a term adopted in deaf pedagogy to denote a partial impairment of the auditory function, in contrast to deafness – complete loss of hearing; Hearing-impaired children are sometimes called hearing impaired children. Hearing loss is recognized by measuring hearing thresholds at different frequencies (tone audiometry) and determining the percentage of speech intelligibility (speech audiometry). A distinction is made between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
1) Conductive hearing loss is caused by impaired mobility of the eardrum and the chain of auditory ossicles as a result of acute or chronic otitis, otosclerosis, impaired function of the auditory tube in adenoids, etc.
2) Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the sensitive nerve cells of the inner ear, the auditory nerve and the higher formations of the auditory analyzer, which occurs as a complication of infectious diseases, as well as when using aminoglycoside antibiotics and some diuretics; Also, the causes can be hereditary pathology, exposure to domestic, industrial and transport noises, vibration, vascular disorders, intoxication, age-related atrophic changes in the inner ear and the central parts of the auditory analyzer. Of particular importance is the detection of hearing loss in children, since hearing insufficiency not detected in time leads to a delay in the formation of the child’s speech, retardation in intellectual development and, ultimately, to disability, requiring subsequent long-term rehabilitation. If the fact of hearing deficiency and the degree of its severity are established in a timely manner, the child is transferred to the supervision of a speech pathologist and appropriate hearing development classes are conducted with him.