Case Studies in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Second Edition

Hearing Loss and Deafness 183

first, this involved a hearing aid donated to the hospital by the family of a deceased patient. Later,
Sebastian was given a digital hearing aid. The surgery and amplification helped him to benefit
from rehabilitation, and eventually he was discharged to an assisted care fa cil i ty. After several
years, Sebastian was transferred to his parents’ home. Today he works in a sheltered environment,
sorting and cleaning donated clothing.

Although considered the second sense after vision, hearing is the primary sense for learning
speech and language. Hearing loss and deafness can be serious disabilities, significantly affecting
the quality of life. The hearing mechanism converts acoustic energy to mechanical, hydraulic, and
electrochemical energy, allowing the person to sense, perceive, and decode speech and environ-
mental sounds. During the past 20 years, audiology technology has improved, allowing all persons
to be tested, regardless of their age, level of consciousness, or cooperation, and to learn the status
of their hearing mechanism. Technology has brought higher- quality amplification to hearing aid
wearers, and cochlear implants have opened up a world of better hearing to thousands of persons.

1. Draw a sketch of the human ear and identify the major anatomical structures of the external,
   middle, and inner ear. How are the human ear and its hearing mechanism dif fer ent from those
   of other animals, such as cats and dogs?


2. What are the three general types of hearing loss and their typical causes?


3. What is tinnitus? What are some adjectives used to describe it?


4. What hearing tests can be used for newborns, infants, and hard- to- test populations?


5. How might an infant not identified as deaf be misdiagnosed as intellectually disabled?


6. What is an air– bone gap, and what is its diagnostic importance?


7. How do hearing aids work? What types of hearing aids exist? Compare the quality of music
   heard on CD players and satellite radio with that of cassette tapes and older vinyl rec ords. What
   is the analogy between these devices and the newer and older hearing aid technologies?


8. In middle ear testing, what are compliance, stapedial reflex, and positive and negative air pres-
   sure?


9. How do cochlear implants work?


10. What is the technical difference between aural habilitation and aural rehabilitation?


11. Compare and contrast aural habilitation and rehabilitation for children and adults.


12. Provide the arguments for and against the manualist, oralist, and total communication philoso-
    phies.


13. Should deafness be considered a disability, or should persons who are deaf be viewed as a
    repressed linguistic minority?