Glossary of Ear and Hearing Loss Terms

Wax secreted from glands in the ear canal that keeps the skin of the ear dry and protects it from infection. The medical term is cerumen (sir-ROO-men).

A small transducer (earphone) that is inserted into the ear canal. Like earphones, earbuds deliver sound to the ear, but for some, they are more comfortable that earphones.

See Tympanic Membrane.

A hole in the eardrum.

Services provided by both public and private agencies to infants and toddlers and their families. These services are designed by law to support families in enhancing a child’s potential growth and development from birth to age three.

The part of a behind-the-ear hearing aid that fits into the ear and directs sound from a BTE hearing aid into the ear canal. It also helps hold the hearing aid in place. It is typically made of plastic or vinyl.

(ek-oh-ah-KOO-sis) A subjective disturbance of hearing in which a sound appears to be repeated.

An audiologist with special training and experience in providing auditory rehabilitation services to children in school settings.

An interpreter that specializes in classroom interpreting. (See also Interpreter.)

Sometimes called the vestibulocochlear nerve. It divides into two parts—the cochlear (auditory) nerve responsible for hearing, and the vestibular nerve responsible for balance. This nerve carries hearing and balance information from the inner ear to the brain. If it is damaged or diseased, you could experience things such as hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, dizziness, loss of balance, vertigo, nausea and vomiting.

This is a method of obtaining an ABR but using the sound generated by acochlear implant. This test assists in determining how well the auditory system of a young child is responding to the stimulation generated by the implant. (See also Auditory Brainstem Response Testing.)

An objective measure that can be useful in establishing a most comfortable level in children with cochlear implants who are unable to provide feedback to the audiologist about the loudness of sound. A small probe is placed in the opposite ear. The stimulation level of the implant is increased until a small muscle reflex is seen in the opposite ear. This muscle reflex is present in most people and occurs at a level that is loud, but still comfortable.

In cochlear implants, the implanted part has a long, flexible portion that is inserted into the cochlea though a small opening. This portion of the implant is called the electrode array.

A battery of tests that evaluate the interaction between the balance parts of your inner ear and your eye muscles.

The inner of the two fluids in the inner ear. The outer fluid is called perilymph.

The accumulation of excessive amounts of endolymph (an inner-ear fluid) caused either by over-production or under-resorption. This is a synonym for or variation of Meniere’s disease.

See ElectroNystagmoGraphy.

Ears, Nose and Throat doctor. (See Otolaryngologist.)

See Evoked Response Audiometry.

See Electrical Stapedius Reflex Test.

The cause of a problem, disease, pathology, etc.

(yoo-STAY-shun) The small tube connecting the back of the throat to the middle ear that allows air into the middle ear and allows naturally-occurring fluid to drain from the middle ear. During yawning and swallowing it temporarily opens to supply air to the middle ear and to equalize the pressure in the middle ear to that of the outside atmospheric air pressure.

Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome. (See Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome.)

A hearing test which uses an EEG (electroencephalograph) and computer analysis to directly record the brain’s response to sound. Useful in helping to determine a child’s hearing level when the child is too young to cooperate with the audiologist. (See also Auditory Brainstem Response Testing.)

Speaking (talking). This usually includes vocabulary and sentences.