There are three main types of hearing loss that you’re going to come across in the classroom setting. In this post we will go through these three types and explain a little about each.
Before we get started, let’s remind ourselves about the structure of the ear
1. Conductive Loss
Conductive losses are when the sound cannot reach the cochlea (the organ which converts sound waves into electrical signals to be sent to the brain). An outer/middle ear issue means that the sound is blocked from getting to the point that it would be processed. The cochlea is working, but the sound waves cannot get to it.
Imagine you’re on the highway, but there has been an accident and you can’t get past to get to your destination. The sound can’t get through either.
2. Sensorineural Loss
Sensorineural Loss occurs when sound waves can get to the cochlea, but the cochlea cannot convert them into electrical signals to be sent to the brain, or the electrical signals are unable to be transmitted properly. Sensorineural losses occur in the inner ear.
This is a little like when you can connect to your WiFi, but you can’t get on to the internet because there is something wrong with the connection.
3. Mixed Loss
Mixed losses occur when both Conductive and Sensorineural losses are present. Both losses are present at the same frequencies.
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