 |
| The following words
and their meanings are taken from: |
| -
Http://www.oraldeafed.org/library/glossary.html |
-
L. Mendel, J. Danhauer & S. Singh (1999). Dictionary
of Audiology. Singular Publication,-.
|
| |
| Glossary |
| |
| ACOUSTICS:
Having to do with sound, the sense of hearing, or the
science of sound. As used in this web site, the term refers
to the qualities of an auditorium, classroom, or other
space that determine how well sounds can be heard. |
| |
| ACOUSTIC
GAIN: The difference
in dB between the intensity of the input signal to a
hearing aid and the intensity of the output signal. |
| |
| ACOUSTIC
ROOM TREATMENT:
The use of sound-absorbing materials (such as carpets
and acoustical tile) to reduce room noise and improve
the usefulness of hearing aids and other listening devices.
|
| |
| ADVENTITIOUS DEAFNESS: A
hearing loss that occurs any time after birth due to injury
or disease. |
| |
| ACQUIRED HEARING LOSS:
Hearing loss which is not present at birth. Sometimes
referred to as adventitious loss. |
| |
| AIR CONDUCTION:
An evaluative measure performed during diagnostic audiologic
testing whereby sound is delivered via earphones through
the ear canal, the ear drum, and middle ear to the inner
ear to assess hearing sensitivity. |
| |
| AMPLIFICATION:
The use of hearing aids and other electronic devices to
increase the loudness of sound so that it may be more
easily received and understood. |
| |
| ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES:
A group of systems including personal hearing aids, FM
systems and infrared systems that through special input
enhance listening situations and auditory awareness for
use of the telephone, television, amplified alarms and
signals. |
| |
| ATRESIA (medical term):
Closure of the ear canal and/or absence of an ear opening. |
| |
| AUDIO LOOPS / INDUCTION
LOOPS: Assistive
listening device which enhances the use of hearing
aids in schools, theaters, religious
places, and public buildings and auditoriums. |
| |
| AUDIOGRAM:
A graph on which a person's ability to hear different
pitches (frequencies) at different volumes (intensities)
of sound is recorded. |
| |
| AUDIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT:
A series of tests performed to identify pure-tone thresholds,
impedance, speech recognition, and speech discrimination,
which show the type and degree of hearing loss and status
of outer, middle and inner ear function. |
| |
| AUDIOLOGIC
EVALUATION: Tests
conducted by an audiologist to determine whether a hearing
loss is present, what tones (pitches) are affected, how
severe the hearing loss is, and the type of hearing loss.
The evaluation also includes recommendations as to the
hearing loss management, including selection of an appropriate
amplification. |
| |
| AUDIOLOGIST:
A licenced professional with a degree in the science
of hearing (Audiology) who conducts hearing tests,
evaluates
hearing loss, and fits amplification devices. The audiologist
is an important source for information on hearing
aids,
cochlear implants and other interventions. |
| |
| AUDIOMETRY,
PLAY: This involves active cooperation
of the child as an auditory stimulus is paired with an
operant task, such a dropping a block into the bucket. |
| |
| AUDIOMETRY,
VISUAL REINFORCEMENT: A paediatric behavioral
audiometry procedure that reinforces localization responses
to acoustic signals with a visual event (E.g. Toy playing
an instrument). |
| |
| AUDITORY/ORAL EDUCATION:
An approach based on the principle that most hearing impaired
children can be taught to listen and speak with early
intervention and consistent training to develop their
hearing potential. The focus of this educational approach
is to use the auditory channel (or hearing) to acquire
speech and oral language. The goal is for these children
to grow up to become independent, participating citizens
in mainstream society. |
| |
| AUDITORY TRAINER:
An assistive auditory device or FM System similar to a
radio transmitter with a wireless microphone. The teacher
or parent wears the microphone transmitter while the child
wears the receiver which is set to amplify sound. The
benefit is that the background room noise is not amplified,
and the teacher/parent's voice has direct access to the
child from any location, even another room. |
| |
| AUDITORY
TRAINING: Auditory training or Auditory learning is a
process to
train a
hearing impaired person to make use
of his residual hearing in the recognition,identification
and interpretation of sound. |
| |
| AURAL HABILITATION: Intervention
for persons who have not developed listening, speech
and language skills ,may
include diagnosis ,speech perception training ,speech
and language therapy and educational management .See
also Aural rehabilitation. |
| |
| AURAL REHABILITATION: Intervention
aimed at minimizing and alleviating the communication
difficulties associated
with hearing loss, may include diagnosis of hearing loss
and communication handicap, amplification, counselling,
communication strategies training, speech perception
traning, speech
and language therapy and educational
management. See also aural habilitation. |
| |
| BACKGROUND / AMBIENT NOISE:
Environmental noise that competes with the main speech
signal. |
| |
| BILATERAL HEARING LOSS:
A mild to profound loss of hearing in both ears. |
| |
| BINAURAL
HEARING: The use of both ears
simulataneously producing binaural advantages such
as improved localization and speech perception in noise. |
| |
| BINAURAL HEARING AIDS:
Hearing aids worn in both ears. |
| |
| BONE CONDUCTION:
An evaluative measure performed during diagnostic audiologic
testing where sound is delivered via a bone ossilater.
