via Integrated Speech Mapping, the right and left captures may be listed separately.
    Curve Label	Describes the captured curve. The color, memory (in parenthesis), and time of the capture automatically defaults.	Select the text to change, if desired, and type the new label. This label prints on the Verification Report.
    Color Swatch	Changes the color of the captured curve.	Click on the color swatch (e.g., , , etc.) and a color palette displays. Click on the desired color.
    Delete	Deletes the captured curve.	Click to delete the captured curve. To remove all captured curves, click Delete All. To reverse any deletions, see Undo.

    Note:  The curve label is highlighted and displays in a tool tip when pointing to the captured curve on the fitting graph.

13. Click to pause the real-time display or to make adjustments.

    Note:  Adjustments can only be made graphically by dragging and dropping points on the frequency response curve on the Speech Mapping screen when the real-time display is paused. Adjustments can be made in any view graphically or via buttons/sliders on select Fitting screens when the real-time display is playing or paused.

    Tip:  The button changes to . Click to resume the real-time display.

14. Make adjustments if necessary.

15. To stop Speech Mapping, click X to the right of from select Fitting or Advanced Tools screens or click .

    Tip:  Click Tools from the Menu Bar and click Stop Speech Mapping to deactivate.

16. Click  on the Inspire Toolbar to print and/or preview the Verification Report if desired.

    Tip:  Click File from the Menu Bar and click Print to print and/or preview the report.