20Q: Hearing Loss and Listening-Related Fatigue: Clinical Assessment
Course: #42174Level: Intermediate 2 Hours 13 Reviews
This article examines the development, validation, and clinical application of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scales (VFS), a suite of measurement tools designed to assess listening-related fatigue in adults and children with hearing loss, including adult scales (VFS-A-40 and VFS-A-10) and pediatric scales (VFS-C, VFS-P, and VFS-T). Hearing healthcare professionals will gain practical knowledge of how to administer, score, and interpret VFS results using qualitative and quantitative cut-points, apply findings to guide patient counseling, and identify evidence-informed intervention strategies to reduce listening-related fatigue.
View this Course on Demand
Click Register to watch the full course.
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, the participant should be able to describe the development process and psychometric properties—including sensitivity, reliability, and validity—of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scales for adults and children.
- After this course, the participant should be able to identify the appropriate qualitative and quantitative score cut-points for interpreting VFS results in adults and children, and explain the rationale for the modified criteria used with pediatric populations.
- After this course, the participant should be able to apply the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scales in clinical practice, including using scale results to guide patient counseling and measuring outcomes of interventions for listening-related fatigue.
Course created on June 8, 2026
Reviews
13 ReviewsPresented By
Benjamin W. Y. Hornsby
PhD
Ben Hornsby is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Hornsby completed Ph.D in Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University and joined the Vanderbilt faculty as a teacher/scholar in 2002.
He has authored over 80 scholarly papers, including more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has presented his research extensively at national and international scientific meetings. His research has been funded by private industry and federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Dr. Hornsby holds membership in several professional organizations and has served as a Section Editor, guest editor and reviewer for multiple scholarly journals. In 2016 he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and in 2020 he was invited as a Fellow to join the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology (ICRA) group.
Dr. Hornsby directs the Hearing and Communication Research Laboratory at Vanderbilt. His lab uses qualitative, behavioral, and physiologic methods to examine the communication difficulties of adults and children with hearing loss and the psychosocial consequences of those difficulties. His current research focuses on relationships between hearing loss-related communication difficulties, mental effort, and fatigue. In addition, he is a co-developer of the adult and pediatric versions of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scales, a suite of scales designed to measure listening-related fatigue in adults and children.
More
Financial: Benjamin Hornsby is an employee of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Non-financial: Benjamin Hornsby has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by AudiologyOnline, a Continued site.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.
Course participation information
To ensure you are ready to participate, please complete our short Test Drive to prepare your computer to view the course.
NOTE: Full attendance for all courses is mandatory. For self-study courses, this includes reading the full text, listening to the full audio recording, or watching the complete video, as appropriate for the format of the course.
Passing an online exam and completing a course evaluation will be required to earn continuing education credit.
Live Webinars allow presenter and participant interaction. The exam and course evaluation for these courses must be completed within 7 days of the event.
On-demand courses include texts, video and audio recordings of live webinars, and multimedia formats. The exam and course evaluation for on-demand courses must be completed within 30 days of course registration.
To participate in the course, complete the exam and course evaluation, and earn continuing education credit, you must be a AudiologyOnline member. Participants must complete the entire course; partial credit is not allowed.
AudiologyOnline is committed to ensuring accessibility to the widest possible audience. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone. If you have questions, requests, or would like to report an accessibility-related issue, please email [email protected]. We will review your request and respond in a timely manner.
Visit our Contact us page or give us a call if you have questions.
American Academy of Audiology
AudiologyOnline is approved by the American Academy of Audiology to offer Academy CEUs for this activity. The program is worth a maximum of 0.20 AAA CEUs. Academy approval of this continuing education activity is based on course content only and does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedure, or adherence of the event to the Academy's Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/CE Provider and not necessarily of the American Academy of Audiology.
Australian College of Audiology incorporating HAASA
AudiologyOnline courses are approved for Continuing Professional Development points by the Australian College of Audiology incorporating HAASA. ACAud inc. HAASA Endorsement Number 2025127. This course is offered for 2.00 CPD points.
Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario
The Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario (AHIP) represents and guide its members in their practice which include, the testing and selecting, fitting and dispensing hearing instruments and associated devices in the best interest of the hard of hearing of Ontario. Audiology Online is an approved provider of approved educational activities for AHIP Members. One hour of coursework equals 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU).
American Speech-Language-Hearing Assn.
Intermediate Level
0.20 ASHA CEUs
British Academy of Audiology
This course has been accredited with 2.00 CPD point/s by the British Academy of Audiology.
Canadian Academy of Audiology
The Canadian Academy of Audiology (CAA) supports and assists its members in the attainment of continuing education towards an individual professional development plan as required by their Provincial Regulatory Colleges and Provincial Associations. Audiology Online is an approved provider of educational activities for CAA members. Each hour of activity may be counted as one Continuous Learning Activity Credit (or equivalent) as allowed by the applicable regulatory college or association.
California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board
International Association for Continuing Education and Training
continued, LLC, DBA AudiologyOnline, is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). continued complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, continued is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. continued, LLC, is authorized by IACET to offer 0.20 CEUs for this program.
International Hearing Society
This program is approved by the International Hearing Society and its educational committee, the International Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies. To learn more about earning IHS CE Credit, click here.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services
Kansas Department of Health and Environment: Approved for 2.00 continuing education clock hours for Kansas licensed Audiologists by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Long-Term Sponsorship number LTS-S0035.
New Zealand Audiological Society
This course is offered for 2.00 Continuing Education points through the New Zealand Audiological Society.
Speech-Language & Audiology Canada
Clinically certified members of Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) can accumulate continuing education equivalents (CEEs) for their participation with AudiologyOnline. One hour of coursework equals 1 CEE. All SAC members are encouraged to participate in on-going education.