This technique helps determine whether the hearing loss
is conductive or sensorineural. |
| |
| CIC: Completely-In-The-Canal hearing aid which fits
deeply in the ear canal. |
| |
| COCHLEAR IMPLANT:
An electronic device surgically implanted to stimulate
nerve endings in the inner ear (cochlea) in order to receive
and process sound and speech. |
| |
| CONDITIONED
ORIENTATION REFLEX (COR): The audiologist teaches
the young child to look toward a toy that lights up or
moves when the child looks toward it in response to a
sound. |
| |
| CONDUCTlVE
HEARING LOSS: Impairment of hearing due to the
failure of sound waves to reach the inner ear through
the normal air conduction channels of the outer and middle
ear. In children, conductive loss is often medically correctable.
|
| |
| CONGENITAL
HEARING LOSS: Hearing loss present at birth or
associated with the birth process, or which develops
in the first few days of life. |
| |
| CUED
SPEECH: A visual representation of the phonemes
of spoken language, which uses eight hand shapes
in four
different locations in combination with the natural mouth
movements of speech, to distinguish all the sounds
of
spoken language . It is offered by trained cued speech
therapists. |
| |
| DAI: Direct Audio Input,
a circuit in some hearing aids that directly connects
them to some assistive listening devices like FM. |
| |
| DEAF: A
individual who is unable to use hearing as a primary
channel for receiving
speech, even with amplification. |
| |
| DECIBEL
(dB): The unit of measurement for the loudness
or volume (intensity) of sound. The higher the dB, the
louder the sound. |
| |
EAR:
The ear has three main parts:
· Outer ear:
The auricle or pinna (the part of the ear on the outside
of the head) and the ear canal.
· Middle ear:
Located between the outer ear and the inner ear, separated
from the ear canal by the eardrum. The middle ear contains
three tiny bones (the ossicles). The ossicles sound vibrations
from the eardrum to the fluid of the inner ear.
·
Inner ear: The innermost part of the ear. It is composed
of the hearing organ (the cochlea), the balance mechanism
(the semicircular canal), and the auditory nerve. Vibration
transmitted into the inner ear by the ossicles in the
middle ear causes waves in the inner ear fluid, which
stimulates the hair cells and the hearing nerve, causing
electric signals to be transmitted to the brain, and interpreted
as sound.
Other parts of the ear:
· Auditory (or acoustic)
nerve: Located in the inner ear, leading to the brain.
· Cochlea: The snail-like organ of hearing
located in the inner ear.
