Summary of needs and disabilities
HI - Hearing Impairments
A loss of hearing can be the result of a:
Conductive Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by something that stops sounds from getting through the outer or middle ear. This type of hearing loss can often be treated with medicine or surgery
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss that occurs when there is a problem in the way the inner ear or hearing nerve works
Mixed Hearing Loss
Hearing loss that includes both a conductive and a sensorineural hearing loss
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder
Hearing loss that occurs when sound enters the ear normally, but because of damage to the inner ear or the hearing nerve, sound isn’t organized in a way that the brain can understand
The degree of hearing loss can range from mild to profound:
Mild Hearing Loss
A person with a mild hearing loss may hear some speech sounds but soft sounds are hard to hear
Moderate Hearing Loss
A person with a moderate hearing loss may hear almost no speech when another person is talking at a normal level
Severe Hearing Loss
A person with severe hearing loss will hear no speech when a person is talking at a normal level and only some loud sounds
Profound Hearing Loss
A person with a profound hearing loss will not hear any speech and only very loud sounds
Hearing loss can also be described as:
Unilateral or Bilateral
Hearing loss is in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral)
Pre-lingual or Post-lingual
Hearing loss happened before a person learned to talk (pre-lingual) or after a person learned to talk (post-lingual)
Symmetrical or Asymmetrical
Hearing loss is the same in both ears (symmetrical) or is different in each ear (asymmetrical)
Progressive or Sudden
Hearing loss worsens over time (progressive) or happens quickly (sudden)
Fluctuating or Stable
Hearing loss gets either better or worse over time (fluctuating) or stays the same over time (stable)
Congenital or Acquired/Delayed Onset
Hearing loss is present at birth (congenital) or appears sometime later in life (acquired or delayed onset)
For more information on hearing impairments please visit the website for the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS).