| "I put my hand in yours and together we can do what we could never do alone. No longer is there a sense of hopelessness. No longer must we depend upon our own unsteady will power. We are all together now, reaching out for power and strength greater than ours. And as we join together, we find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams." ~ Helen Keller ~ |
| HEARING IMPAIRMENTS; DEAF |
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| IDEA definitions: DEAFNESS: a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. HEARING IMPAIRMENT: an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. DEAFNESS A hearing loss greater than 90 dB. Individuals who are deaf have vision as their primary input and cannot understand speech through the ear. As defined by IDEA, deafness means a hearing impairment so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, which adversely affects educational performance. HARD OF HEARING A term used to describe individuals with a sense of hearing that is deficient but somewhat functional. HERTZ (Hz) A unit to measure the frequency of sound in terms of the number of cycles that vibrating molecules complete per second. The human ear can hear sounds ranging from 20 to approximately 15,000 Hz. Speech sounds range from 300 to 4,000 Hz. Most sounds in our environment range from 300 to 4,000 Hz. DECIBEL (dB) The unit used to measure sound intensity. The range of human hearing is approximately 0 to 130 dB. Sounds louder than 130 dB are extremely painful to the ear. Conversational speech registers at 40 to 60 dB, loud thunder about 120 dB, and a rock concert at about 110 dB. OUTER EAR consists of a cartilage structure called the auricle, or pinna, and an outer ear canal called the meatus. The auricle is attached to the skull by 3 ligaments. The auricle collects sound waves and funnels them into the meatus. The meatus secretes a wax called cerenum, which traps foreign particles and lubricates the eardrum and canal. The tympanic membrane (eardrum) is located at the inner end of the canal between the outer and middle ear. The concave membrane is positioned in a manner that, when struck by sound waves, it can vibrate freely. MIDDLE EAR The inner surface of the eardrum is located in the middle ear. It contains 3 small bones that form the ossicular chain: the malleus, the incus, and the stapes (sometimes called hammer, anvil, and stirrup). These 3 bones transmit the vibrations from the outer ear to the inner ear. The eustachian tube, which extends from the throat to the middle-ear cavity, equalizes the air pressure on the eardrum with that of the outside by controlling the flow of air into the middle ear. INNER EAR consists of a multitude of intricate passageways. The cochlea lies horizontally in front of the vestibule (a central cavity where sound enters directly from the middle ear). The cochlea is filled with fluid similar to cerebral spinal fluid. Also, the vestibular mechanism is located here, which contains the semicircular canals that control balance. PRELINGUAL LOSS hearing impairments that occur prior to age 2, or before speech development. POSTLINGUAL LOSS hearing impairments that occur after speech has developed. SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS permanent hearing loss that is a result of damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve. Some causes are presbycusis (hearing loss associated with ageing), noise exposure, acoustic neuromas, drugs, mumps, measles and Meniere's disease. A sensorineural hearing loss cannot usually be medically or surgically treated (hearing aids or cochlear implants). CONDUCTIVE HEARING LOSS a hearing loss resulting from poor conduction of sound along the passages leading to the sense organ (outer and middle ear). It can result from a blockage or an obstruction interfering with the movement of the eardrum or ossicle. It can generally be offset by amplification or medical intervention. Sometime surgery can restore hearing in a conductive hearing loss. MIXED HEARING LOSS a hearing loss resulting from a combination of a conductive hearing loss and a sensorineural hearing loss. CENTRAL AUDITORY DISORDER A hearing loss that occurs in the cerebral cortex of the brain. The cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, governs thought, reasoning, memory, sensation, and voluntary movement. A central auditory disorder is a disorder of symbolic processes including auditory perception, discrimination, comprehension of sound, and language development. OTOSCLEROSIS A disease of the ear characterized by destruction of the capsular bone in the middle ear and the growth of a web-like bone that attaches to the stapes. The stapes is restricted and unable to function properly. It is the most common diseases (hereditary) that affects hearing. Twice as many women have ottosclerosis as men. TINNITUS a ringing or high-pitched throbbing in the ear, associated with disease of the inner ear. ATRESIA the absence of a normal opening or cavity, in this case, when the external aural canal is either malformed or completely absent at birth. Atresia is the major cause of congenital conductive hearing loss. OTITIS MEDIA an inflammation of the middle ear. This can result from colds that spread from the eustachian tube to the middle ear, the most common cause of conductive hearing loss in young children. Otitis media has been found to be highly correlated with hearing problems . DEAF CULTURE a culture wherein people who are deaf become bonded together by a common language (sign language) and by shared customs and heritage. People in the Deaf culture seek each other out for social interaction and emotional support. AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE A type of language commonly used by deaf people in the United States. ASL represent concepts rather than single words. TOTAL COMMUNICATION The philosophy that people with hearing impairments learn to communicate best through simultaneous presentation of manual and oral techniques. COCHLEAR IMPLANT (pictured) A surgical procedure that implants an electronic device under the skin behind the ear. The implant overcomes "nerve deafness" by getting around damage to the cells in the inner ear and directly stimulating the auditory nerve. Those in the deaf community who oppose cochlear implants for children under the notion that it's an attempt to "fix" deafness, say children should not have to make a choice between the hearing or nonhearing world. Implants are not a cure; children are still deaf, and because of that they are part of a population that has its own culture, language and heritage. "What's wrong with being deaf?'' asked M.J. Bienvenu, chair of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University who was born deaf to deaf parents. "We've got a culture. We're bilingual. We're not half a person. We're actually double." Although she acknowledged that many hearing parents have trouble learning sign language, she said it's a myth that they will "lose" their children if they become involved in deaf culture. "Being a deaf person, I've experienced deaf culture and American culture. I don't feel a sense of loss from my end. I don't feel I'm missing anything. I'm a Ph.D. I travel. I have many wonderful friends. I have a full life. I do everything every average American does.'' According to the National Association of the Deaf statement on implants, language and communication should not be equated with speech: The absence of visual-language training, such as sign language, might result in developmental delays that become difficult to reverse. Natalie Long, president of the American Society for Deaf Children, a nonprofit parent organization that is holding its 19th biennial convention in Pittsburgh this summer, said some deaf adolescents who have tried to be a part of the hearing world experience identity issues. She's known of deaf children who have stopped using their implants when they've become teens and learned to sign. "They want an identity. It's one of the things we all need in this world -- the sense of belonging in this group.'' (verbatim from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05039/454112.stm) |
