Module 3D: Hearing Conditions
There are three types of hearing condition: sensorineural, conductive and a mixed hearing loss (click the arrow to expand each one or click here to expand all of the examples below).
A hearing condition may be described as mild, moderate, severe or profound. But what does this mean? What can’t a learner hear at these levels?
- Mild hearing loss - the most undiagnosed level of loss. A learner may experience more difficulty hearing softly spoken speech in a noisy environment i.e. the dinner hall, playground or classroom, but be more successful in quiet, one to one situation
- Moderate hearing loss - a learner may have difficulty following normal conversational speech in all types of environment - noisy or quiet
- Severe hearing loss - a learner may have difficulty following normal conversational speech in all types of environment, as well as having difficulty hearing louder environmental sounds, i.e. a vacuum cleaner or a hairdryer
- Profound hearing loss - a learner with a profound loss may only hear very loud environmental sounds i.e. a lawn mower or food blender
It is important to remember that hearing loss and the causes of this, are often difficult to identify in learners with SEND. Some learners in your class may have an unidentified, or undiagnosed, hearing condition.
Key Points
- There are three types of hearing condition: sensorineural, conductive and mixed hearing loss
- Hearing loss may be congenital or acquired
- The effects of a hearing condition vary from learner to learner
- Sound may be less intense, distorted, muffled or dull
- Understanding the effects of a hearing condition enables us to support effective learning in the classroom
Thinking Point
Use an online noise meter in your classroom. Monitor the background noise in your class for a day. What information does this give you and what adaptations might be made to support a learner with a hearing difficulty?