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Acoustic
Tubing
Flexible plastic tube connecting a conventional Behind-The-Ear (BTE)
hearing aid to the ear mold
Acquired
hearing loss
Hearing loss obtained after birth (not congenital). Noise, disease,
viruses, drugs or old age can cause an acquired hearing loss.
Amplifier
The amplifier constitutes the electronics of the hearing aid and
consists of various circuit elements. The amplifier processes the
signal from the hearing aid’s microphone according to the settings
of the hearing aid.
Assistive
listening devices
These are devices, such as a telephone amplifier or remote doorbell,
which can help you in situations where you have difficulty hearing -
either because of background noise or because sounds come from far
away.
Audiogram
An audiogram is the written record of a hearing test. More
precisely, it is a graphical representation of hearing threshold for
pure tones. For each ear it shows the minimum loudness required for
the tested person to be able to hear each sound (per different
frequency or pitch).
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Audiologist
Audiology is the science of hearing. An audiologist is a degreed
professional (master's level or higher) trained to evaluate hearing
loss and prescribe, fit and adjust hearing aids and assistive
listening systems.
Audiology
Branch of healthcare devoted to the study, diagnosis, treatment, and
prevention of hearing disorders
Auditory nerve
This is the auditory section of the central nervous system. This
nerve transmits the auditory information to the brain.
Automatic
Program
Automatic Programs detect changes in the listening environment and
engage/disengage features such as noise reduction, directional
microphones, wind management, etc. based on the level, duration,
frequency, etc.
Background
Noise
Generally refers to the presence of other sound in an environment
that is not the speech one is trying to hear.
Binaural
Listening with both ears
Body Hearing
Aid
Is a hearing aid in which the microphone, amplifier, and battery are
housed in a small unit worn on the body. An earmold is
connected to a receiver that is connected by a cord to the hearing
aid. This type of hearing aid is capable of providing powerful
amplification.
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BTE
Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are suitable for all types of hearing
losses from mild to profound. The amplified sound is
transmitted from the hearing aid through a clear plastic tube to an
earmold, which is custom-made to fit your child's ear, to look and
feel just right. The sound is directed into the child's ear
canal. BTE hearing aids are most often recommended for children
because this style is exceptionally sturdy, and is not limited by
the size of the child’s ear
Cerumen
Waxy secretion of the glands in the external auditory canal; COL:
ear wax
CIC
A CIC is the smallest hearing aid style available. CIC stands
for Completely In the Canal. This style of hearing aid is suitable
for mild to moderate - sometimes even severe - hearing losses, and
is custom-made to fit deep inside the ear canal. Most children
do not have large enough ear canals to use this style of instrument.
Cochlea
The cochlea is the inner ear. It resembles the circular shell
of a snail and houses a system of tubes filled with a watery liquid
as well as tiny hair cells. When the hair cells move because
of incoming sound vibrations, the sound is transformed into
electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain.
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Conductive
hearing loss
A conductive hearing loss is due to a problem in the outer or middle
ear which makes it difficult for the sound to reach the inner ear.
It can be both temporary and long-term. The most common causes
of a conductive hearing loss can be a build-up of wax in the ear
canal, a perforated eardrum, fluid in the middle ear (which is
common in children) or damage to the middle ear bones (the ossicles).
Custom-made
This means that an impression is taken of the patient’s ear to
ensure that the earmold (or ITE hearing aid) fits exactly to the
child’s ear canal to avoid feedback or irritation.
Deaf
Webster's New World Dictionary College Edition defines deaf as
totally or partially unable to hear. It generally refers to
people who usually have little or no useful residual hearing and who
employ sign language as their primary mode of communication. Deaf
people may also use speech reading, hearing aids, and other
assistive technology to aid communication. People who are deaf can
be categorized into two groups: congenitally deaf (those who were
born deaf) and adventitiously deaf (those who were born with hearing
but whose sense of hearing became nonfunctional later in life).
Digital sound
processing
Digital sound processing means that the sound is represented and
processed mathematically. Sound is encoded as a series of
numbers that measure its pitch and volume at a given instant in
time. Processing the sound bit by bit is very precise, and
certain details can be changed without affecting the general
picture. The precise control in digital sound processing can
result in the application of more sophisticated amplification
techniques.
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Directional
hearing
The ability to determine the direction of a sound
Directional
Microphone
A microphone system (usually 2 mics) that has a focused sensitivity
pattern and a null or non-sensitive region
Ear canal
The part of the ear through which sound is transmitted to the middle
ear.
Eardrum
When sound waves enter the outer ear they travel through the ear
canal. At the end of the ear canal the sound waves reach a
cone-shaped membrane -the eardrum. When the sound hits the
eardrum it vibrates - just like a real drum.
Earmold
An earmold is used when you wear a BTE hearing aid. The amplified
sound from the hearing aid is sent via tubing to the earmold, which
is inserted into the ear canal. The ear mould is made of a
soft or hard plastic material molded to the precise shape of the
ear.
