Hearing Aids - American Hearing Aid Associates


Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Acute otitis media (AOM) Middle ear inflammation; indicated by a bulging red ear drum 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. Analog sound processing Analog sound processing basically means that the sound vibrations which become an electrical signal after entering the microphone are acted upon as one unified, but complex, electrical signal by the amplifier. Anvil Anvil is the common name given to the small incus bone, which is the second of the three bones (ossicles) that work in series in the middle ear to transmit sound to the inner ear. Also see under H (Hammer, Anvil and Stirrup). 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). 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 Audiometer Electronic instrument designed for measurement of hearing sensitivity Audiometry Specific procedures by which the threshold of hearing is measured. Auditory nerve This is the auditory section of the central nervous system. This nerve transmits the auditory information to the brain. Binaural Listening with both ears. Body Hearing Aid 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. 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 Chronic otitis media COM persistent inflammation of the middle ear having a duration of greater than 8 weeks 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. 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). Congenital hearing loss Having a congenital hearing loss means that the hearing loss is present at birth. Congenital hearing losses can be hereditary, due to an infection or disease during pregnancy, or even due to birth complications. The causes of some congenital losses are not known. Corti's organ Hearing organ in the inner ear, composed of sensory and supporting cells, located on the basilar membrane in the cochlear duct; SYN: organ of Corti Cued speech A system of hand shapes used to supplement the information received from speech reading (lip-reading). Custom-made This means that an impression is taken of the child’s ear to ensure that the earmold (or ITE hearing aid) fits exactly to the child’s ear canal to avoid feedback or irritation. dB SPL Decibel Sound Pressure Level expresses the sound pressure level relative to 20 micro Pascal (µPa). 20 µPa at 1 KHz is the weakest sound level a person with normal hearing can hear. Sound pressure at 20.000 µPa is equivalent to 60 dBSPL, which is where you hear normal speech. 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. Directional hearing The ability to determine the direction of a sound Dynamic Feedback Cancellation The Dynamic Feedback Cancellation system is a feature in Oticon's Adapto hearing aids. This system constantly monitors incoming sounds and cancels feedback before it is even heard. 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. 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 ia 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. Fitting software All digital and digitally programmable analogue instruments are adjusted via a computer. For this purpose we develop special fitting software that the audiologist must use in order to get the optimal adjustment of a hearing aid to match the individual user's needs. 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. Frequency The number of times a repetitive event occurs in a specified time period is a frequency. For the sinusoid waves shown it is the number of periods occurring in one second. This is expressed in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz). A common word for frequency is pitch. Frequency control Potentiometer or other controlling device on a hearing instrument that changes the frequency response; SYN: tone control Frequency response curve The graph of a hearing aid's sensitivety across frequencies 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. 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. Hertz Hertz is the unit measurement of frequency (pitch) of sound, the number of cycles of a sound wave in one second (cycles per second) is more commonly specified in hertz (Hz). High-pitched sounds, such as a police whistle, have a high frequency with thousands of cycles per second. Low-pitched sounds, such as far away thunder, have a low frequency with only a few cycles per second. 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. Lip reading The ability to gain understanding of what is being said by watching the lips as well as by watching the face, expressions, and gestures. The term speech reading is now recognized as more descriptive because it includes watching the facial expressions, gestures, and body language as well as the lips. 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. 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) Mixed hearing loss Hearing loss of conductive and sensorineural nature 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 Non-programmable hearing aid The sound of a non-programmable hearing aid is adjusted through a number of small trimmers on the hearing aid. The trimmers can typically adjust the low frequencies (bass) and the high frequencies (treble) and the maximum output of the hearing aid. 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. Otitis media Or OM is an infection or inflammation of the middle ear. This inflammation often begins when infections that cause sore throats, colds, or other respiratory or breathing problems spread to the middle ear. Seventy-five percent of children experience at least one episode of otitis media by their third birthday. Almost half of these children will have three or more ear infections during their first three years. Although otitis media is primarily a disease of infants and young children, it can also affect adults. (read more about this term) Otolaryngology (pronounced oh/toe/lair/in/goll/oh/jee) is the oldest medical specialty in the United States. Otolaryngologists are physicians trained in the medical and surgical management and treatment of patients with diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat (ENT), and related structures of the head and neck. They are commonly referred to as ENT physicians. Their special skills include diagnosing and managing diseases of the sinuses, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, and upper pharynx (mouth and throat), as well as structures of the neck and face. Otolaryngologists diagnose, treat, and manage specialty-specific disorders as well as many primary care problems in both children and adults. Otosclerosis A condition in which the bones of the middle ear become immobile because of bony growth. Ototoxins Medications or drugs that can damage hearing. Oval window The oval window is the junction between the middle ear and the inner ear. It contains the footplate of the stirrup, which act like a piston moving the fluids in the cochlea Pinna Portion of the outer ear protruding from the head; also called the auricle Presbyacusis Hearing loss associated with living longer. 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. Rationale A rationale is the mathematical formula upon which the calculations for amplification are made based on the nature of the hearing loss. The rationales are typically based on experiences from thousands of users and they provide a starting point in the hearing aid fitting, which is based on best clinical practice. RECD RECD is short for Real Ear to Coupler Difference, which are correction factors to account for the acoustical differences between a child’s smaller ear canal and that of an adult. Residual hearing The hearing remaining in a hearing impaired person ability Sensogram In addition to conventional hearing tests determining the hearing threshold Senso+ hearing aids incorporate the unique Sensogram in-situ fitting strategy, which measures your hearing threshold via your Senso+ hearing aid. In-situ means that you wear the hearing aid while the hearing test is performed. The hearing threshold is not determined for individual frequencies as in a conventional test, but for three frequency ranges - low, medium and high tones. The complex tone signals are generated by the hearing aid itself. The Sensogram method allows the hearing healthcare professional to check the total effect of the hearing aid, because the effect of the earmould or shell is taken into account. In this way the hearing aid is programmed with all relevant data to ensure optimum fitting. Sensorineural hearing loss This is the most common form of hearing loss. It happens when some of the delicate hair cells inside the cochlea are damaged and therefore unable to transform the sound vibrations into electrical signals for the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and is usually best remediated with hearing aids. Semicircular Canals The organ of balance connected directly to the cochlea in the ear. Sign language Form of manual communication in which words and concepts are represented by hand positions and movements Sound level Sound level is an expression of the activity of air molecule oscillations. Sound level is measured in decibel (dB), but as there are different types of dB, an additional abbreviation will define the specific type. Stirrup The third of the three middle ear bones, also called the stapes. The stirrup transmits the sound vibrations via the oval window to the inner ear fluids. Threshold of Hearing The faintest sound that can be consistently heard at each of the tested frequencies in an audiometric evaluation. 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. Wax Colloquial term for cerumen, or the waxy secretion of the ceruminous glands in the external auditory meatus Some of the information on this page is provided "as is" for general information only. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with qualified health professionals who are familiar with your individual medical needs. (3) Pictures and logos are copyrighted by and proprietary to the Deafness Research Foundation and may not be copied, reproduced, transmitted, displayed, performed, distributed, sublicensed, altered, stored for subsequent use or otherwise used in whole or in part in any manner without DRF's prior written consent. Information courtesy of Oticon, Phonak, Rexton, Starkey, Sonic Innovations, Widex, and the Deaf Research Foundation.