· Eardrum: The tympanic
membrane which separates the outer from the middle ear.
|
| |
| EAR
MOULD: A custom-made plastic or vinyl piece
which fits into the outer ear to interface with a
hearing aid.
|
| |
| EDUCATIONAL
AUDIOLOGY: Subspeciality
of audiology for audiologists who are responsible for
the diagnosis and management of children who have
hearing loss. |
| |
| EVOKED
RESPONSE AUDIOMETRY (ERA): A hearing test which
uses an EEG (electroencephalograph) and a 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.
|
| |
| EXTEND
EAR: An FM auditory trainer without a body unit
or cords. It can also function as a personal hearing aid.
|
| |
| FLUCTUATING
HEARING LOSS: A hearing loss
that varies in magnitude over time. |
| |
| FM
SYSTEM: A wireless assistive listening device that
transmits the speaker's voice to an electronic receiver
in which the sound is amplified and transmitted to the
hearing impaired person's ears via small earphones on
his or her personal hearing aids or connected to his or
her cochlear implant. The device reduces the problem of
background noise interference and the problem of distance
from the speaker. |
| |
FREQUENCY:
The number of vibrations per second of a sound.
Frequency, expressed in Hertz (Hz), determines the pitch
of sound.
|
| |
| GLUE
EAR: Also called as
serous otitis media with effusion.The middle ear fluid
here is very thick and viscous with the consistency of
glue. |
| |
| GROMMET: A
ventilation tube is inserted in the eardrum of individuals
suffering from otitis media. This tube helps to ventilate
and equalise pressure within the middle ear and the outer
auditory canal. |
| |
| HARD
OF HEARING (HOH):
Hearing poorer than the level of a person with normal
hearing,
but hearing better than person who is deaf. |
| |
| HEARING
AID: An electronic device that conducts and amplifies
sound to the ear. |
| |
| HEARING
AID ANALYSER: A
device that determines the electroacoustic measurements
of the hearing aid. |
| |
| HEARING
AID ORIENTATION: It’s
a process of instructing a patient and patients’ family
members to handle, use and maintain a new hearing aid.
The process also involves providing hearing aid options
and
selecting appropriate hearing aids. |
| |
| HEARING
IMPAIRED: Refers to persons with
any degree of hearing loss, from mild to profound.This
term is losing acceptance by hearing impaired persons
because of the term impaired which connotes negative
meaning, because the label focusses on what they are
unable to do. |
| |
HEARING
LOSS: Hearing loss was originally defined in medical
terms before the development of modern audiology. Today,
professionals tend to use the consistent, research-based
terminology of audiology. The following numerical values
are based on the average of the hearing loss at three
frequencies: 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz, in the better
ear without amplification. The numerical values for the
seven categories vary among professionals.
. Normal (-10dB
to 15dB)
. Slight/Minimal (16dB - 25dB)
. Mild (26dB - 40dB)
. Moderate (41dB - 55dB)
. Moderately severe (56dB - 70dB)
. Severe (71dB - 90dB)
. and above profound (> 91dB)
* this scale of hearing impairment is adapted from
the Handbook of Clinical Audiology 3rd edition (1985),
edited by Jack Katz. |
| |
| HEARING
LOSS, SENSORI-NEURAL (SNHL): SNHL is a type
of hearing loss which stems from lesion in the cochlea
and in
adjacent parts of the auditory
nerve. |
| |
| HEARING
LOSS, SYMMETRIC: A hearing loss that is essentially the same in both the
ears. |
| |
| HEARING
SCREENING: Simple testing of the ability to hear
selected frequencies at intensities within normal hearing
limits. Screenings are used to identify individuals with
significant hearing loss and to refer them for further
testing. |
| |
| HEARING
THRESHOLD LEVEL: The
faintest intensity level (in dB hearing level) that
a person
can hear for a sound of a particular test frequency. |
| |
| HERTZ
(Hz): This is the generally used term for measuring
pitch, expressing the vibrations or cycles per second.
