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A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, components, technologies, procedures, and devices related to hearing aids and implantable auditory systems presented in Chapter 14.
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Hearing Aid (HA)
An electronic device that collects, amplifies, and delivers sound to help individuals with hearing loss communicate more effectively.
Microphone (HA Component)
Input component that converts acoustic sound waves into an electrical signal inside a hearing aid.
Amplifier (HA Component)
Circuitry that increases the strength of the electrical signal before it is delivered to the ear.
Receiver (HA Component)
Output transducer that converts the amplified electrical signal back into acoustic energy (sound).
Analog Hearing Aid
Older signal-processing technology that creates an electrical waveform analogous to the incoming sound; limited, largely fixed frequency response adjusted with manual controls.
Digital Hearing Aid
Device that converts sound into binary digits, allowing precise computer programming, multiple memories, noise reduction, and high-speed signal manipulation.
Acoustic Gain
The increase in sound level (in dB) provided by a hearing aid; calculated as output level minus input level.
Frequency Response
The specific range of frequencies a hearing aid can amplify, limited mainly by the microphone, receiver, and earmold design.
Feedback (Hearing Aid)
Whistling or squealing sound that occurs when amplified output leaks back into the microphone and is re-amplified.
Directionality
Microphone feature that reduces sounds from certain directions to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for the listener.
Compression (Output Limiting)
Automatic gain-reduction circuitry that prevents loud sounds from exceeding the patient’s dynamic range or discomfort level.
High-Frequency Average (HFA)
Average acoustic gain measured at 1000, 1600, and 2500 Hz used in hearing-aid specification.
Directional Microphone
Microphone system designed to suppress sounds from specific directions, improving speech understanding in noise.
Telecoil (Audiocoil)
Electromagnetic coil that picks up magnetic fields from telephones or loop systems, bypassing the microphone for clearer input.
Bluetooth Connectivity
Wireless protocol that links hearing aids to phones, computers, and accessories for audio streaming and remote control.
Output Sound-Pressure Level (OSPL)
Maximum sound level a hearing aid can produce regardless of input; also called saturation SPL or maximum power output (MPO).
Distortion (General)
Any alteration between input and output signals that degrades sound quality in a hearing aid.
Frequency Distortion
Change in the spectral content of a signal after amplification compared with the original sound.
Amplitude Distortion
Unequal changes in the amplitudes of different parts of the signal during amplification.
Harmonic Distortion
Percentage of unwanted harmonics generated by the hearing aid relative to the input signal.
Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid
Device that sits behind the pinna and delivers sound through tubing and an earmold; appropriate for mild-to-profound losses and common in children.
Receiver-in-the-Canal (RIC) Hearing Aid
Miniature BTE where the receiver sits in the ear canal attached by a wire; suitable for mild-to-moderate loss and now the most widely fit style.
In-the-Ear (ITE) Hearing Aid
Custom device filling the concha and ear canal with circuitry in the shell; fits mild-to-severe losses.
In-the-Canal (ITC) Hearing Aid
Smaller custom instrument that sits mainly in the ear canal; power is limited by size but can fit mild-to-severe loss with feedback suppression.
Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) Hearing Aid
Device recessed deep in the canal; cosmetically appealing for mild-to-moderate loss but has tiny batteries and fewer connectivity options.
Invisible-in-the-Canal (IIC) Hearing Aid
Smallest custom style that fits very deep in the canal, offering similar pros and cons as CIC devices.
Light-Driven Hearing Aid
Non-acoustic RIC-style device that converts processed sound into pulses of light that vibrate a tympanic-membrane transducer; provides high gain before feedback for mild-to-moderate loss.
Earmold
Custom or stock coupling inserted in the ear that channels sound from a BTE; tubing and venting affect acoustic characteristics.
Bilateral/Binaural Amplification
Use of two hearing aids for symmetrical loss, restoring more natural hearing, better localization, and improved speech-in-noise performance.
Binaural Summation
Perceptual loudness and clarity enhancement achieved when both ears receive the same auditory signal.
Auditory Deprivation
Potential reduction in word-recognition ability that can occur in an unaided ear when only the opposite ear is amplified.
CROS Hearing Aid
Contralateral Routing of Off-Side Signal system that transmits sound from an unaidable ear to a normal-hearing ear.
BiCROS Hearing Aid
Similar to CROS but the better ear also has hearing loss and receives both routed and amplified local sound.
Bone-Conduction Hearing Aid
External device that vibrates the mastoid to bypass outer/middle ear pathologies; useful for conductive losses or canal anomalies.
Electroacoustic Analysis
Test-box procedure measuring hearing-aid output characteristics (gain, OSPL, distortion, frequency response) against standards.
Real Ear Measures
Probe-microphone measurements of amplification within a patient’s ear canal to verify audibility and safe output levels.
Probe Microphone Measurement
Assessment using a slender tube placed near the eardrum to record in-situ hearing-aid performance.
Sound-Field Speech-Recognition Test
Evaluation of aided speech understanding using loudspeakers in a booth to assess real-world benefit.
Validation (Hearing Aid)
Process of confirming the patient’s perceived benefit, typically with questionnaires and self-report scales.
Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS)
Parent-report tool assessing how a child with profound loss uses amplification or a cochlear implant in daily life.
Early Speech Perception (ESP) Test
Assessment of speech perception abilities in children as young as three with profound deafness, used to gauge aid or implant benefit.
Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT)
Open-set word-recognition test of common vocabulary used to measure pediatric cochlear-implant or hearing-aid outcomes.
Carhart’s Goals for HA Selection
Four objectives: restore audibility of faint sounds, clarity in quiet and noise, and avoid over-amplification of intense sounds.
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid
FDA-regulated device sold directly to adults with perceived mild-to-moderate loss without a professional fitting.
Cochlear Implant
Surgically implanted device that electrically stimulates the auditory nerve via an electrode array in the cochlea, bypassing damaged hair cells.
Implantable Bone-Conduction Device
Titanium fixture in the mastoid coupled to an external processor that sends vibrations through bone directly to the inner ear.
Middle-Ear Implant
Partly implanted system that mechanically drives the ossicles, eliminating occlusion and acoustic feedback for adults 18+ years.
Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI)
Device that bypasses the cochlea and cochlear nerve to stimulate the cochlear nuclei, used for patients lacking an auditory nerve.
Mapping (CI Programming)
Regular adjustment of a cochlear implant’s speech processor settings by an audiologist to optimize sound perception.
Hearing Assistance Technology (HAT)
Broad category of devices (also called ALDs) that augment or replace hearing-aid benefit, such as TV streamers, alerting devices, or phone amplifiers.
Assistive Listening Device (ALD)
Portable system—often infrared, FM/DM, or Bluetooth—that improves the listener’s access to desired sound sources.
Remote Sound Transmission
Technique of sending a speaker’s voice directly to the listener’s hearing system via FM, infrared, or induction loop to overcome distance and noise.
Personal FM/DM System
Teacher-worn microphone transmits a radio or digital signal directly to a student’s hearing aids or receiver, enhancing classroom SNR.
Classroom Audio Distribution (CAD)
Soundfield system that sends the teacher’s microphone signal to loudspeakers placed around the classroom for group benefit.
Electromagnetic Loop System
Wire loop installed around a room that transmits audio via magnetic field; picked up by telecoils in hearing aids, nearly eliminating background noise.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)
Comparison of desired signal level to background noise level; higher SNR improves speech intelligibility for hearing-aid users.
Dynamic Range (Hearing)
Span in dB between a person’s thresholds of audibility and loudness discomfort; guides appropriate amplification targets.