There are degrees of hearing loss, determined by several factors. Some people with hearing loss can't hear sounds below a certain volume or outside a certain range of frequencies or pitch. Some hearing loss even comes and goes. If your child has a hearing loss, talk with her audiologist or teacher of the hearing impaired to better understand the type of loss she has and how the loss will impact her ability to hear in different situations.

Some hearing loss is considered to be in the hard-of-hearing range. A child who is hard of hearing has functional hearing of some of the sounds used in speech. With a hearing aid, she may be able to understand all or most of what someone is saying, providing that there is not a lot of background noise.

Deafness

Children who test in the range of deafness do not hear speech sounds, but many of them have some hearing. Perhaps they can hear a few loud environmental noises with a lower pitch. A lawn mower, a plane passing overhead, and a motorcycle are examples of environmental noises that fall into this range.

Cochlear Implants

Some hearing-impaired children are candidates for cochlear implants. In the past, a child would only receive an implant for one ear. With medical and technological advances, many children now receive bilateral implants (on both sides).

A cochlear implant involves a surgical procedure. Electrodes are implanted into the cochlea of the ear. A receiver is also implanted behind the child's ear. When the child wears a specially programmed microphone and speech processor, sounds are sent electronically through the implant's components. A child with cochlear implants will need considerable training in understanding and using these sounds.

Unilateral Hearing Loss

Sometimes a child has a hearing loss in only one ear, which is referred to as a unilateral hearing loss. It may be partial or a complete loss. Usually she will not have speech problems related to the hearing loss because she has “normal” hearing in the other ear.

There are some cautions that come with a unilateral hearing loss. Be aware of your child's safety and communication needs. For example, in a split second, a child can be headed for a dangerous situation (touching a hot stove, running toward a busy street, climbing on unsafe surfaces). Be aware that she may not be able to hear you if you are calling from the side of the hearing loss. Instinctively, you should position yourself on the side of her good ear to maintain safe communication.

A unilateral hearing loss impacts communication in other situations as well. Conversations and following directions can be difficult. If the person speaking is talking to your child's bad ear, she will not know that she is expected to respond or follow a direction. This can result in the appearance that she is uncooperative.

Central Auditory Processing Deficit

Some children have characteristics of hearing loss, but have normal hearing. They may not be able to understand what is said in a noisy classroom. Even in a quiet room they may have difficulty if the teacher is reading a spelling list of words with similar sounds or giving a list of instructions for an activity. A child with these characteristics may have a central auditory processing deficit (CAPD).

A central auditory processing deficit can look like other disabilities (hearing loss or attention deficit), so testing by an audiologist is necessary to diagnose this condition. If CAPD is indeed the problem, the audiologist may suggest that your child wear an FM auditory trainer or that speakers be used in your child's classroom.

Assistive technology is not always the answer for a child with central auditory processing deficit. Often, a reduction of classroom noise or the repetition of the instructions (or having the child repeat them) is helpful.