Hearing Loss Adapted from NYDBC Susie Morgan Types

Hearing Loss Adapted from NYDBC / Susie Morgan

Types of Hearing Loss I. Sensorineural hearing loss - damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain (retrocochlear). Sensorineural hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected; it is permanent. II. Conductive hearing loss - sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones, or ossicles, of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss usually involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds.

Types of Hearing Loss III. Mixed hearing loss - conductive hearing loss occurs in combination with a sensorineural hearing loss. In other words, there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve. IV. Auditory neuropathy - hearing disorder in which sound enters the inner ear normally, but the transmission of signals from the inner ear to the brain is impaired. People with auditory neuropathy may have normal hearing, or hearing loss ranging from mild to severe; they always have poor speech-perception abilities, meaning they have trouble understanding speech clearly.

Audiogram – Speech Banana Where most speech occurs. If hearing is affected within these ranges or is more profound, the student will have difficulty accessing spoken language.