Other Types of Hearing Loss

Mixed Hearing Loss

The third hearing type is a mixed hearing loss and this occurs when you have both conductive and sensorineural losses in the same ear.  The hearing aids to help this type of loss require a superior technology than that used for pure conductive hearing loss.  

Central Hearing Loss

A central hearing loss is when there is a malfunction of the brain or neural pathways to the brain.  Ordinarily,  interpreting speech is a complex task and with central hearing loss the person can hear perfectly well but will have trouble interpreting or understanding what is being said.   One of the conditions of central hearing loss is ”central auditory processing disorder”  which affects a person’s inability to filter out competing auditory signals.  People with central auditory processing disorders have difficulties that include:

• Problems “hearing” when there are several conversations going on
• Inability to read or study with the radio or television on
• Problems reading if someone turns on a vacuum cleaner or air conditioner near them
• Generally missing the first sentence from people talking to them if they are involved in an auditory attention task (such as watching television)

These difficulties may lead the suffering or family and friends into believing that they have a hearing loss but infact the ear is functioning normally and a hearing test result will be normal.   People with this condition may also develop hearing loss from other causes and this can make it even more difficult for them to function under everyday circumstances.

There is no specific treatment for central auditory processing disorders other than educating the person, family and friends to control the listening environment.    Using hearing devices can help by cleaning up the sound and reducing noise signals and thus focusing attention on the main sound source.   For example, a child with central auditory processing disorder in a classroom will need to sit in a good position near to the teacher and be given more time for instructions and explanations.  It is not a reflection of child’s intelligence, however, the slower processing speed can have a significant effect on their success at school.