Somia Tawfik
Biosketch: Dr. Somia Tawfik
Dr. Somia Tawfik Mohamed Ali is a distinguished professor of Audio-Vestibular Medicine at the College of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt. Her primary focus is on auditory processing disorders (APD), and she has made significant contributions to the field through her research and clinical work.
Dr. Tawfik is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Egyptian Audio-Vestibular Medicine Association (EAVMA). Her involvement extends to international committees as well; the International Association of Physicians in Audiology (IAPA). She was a board member of the Audiology Committee of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) from 2007 to 2024.
- From 2016 to 2022, Dr. Tawfik served as a board member of the Supreme Council of Universities in Egypt, overseeing the promotion of professors in Otology, Audio-Vestibular Medicine, and Phoniatrics. Her work has been widely recognized in both national and international peer-reviewed journals. She was awarded as one of the best reviewers by Elsevier in 2014 & 2015
In collaboration with her team at the Audiology Unit, Ain Shams University, Dr. Tawfik developed Arabic central auditory tests for diagnosing APD in both adults and children. Notably, she played a key role in creating the Brain Apt Program, the first Arabic computer-based program for remediation of central auditory processing disorders, which was initially released in 2009 and updated as on line program in 2015.
Dr. Tawfik's contributions to the field are marked by her innovative research and dedication to advancing auditory and vestibular medicine.
Session
Background & Aim
Spatial listening is the ability to distinguish a target speech stream from simultaneous distracting noise using auditory spatial awareness. It relies on several factors, including the listener’s hearing thresholds, auditory experience, familiarity with the surrounding environment, motivation, and attention.
Listening in noisy environments is especially challenging for younger children in school settings, where early educational skills are often taught amidst background noise. Spatial processing disorder (SPD) is a significant issue observed in a notable proportion of children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD). This round table will explore spatial listening research work in children
Material & Methods
Psychophysical and electrophysiological measures of spatial listening were condcted on normal children to establish norms for these measures
Results
It showed normal scores of the test that improved with age in both LiSN test and electrophysiological measures
Conclusions
LiSN test is a promising tool for assessing spatial listening as well as electrophysiological measures
Keywords
LiSN test-cortical measures- spatial listening- Auditory processing disorders