Most speech sounds fall within the so-called "speech
range" of about 300 to 3000 Hz. |
| |
| IMMITTANCE
AUDIOMETRY: This involves
a battery of tests used to assess middle ear function. |
| |
| IMPEDANCE
AUDIOMETRY: Testing to measure the ability of
the middle ear to conduct sound to the inner ear. This
information can be useful to the otologist in determining
whether a middle ear problem exists which requires
medical treatment. |
INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM
(IEP): A team-developed,
written document. The IEP outlines the goals for education
and therapy for a student with disability, and provides
a guideline for achieving them. An IEP for a hearing impaired
child should take into consideration such factors as:
1. Communication needs and the child's and family's preferred
mode of communication
2. Linguistic needs
3. Severity of hearing loss and potential for maximizing
auditory ability
4. Academic level
5. Social and emotional needs, including opportunities
for peer interactions and communication. |
| |
| INFLECTION:
A change in the pitch of the speaking voice to add meaning
or emphasis to a word or phrase. |
| |
| INFORMAL
TESTING: The audiologist presents a variety of
sounds ranging from low pitch to high pitch, and from
soft to loud, out of the child's sight. The child's response
to each sound is noted. |
| |
| INTENSITY:
The loudness of a sound, measured in decibels (dB). |
| |
|
INTONATION: The aspect of speech made up of changes
in pitch and stress in the voice. The voice may go higher
or lower during speech to emphasize certain words or parts
of words more than others. |
| |
| LOCALIZATION: This
involves the determination of the apparent direction
and /or distance
of a sound source. |
| |
|
MAINSTREAMING: The concept that students with disabilities
should be integrated with their non-disabled peers to
the maximum extent possible, when appropriate to the needs
of the student with a disability. |
| |
| MASTOID: This
is the portion of the temporal bone located behind the
external ear,
which is used for bone conduction stimulation. |
| |
| MIDDLE
EAR EFFUSION: The
condition of fluid in the middle ear as a result of eustachian
tube dysfunction. |
| |
| MIXED
HEARING LOSS: A hearing loss with combined sensorineural
and conductive elements. |
| |
| MONOAURAL
AMPLIFICATION: The use of one hearing aid instead
of two. |
| |
| MORPHEME:
A linguistic unit of relatively stable meaning
that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts.
(Source: American Heritage Dictionary) |
| |
|
MYRINGOTOMY (medical term): Surgery which opens
the eardrum to allow drainage of fluid from the middle
ear. |
| |
|
NATURAL LANGUAGE: Language acquired primarily through
the accessible sensory channel(s). |
| |
| NEUROMATURATION: The
process of development and growth of the nervous system
in regard
to processing and understanding language. |
| |
| NYSTAGMUS: Involuntary,
ryhthmic, horizontal movements of the eyeballs, which
results from the stimulation of the vestibular (balance)
system. |
| |
| OMNIDIRECTIONAL
MICROPHONE: Microphone
that is sensitive to sound coming from all directions. |
| |
| OSSICLES:
Three tiny bones (the Malleus, Incus and Stapes) in
the middle ear. |
| |
| OTITIS
MEDIA (medical term): Infection of the middle ear
that usually results in a conductive hearing loss until
the middle ear becomes well ventilated. Children with
recurrent attacks may have fluctuating hearing loss and
be somewhat at risk for acquiring permanent hearing loss.
|
| |
| OTOACOUSTIC
EMISSIONS (OAE): Tiny
sounds created in the inner ear in response to a stimulus.These
are generated by the outer hair cells
in the cochlea and detected with a microphone placed
within the external ear canal. |
| |
| OTOLARYNGOLOGIST:
A medical doctor specializing in problems of the ear,
nose, and throat. Sometimes referred to as an ENT doctor.
Another name for the same specialist is OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGIST.
|
| |
| OTOLOGIST:
A physician who specializes in medical problems
of the ear. |
| |
| OTOMYCOSIS: Infection
of the ear due to fungus in the external auditory canal. |
| |
| OTOSCOPY: Visual
examination of the external ear, earcanal and the tympanic
membrane. |
| |
| PARENT-INFANT
PROGRAM: A program of parent education and infant/toddler
intervention which stresses early exposure to language
and attention to developmental processes that enhance
the learning of language. Some programs include early
exposure to amplification and the use of hearing aids
to stimulate the auditory channel. |
| |
| PITCH: The
perception of the frequency of sound with high pitches
corresponding
to high frequencies and low pitch corresponding to low
frequencies. |
| |
| PLAY
AUDIOMETRY: A hearing test in which the audiologist
teaches the child to respond with some action - a game
response - whenever he hears a sound. He may learn, for
instance, to put a peg in a hole, a ring on a peg, or
a piece in a puzzle every time he hears a sound. The audiologist
uses the audiometer, a piece of equipment that presents
different tones (from low to high pitch, usually within
the speech range) at varying levels of loudness to assess
a child's hearing sensitivity. |
| |
| PORTFOLIO
ASSESSMENT: A collection of a student's work which
demonstrates achievement, efforts, and progress over a
period of time. |
| |
| POSTLINGUAL
DEAFNESS: Hearing loss acquired after first learning
a language. |
| |
| PRAGMATICS:
The appropriateness of language use to the situation,
the speaker, and the audience in regard to logic and validity.
