Children and Families

Hearing loss is a term used describe all types of hearing impairment. People with a hearing impairment can be affected differently depending on the degree of loss.  Some may hear less sounds than others. People who are described as being deaf are those with a total or nearly total hearing loss.

How Hearing Works

The ear consists of three parts:

  • outer ear, or pinna (the part you can see), picks up sound waves and the waves then travel down the ear canal to the middle ear.
  • middle ear - sound waves hit the eardrum in the middle ear and cause it to vibrate. When the eardrum vibrates, it moves three tiny bones “ossicles” which amplify and conduct the vibrations of the eardrum to the inner ear.
  • inner ear, or cochlear, looks like a snail shell, is about the size of a pea and contains hair cells which move in response to the vibrations passed from the middle ear. The movement energy of these hair cells is changed into an electrical signal that the hearing nerve takes to the brain. The brain interprets this signal as sound.

 

These parts work together so you can process sounds. 

How is Hearing Loss Classified?

Hearing loss is classified according to three key areas.

Degree: (mild, moderate, severe and profound), an audiometer produces sounds of different volumes (intensity) and pitch (frequencies). Hearing loss is measured in decibels hearing level (dBHL). A person who can hear sounds across a range of frequencies at 0 to 15dB is considered to have normal hearing. The thresholds for the different types of hearing loss are:

  • Mild          20-40 dBHL
  • Moderate  40-70 dBHL
  • Severe     70-90 dBHL
  • Profound      90+dBHL 

Shape: refers to how well different pitches of sound (frequencies) can be heard. Normal hearing allows a person to hear equally well across a range of frequencies (low and high pitches). A hearing loss affects the range of frequencies that can be heard. For example a hearing loss in the low frequencies means that a person may have difficulty hearing the low pitch sounds. Low pitch sounds include drum beats and motorbike ranging to high frequency sounds such as whistles and crickets.

Different pitches of sounds are defined as:

  • Rising (worse in the low pitches of sound and better for the high pitches)
  • Sloping (better in the low pitches of sound and worse in the high pitches)

Type: there are many possible causes of hearing loss. These can be divided into three basic types:

Conductive: affects the outer or middle ear and gives rise to a hearing loss by preventing the sound energy from reaching the inner ear. Medical treatment can often help. Examples: middle ear infections, blockage of the outer ear (by wax), Damage to the eardrum (perforation).

  • Sensorineural: affects the inner ear (cochlea) or hearing nerve. The hearing loss is usually permanent.
  • Mixed: is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

The combination of all three areas will describe an individual’s hearing loss. No two hearing losses are the same.

 

 

 

 

Joining Us

The Shepherd Centre will arrange for you to view your local centre, discuss how the program operates and answer any questions you may have. You will be given an application form should you be interested in joining The Shepherd Centre. This application is completed at home, at your leisure, and posted back to the centre manager. We always encourage families to look at other early intervention programs before making a decision regarding a service.

Lessons usually begin within two weeks of the centre manager receiving the application form.

Call us on 1800 020 030 to find out more about joining The Shepherd Centre. 

Induction

The Shepherd Centre has just introduced an Induction Program for new families.  This is a visit to the Sydney Hearing Centre where our multidisciplinary team will introduce themselves and give families an introduction to our seminar.

Levys

The Shepherd Centre is now discussing levys with parents.  This is done at the Induction Program and they are not applicable until parents have made a comfortable transition to the program.