Hearing Loss

This information is from the Southend-on-Sea Hearing Loss Team.

Types of Hearing Loss

Most children seen by the outreach service have a sensori-neural hearing loss. Some children who have a conductive loss and have been given hearing aids are also supported.

Sensori-neural hearing loss is a hearing loss in the inner ear. This usually means the cochlear isn't working effectively. This type of hearing loss is permanent.

Conductive hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It means that sound cannot pass efficiently through the outer and middle ear into the inner ear. This type of hearing loss is usually temporary,. But it can be permanent in some cases.

Children can have a combination of sensori-neural and conductive hearing loss. This is known as a mixed loss.

Unilateral hearing loss is a hearing loss in one ear. It can range from mild to profound.

Levels of Hearing Loss

This is described:

• in terms of the decibels (dB) for hearing levels or;
• by the terms `mild`, `moderate`,`severe` or `profound`

Decibel hearing level range each of these terms. This is based on British Society of Audiology definitions of hearing loss:

• mild (21 to 40dB)
• moderate (41 to 70dB)
• severe (71 to 95dB)
• profound (95dB)

The Audiology Department will give more detailed information to parents about:

• their children's hearing levels and;
• the sounds their child will be able to hear

This will be presented in a graph called an Audiogram. This can be used to understand sounds that we can hear (or can't hear) based on hearing thresholds. Common sounds are plotted on the graph to indicate their average pitch and volume.

• louder sounds towards the bottom of the graph
• softer sounds towards the top
• low pitched sounds on the left
• higher pitched sounds on the right

Hearing test results can be transferred onto the graph to show which sounds are:

• inaudible (above the hearing ' threshold) and those that are;
• audible (below the hearing threshold)

`Speech Banana` is a term used to describe the area where most sounds of average conversational speech occur on the graph. Although other speech sounds are outside the speech banana, the ones within it and their frequencies are the ones that can affect a child's ability to learn language.

Will a child with a hearing loss need an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?

In Southend-on-Sea the support from the Hearing Loss Team is to children within mainstream or special schools. Southend does not have a resource base linked to a mainstream school for hearing impaired children.

Most children the team see do not need an EHCP. This is beause with support from the service and good practice from their school they are able to access the curriculum fully in line with their peers. However, if we feel that a child needs extra support, or if their hearing levels change and they require more support, an EHCP can always be considered.

If children have additional needs to their hearing loss they may need an EHCP to be able to get the support they require.