Types of Hearing Loss

There are four types of hearing loss:

 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. 44

Hearing loss can happen any time during life – from before birth to adulthood. Following are some of the things that can increase the chance that a child will have hearing loss:

 A genetic cause: About 1 out of 2 cases of hearing loss in babies is due to genetic causes.

 1 out of 4 cases of hearing loss in babies is due to maternal infections during pregnancy, complications after birth, and head trauma.

 For about 1 out of 4 babies born with hearing loss, the cause is unknown. Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills. The earlier children with hearing loss start getting services, the more likely they are to reach their full potential.