From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The League for the Hard of Hearing was founded in New York in 1910 and is the premier hearing rehabilitation and human services agency in the world for infants, children and adults who are hard of hearing, deaf and deaf-blind, and their families. Over the years we have provided services to more than 1,250,000 people with hearing loss.

The League for the Hard of Hearing's mission is to improve the quality of life for infants, children and adults with all degrees of hearing loss.

We accomplish our mission by providing hearing rehabilitation and human services for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, and their families, regardless of age, ability to pay, or mode of communication, and by striving to empower consumers to achieve their potential.

Our leadership is exemplified by adhering to the highest clinical standards, conducting extensive hearing conservation and public education programs about hearing, and developing best practice models for disciplines that relate to hearing and research.

Facts About Hearing Loss

FACT: Approximately 10% of the U.S. population or 31 million Americans have a significant hearing loss.

FACT: Over 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.

FACT: 30-40% of people over 65 have some type of hearing loss

FACT: 14% of those ages 45-64 have some type of hearing loss

FACT: 15% of children between the ages of 6-19 have a measurable hearing loss in at least one ear.

FACT: Hearing loss occurs in 5 out of every 1,000 newborns.

FACT: Exposure to a noisy subway, for just 15 minutes a day overtime, can cause permanent damage to hearing over time.

FACT: Hearing aids can offer dramatic improvement for most people with hearing loss.

FACT: A mild hearing loss can cause a child to miss as much as 50% of classroom discussion.

FACT: Listening to an MP3 Player at high volumes overtime can cause permanent damage to hearing.

FACT: With early identification and appropriate services, deaf children can develop communication skills at the same rate as their hearing peers.

FACT: Noise is one of the leading causes of hearing loss.

FACT: Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) affects 50 million people in the United States.

FACT: Babies are never too young to have their hearing tested.

FACT: Speechreading is the more current word for lipreading.

FACT: People with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help.

FACT: Only 16% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss.

FACT: 15 million people in the United States with hearing loss avoid seeking help.

FACT: 1 out of 3 people over age 65 have some degree of hearing loss.

FACT: Approximately 3 million children in the U.S. have a hearing loss; 1.3 million of them are under the age of three.

Glossary of terms:

Air Conduction Test: measures hearing by placing earphones over the child’s’ ear or placing “insert phones” (soft foam ear plugs) in the child’s ear. With this test, sound travels through the outer, middle, and inner ear.

Amplification: a) to make louder, increase volume; b) a term that may be used to refer to hearing aids.

Analog Hearing Aid: Sound is picked up by a small microphone, converted into electrical impulses, and then made louder for the user to hear.

Assistive Devices: can be divided into two basic categories: alerting devices and assistive listening devices. An alerting device indicates that something important is occurring, whereas an assistive listening device facilitates the reception and understanding of spoken language.

Atresia: absence or malformation of the outer or middle ear.

Audiologist: a clinician trained and certified to diagnose, evaluate, and treat hearing loss.

Auditory/Oral Therapy: speech/language therapy and educational programming to develop maximum use of residual hearing, oral language, and intelligible speech.

Auditory Steady State Response Test (ASSR): measurement of brainwaves in response to sounds; can provide objective information regarding hearing sensitivity when this information cannot be obtained reliably through behavioral measures. This test may be able to provide greater frequency-specific information regarding hearing as compared to ABR testing. This test also has the capability to be more specific in diagnosing the degree of a more significant hearing loss.

Audiogram: a graphic description of hearing.

Bilateral hearing loss: hearing loss in both ears.

Binaural hearing aids: hearing aids in both ears.

Bone Conduction Test: measures hearing by placing a small oscillator (vibrating devise) behind the ear and measures sound traveling directly to the inner ear.

Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response Test (BAER) or Auditory Brainstem Evoked Response Test (ABR): measurement of brain waves in response to sound; can provide objective information regarding hearing sensitivity when this information cannot be obtained reliably through behavioral measures.

Cochlea: the hearing organ within the inner ear.

Cochlear Implant: An electronic device that may benefit those who are not obtaining adequate benefit from hearing aids. The implant consists of a microphone and receiver, a processor that converts speech into electronic signals, and an array of electrodes that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve in the inner ear.

Conductive Hearing Loss: a hearing loss caused by damage or disease of the outer or middle ear. Congenital: existing at or dating from birth, but not necessarily hereditary.

Cued Speech: a visual communication system using eight handshapes in four different placements near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech to make the sounds of spoken language look different from each other.

Digital Hearing Aid: sound is picked up by a small microphone, analyzed by a computer chip, and then made louder through special signal processing for the user to hear.

Earmold: a custom-made product that fits in the ear and connects to a behind-the-ear hearing aid.

FM System (auditory trainer): an assistive listening device utilizing wireless technology. This can be used alone or in conjunction with hearing aids to provide the best signal-to-noise ratio for better hearing in adverse listening situations.

Geneticist: a medical professional who reviews a family’s medical history, recommends testing, and determines the presence of genetic links to hearing loss.

Hearing Aid: a device that amplifies sound. Hearing aids are available in a variety of sizes and levels of technology: candidacy may be, in part, determined by the results of a hearing test.

Immittance (Impedance) Testing: a test that measures the functioning of the outer and middle ear systems. This test consists of a tympanogram (measurement of ear drum mobility) and acoustic reflexes (presence and level of middle ear muscle contraction).

Middle Ear: portion of the hearing mechanism between the outer ear and the cochlea, consisting of the eardrum, the ossicles (bones), the opening of the Eustachian tube, the oval window, and the round window.

Mixed Hearing Loss: a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

Monaural: referring to one ear or one hearing aid.

Neurologist: a medical doctor skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system.

Otoacoustic Emissions Test (OAE): a test that measures how the hair cells within the cochlea work.

Otolaryngologist (Otologist or ENT): a medical specialist of the ear, nose, and throat.

Peri-Natal: occurring at birth.

Pinna: outer ear.

Post-Natal: occurring after birth.

Pre-Natal: occurring before birth.

Residual Hearing: remaining hearing.

School Psychologist: A professional trained to perform educational and developmental evaluations to assess areas of strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss: a hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear (cochlea, auditory nerve, or central auditory pathways).

Sign Language: a language that uses a system of manual, facial, and boy movements as the means to communicate.

Speech/Language Pathologist: a clinician trained and certified to evaluate, diagnose, and treat speech, language, and communication problems.

Speechreading (Lip reading): using visual cues to supplement hearing to understand spoken language.

Tinnitus: phantom auditory perception when no external sound is present. It is often described as ringing or buzzing in the ears.

Unilateral Hearing Loss: hearing loss in one ear.

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA): a method of evaluating a child’s responses to sound by conditioning the child to respond by turning their head. This response is rewarded by the presentation of a visual stimulus (ex: video, mechanical toy).

Contact:

League for the Hard of Hearing 50 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY 10004 Phone: 917-305-7700 (Voice) 917-305-7999 (TTY) 917-305-7888 (Fax) appointments@lhh.org

Florida Office League for the Hard of Hearing - Florida 2800 W. Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 306 Oakland Park, FL 33311 Phone: 954-731-7200 (Voice/TTY) 954-731-7208 (Direct TTY) 954-485-6336 (Fax)

http://www.lhh.org