Hearing disabilities

1. Hard of hearing

1.1. Can use hearing aids, cochlear implants, use sign language, sign language interpreters, or captioning.

1.2. Loss where there may be enough residual hearing that an auditory device, such as a hearing aid

2. Hearing Impaired

2.1. People with any degree of hearing loss from mild to profound

3. Deaf

3.1. Can use hearing aids, cochlear implants, use sign language, sign language interpreters, or captioning.

3.2. Loss that is so severe that there is little to no functional hearing.

4. Deafened

4.1. Can use hearing aids, cochlear implants, use sign language, sign language interpreters, or captioning.

4.2. A person who becomes deaf as an adult and, therefore, faces different challenges than those of a person who was deaf at birth.

5. Causes of hearing loss

5.1. Childhood and adolescence

5.1.1. Chronic ear infections (chronic suppurative otitis media)

5.1.2. Collection of fluid in the ear (chronic nonsuppurative otitis media)

5.2. Prenatal Period

5.2.1. Genetic factors - Include hereditary and non-hereditary hearing loss

5.2.2. Intrauterine infections – such as rubella and cytomegalovirus infection

5.3. Adulthood and older age

5.3.1. Smoking

5.3.2. Age-related sensorineural degeneration

5.3.3. Chronic diseases