Transcript Ear Power point

Hearing
and The Ear
Armpit Story =)
Types of Hearing Loss
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The three types of hearing loss are:
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Conductive
Sensori-neural
Mixed
Conductive Loss
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Means the sounds are blocked and
not carried to the inner ear.
Can be corrected through surgery.
Possible causes:
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A buildup of wax in the ear.
Fluid in the ear canal
Puncturing of the ear drum.
Problems/injuries to the bones or
membrane which carry sounds through
the middle ear to the inner ear.
Sensori-Neural Loss
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Also known as nerve deafness.
This is when there is damage to
the inner ear or the auditory
nerve.
Roughly 90% of people with a
hearing loss have this type of loss.
Sensori-Neural Loss
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The damage is permanent.
Tinnitis (ringing in the ear) is
associated with this type of loss.
Sensori-Neural Loss
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Possible causes:
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Natural aging process
Exposure to loud noises
Infections or other diseases
Genetic disorder.
Mixed Hearing Loss
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A mixed hearing loss is a
combination of sensori-neural and
conductive hearing loss, happening
at the same time.
Both the inner and the middle ear
are involved.
How do audiologists determine a
hearing loss?
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An audiogram is a graph that measures
what you can hear.
It measures both decibels and
frequency.
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Decibels measure the volume of sound. 10dB
is quiet and 100 dB is loud.
Frequency measures the pitch of sound. A
small number is a low sound and a big
number is a high sound.
The Speech Banana
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The speech
banana shows at
what decibel
levels specific
speech sounds
are made.
The Speech Banana
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Speech is made of
different sounds.
Speech sounds can be
drawn on the
audiogram. They are
between the 10dB and
60dB lines.Vowel sounds
like oo, ah, ay and ee are
low and loud. Sounds like
m, n and ng are low but
quiet. Other sounds like
d, t, s, f and th are high
and quiet. Words with no
high sounds are hard to
understand.
Levels of Hearing Loss
This audiogram
shows normal
hearing. Sounds
below the lines on
the audiogram can
be heard. X shows
the left ear.0
shows the right
ear.All the X and 0
are above the 20
dB line.
Levels of Hearing Loss
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This audiogram
shows a
mild hearing loss.
Sounds below the
lines on the
audiogram can be
heard.All the X and 0
are between the 21
dB and 40 dB
lines.
Levels of Hearing Loss
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This is a moderate
hearing loss. Sounds
below the lines on the
audiogram can be
heard. Low/loud
sounds like oo, ah, ay
and ee may be
heard. All the X and 0
are between 41 dB
and 70 dB. The
hearing loss in the left
ear is worse than the
right ear.
Levels of Hearing Loss
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This is a severe
hearing loss.
Conversational
speech cannot be
heard. Shouting
and loud noise
(like traffic) can be
heard. All the X
and 0 are between
71 dB and 95
dB.
Levels of Hearing Loss
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This is a profound
hearing loss. Speech
cannot be
heard. Very loud
noises like pneumatic
drills and planes
taking off can be
heard (or felt). The X
and 0 are mostly
below the 95 dB
line. People with very
profound hearing
losses can feel loud
low sounds.
So what about hearing aids?
Hearing aids only increase the
volume, it doesn’t mean you can
understand what’s being said.
How does hearing loss affect your
language acquisition?
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Pre-lingually Deaf –
 These are people who become Deaf
before they are able to acquire spoken
language – Born Deaf or lose hearing
before 18 months old.
Post-lingually Deaf
 These are people who lose their hearing
after they have already acquired
language.
 Can happen at any age.
So how does this affect me?
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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
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Permanent damage to fillia in the
inner ear.
Caused by exposure to dangerous
noise levels.
Too loud and too long
 Very loud and sudden
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A rule of thumb is if you can not
understand someone talking to you
in a normal speaking voice when
they are an arm’s length away… it
is too loud.
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It is the decibel level that’s
important…not whether you listen
through speakers or earbuds.
Loud music will cause damage no
matter the source.
Examples of everyday decibel levels
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60 dB Normal conversations or dishwashers
80 dB Alarm clocks
90 dB Hair dryers, blenders, lawnmowers
100 dB MP3 players at full volume
110 dB Concerts (any music genre), car
racing and sporting events
120dB Jet planes at take off
130 dB Ambulances
140 dB Gun shots, fireworks, and custom
car stereos at full volume
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85 dB is considered to be “safe” but
even exposure for 8 hours at a time
can cause damage.
The greater the decibel level, the
less time you can be exposed to it
before damage occurs.
When you increase the decibels by
3 dB, the “safe” time is cut in half.
Continued dB
Permissible Time exposure
85 dB
8 hours
88 dB
4 hours
91 dB (lawnmower)
2 hours
94 dB
1 hour
97 dB
30 minutes
100 dB (MP3 full volume)
15 minutes
103 dB
7.5 minutes
106 dB
3.75 minutes
109 dB
< 2 minutes
112 dB
< 1 minute
115 dB (concerts)
30 seconds
iPod facts…
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At 70% of maximum volume, you
can safely listen for 4.6 hours.
At 80% of maximum volume, you
can safely listen for 90 minutes.
At full volume, you can only safely
listen for 5 minutes.
One final thought on NIHL…
Hearing loss develops
over time and you may not
notice anything until it’s too late.
Cochlear Implants for Adults?
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It is generally agreed that the
best adult candidates are those who:
Have severe to profound hearing loss in both ears
Have had limited benefit from hearing aids
Have no other medical problems that would make the
surgery risky
Have a strong desire to be part of the hearing world and
communicate through listening, speaking, and
speechreading
Have lost their hearing after speech and language
development
Cochlears for Children
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Children as young as 14 months of age have received
cochlear implants, and the potential exists for successful
implantation at younger ages.
It is generally agreed that the best child candidates
are those who:
Have profound hearing loss in both ears
Have had limited benefit from hearing aids
Are healthy and have no medical conditions that
would make the surgery risky
Are involved (when able), along with their
parents, in all the steps in the process
Children (cont.)
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Understand (when able), along with their parents, their
role in the successful use of cochlear implants
Have (when able), along with their parents, realistic
expectations**** for cochlear implant use
Are willing to be actively involved in their
habilitation/rehabilitation
Have support from their educational program to
emphasize the development of auditory skills
****What is a realistic expectation?? What do you
think?