|
| |
| PRELINGUAL
DEAFNESS: Refers to hearing loss which occurs before
the child develops language. |
| |
| PRESBYCUSIS: Decrease
in hearing sensitivity associated with aging |
| |
| RESIDUAL
HEARING: The amount of usable hearing which a hearing
impaired or hard-of-hearing person has. |
| |
| RETROCOCHLEAR
LESION: The
damage to the portion of the auditory system that is
behind or beyond the cochlea. |
| |
| REVERBERATION:
Prolongation of a sound after the sound source has ceased
or an echo within a room, due to sound absorption of walls,
floor and celing. |
| |
| SEMANTICS:
The use in language of meaningful referents, in both word
and sentence structures. |
| |
| SENSORINEURAL
HEARING LOSS: A permanent hearing loss caused
by failure or damage of auditory fibers in the inner ear
(cochlea) and/or damage to the neural system. |
| |
| SIGNAL
TO NOISE RATIO: The difference in the intensities
of the speech signal (such as a teacher's voice) and the
ambient (background) noise. |
| |
| SOUND
TREATED ROOM: An
acoustically treated room where hearing tests should
be performed to obtain accurate results |
| |
| SPEECH
PROCESSOR: Component
of a cochlear implant that transmits the signal across
the skull from the external transmitter to the internal
receiver. |
| |
| SPEECH
READING.
The interpretation of lip and mouth movements, facial
expressions, gestures, elements of sound, structural
characteristics
of language, and topical and contextual clues. Sometimes
referred to as as lipreading. |
| |
| SPEECH
PERCEPTION. The ability to recognize speech stimuli
presented at suprathreshold levels (levels loud enough
to be heard). |
| |
| SPEECH
INTELLIGIBILITY: The ability to be understood when
using speech. |
| |
SPEECH
AND LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT: One or more of the following
communication impairments which adversely affects educational
performance:
· An inability to articulate
words correctly, including omissions, substitutions, or
distortions of sound, beyond the age when they might normally
be expected;
· Voice impairment, including
abnormal rate of speaking, speech interruptions, and repetition
of sounds, words, phrases, or sentences, which interferes
with effective communication;
· One or more
other language impairments, as determined both by informal
use of language and by at least two standardized tests
or subtests which indicate inappropriate language functioning
for the child's age. |
| |
SYNTAX: Grammatical
rules for specifying correct word order and
inflectional structure in a sentence. |
| |
| TEACHER:
Term used broadly to include teachers trained to work
with hearing impaired children, teachers in ordinary (mainstreamed)
classrooms, or a resource teacher who may work with children
who have special needs. |
| |
| TEST–RETEST
RELIABILITY: The ability
of the test to produce the same results when retested
on the same subject. |
| |
| THRESHOLD: The
intensity at which an individual can barely hear a sound
50% of
the time.All sounds louder than threshold can be heard,
but sounds below the threshold cannot be detected. |
| |
| TINNITUS: The
perception of internal noise in the ear. Also called
as ringing
in the ears. |
| |
| TYMPANOGRAM: A
measure of tympanic membrane mobility as a function of
changes
in air pressure within the ear canal. |
| |
| UCL: Uncomfortable level
is an intensity level at which speech or a puretone signal
is perceived as being loud that it causes discomfort. |
| |
| UNILATERAL
HEARING LOSS: A mild to profound loss of hearing
in only one ear. Unilateral loss is now believed to
adversely affect the educational process in a significant
percentage of students who have it. |
| |
| |
| |