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Eustachian
tube
This tube connects the middle ear cavity to the nose and throat and
its purpose is to keep the middle ear space at normal atmospheric
pressure. Eustachian tube dysfunction is a common cause of
middle ear disorders such as fluid in the ear.
Feedback
Feedback is the loud, unpleasant, high-pitched whistling which can
sometimes be heard from the hearing aids. It occurs when the
amplified sound re-enters the hearing aid and is re-amplified.
FM listening
systems
FM listening systems work by picking up the sound of a speaker’s
voice through a microphone and transmitting it as a radio signal
directly to the person wearing the hearing aid. FM systems work very
well when there is a lot of noise present or distance between the
speaker and the listener, situations which typically make speech
understanding very difficult for a hearing-impaired person.
Hard of
Hearing
The term used to describe a degree of hearing loss ranging from mild
to profound for which a person usually receives some benefit from
amplification. Most people who are hard of hearing are
oralists (communicate by using their voice), although a small number
learn sign language. Usually they participate in society by
using their residual hearing with hearing aids, speech reading, and
assistive devices to facilitate communication.
Hammer, anvil
and stirrup
These three bones which are also called the ossicles are the tiniest
bones in the human body. The medical names for these bones are
malleus, incus and stapes. When sound waves make the eardrum
vibrate these vibrations are continued by the movement of the
ossicles. The innermost of the bones (the stirrup) moves and creates
motion in the fluid of the cochlea.
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Hearing Aid
An instrument that amplifies sound to assist persons with hearing
loss. They are distinguished by where they are worn: in the
ear (ITE), in the canal (ITC), completely in the canal (CIC), behind
the ear (BTE), or on the body.
Hearing
instrument
A electronic device designed to amplify and deliver sound to the
ear, consisting at least of a microphone, amplifier, and receiver;
adjustable for individual hearing loss
Hearing Loss
The difference between the level of sound that can just be heard by
an individual with impaired hearing and a standard level that has
been determined by averaging measurements from a group of young
hearing people. It is usually expressed in decibels.
Inner ear
That part of the ear, particularly the cochlea, that converts
mechanical vibrations (sound) into neural messages that are sent to
the brain.
ITE
ITE or "In-The-Ear" hearing aids are custom-made to fit the
individual user's ear. As the word explains, ITE hearing aids are
worn inside the ear and are usually recommended for mild to
moderate, or sometimes even severe, hearing losses. ITE hearing aids
come in several sizes, but they are not usually recommended for
young children, because their outer ears and ear canals are too
small, and are still growing. If they are suitable for the degree of
your child's hearing loss, he or she can typically wear them from
about the age of 8-10 onwards.
Loudspeaker
The loudspeaker is also called the receiver. It receives the
amplified electrical signal and changes it into an acoustical signal
that the user of the hearing aid can hear
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Medical
Clearance
A required recommendation stating a physicianís approval for the
purchase of hearing aids, implying that there are no medical
contraindications for hearing aid use.
Microphone
The microphone leads the sounds into the amplifier to be processed.
It changes acoustical energy into electrical energy, which is then
processed within the hearing aid.
Middle Ear
That part of the ear that conducts sound to the inner ear,
consisting of the eardrum (tympanic membrane), middle ear bones (ossicle),
and the cavity containing them.
Mild to
profound
Generally, the degree of hearing loss is described using one of five
categories:
- Mild
(average from 25-40 dB HL)
Moderate
(average from 40-55 dB HL)
- Moderate/Severe (average from 55-70 dB HL)
- Severe
(average from 70-90 HL)
- Profound
(average greater than 90 dB HL)
The hearing
loss is defined based on what a hearing impaired person can and
cannot hear. You can refer to the following audiogram where A =
Hearing level in decibels (dB) and B = Frequency in hertz (Hz)
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Noise
Any sound that interferes with the signal we want to hear.
Noise control
Any system that aims to reduce the noise level compared to the
signal level.
Occlusion
The sensation from having a hearing aid or earmold in your ear,
making it feel blocked up or like your voice is in a barrel is
referred to as ‘occlusion-effect’. To get an idea of what occlusion
is try to put a finger into each ear while talking or eating.
Ototoxins
Medications or drugs that can damage hearing.
Pinna
Portion of the outer ear protruding from the head; also called the
auricle .
Programmable
hearing aid
A digitally programmable hearing aid is programmed via computer or a
handheld programming device. The sound picture in the hearing aid is
set to match the characteristics of the hearing loss.
Residual
hearing
The hearing remaining in a hearing impaired person ability.
Tympanic
membrane
Another name for the eardrum
Vent
In the earmold/shell, a small opening or tunnel runs from the
faceplate (the side of the earmold facing out of the ear) to the tip
side of the earmold. This opening is called a vent. It can have a
number of functions; it ventilates and prevents moisture building up
in the ear canal; the opening allows some sounds to be heard
naturally through the ear canal without being processed by the
hearing aid; and it can make the wearer's own voice sound better.
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Wax
Colloquial term for cerumen, or the waxy secretion of the ceruminous
glands in the external auditory meatus. |
