Deaf Verses Hard of Hearing

A person is deaf if they can not hear anything. A person is hearing impaired if they hear sounds but below a certain level. It depends on how much the child can actually hear to determine if she is deaf or hard of hearing. I have sensorineural hearing loss in both ears; I wear hearing aids. Without them, I can not hear the human voice unless someone is yelling in my ear. I am considered hard of hearing or hearing impaired rather than deaf, even though I can not function in society without a hearing aid.

The thing about conductive hearing loss is that it is usually repairable. Did your doctor tell you the cause? It could be a wax build up or a problem with the bones in the inner ear, both are usually repairable. A hearing aid can often help with this type of hearing loss as well if surgery is not an option.

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Wikipedia states that it's "Conductive hearing loss is a failure in the efficient conduction of sound waves through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (eardrum) or middle ear (ossicles). This type of hearing loss may occur in conjunction with sensorineural hearing loss or alone." Ask your pediatrician where it originated from and what they think.

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D.,

It depends on the level of loss. There are two kinds of hearing loss, and both can mean complete deafness or just hard of hearing. Just depends on the level.

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It depends on how much hearing they actually have.

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Have you tried googling it on the net or using WebMD? Better yet, have you asked your pediatrician about this?

I would think that with the diagnosis, an explanation of the diagnosis would have been given to you.

J.

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