deaf culture terms

acquisition

to learn or get something

ex: a baby's language acquisition happens as they learn ro communicate.

formative

somethings that helps shape how a person grows or learns.

ex: school can be a formative part of a child's life.

decibel (dB)

a way to measure how loud or soft a sound is.

ex: a whisper has fewer decibels than a loud scream.

malformation

when a body part does not form the usual way.

ex: the doctor noticed a malformation in the baby's ear.

presbycusis

hearing loss that usually happens as people get older.

profound

very, very strong or severe.

ex: someone with profound hearing loss may hear very little sound.

prelingually deaf

a person who became deaf before learning spoken language.

ex: she was prelingually deaf, so she learned ASL as her first language.

postlingually deaf

a person who became deaf after learning language.

ex: he became postlingually deaf after already learning to speak.

congenital

something you are born with

ex: she was born with congenital hearing loss.

acquired (deaf)

becoming deaf after you are born.

ex: he acquired deafness after illness.

conductive hearing loss

when sound has trouble getting through the outer or middle ear.

ex: an ear infection can cause conductive hearing loss.

sensorineural hearing loss

when there is a problem with the inner ear or the nerve that sends sound to the brain.

ex: damage to the inner ear can cause sensorineural hearing loss.

syndromic (genes)

when a gene change causes hearing loss AND other health or body differences.

brainstem

the part at the bottom of your brain that connects your brain to your spinal cord and helps control important body functions.

ex: the brainstem helps send messages between the brain and body.

electrical impulses

tiny electrical messages that travel through your nerves.

ex: your ears send electrical impulses to your brain to help you understand sound.

nonsyndromic (genes)

when a gene change causes hearing loss but does not cause other major health problems.

ex: nonsyndromic genetic hearing loss mainly affects hearing.

multimodal

using more than one way to communicate or learn.

ex: a multimodal classroom might use ASL, speech, pictures, and writing.

otolaryngologist (ENT)

a doctor who takes care of the ears, nose, and throat.

ex: the otolaryngologist checked her ears when she had an ear problem.

audiogram

a chart that shows how well someone can hear different sounds.

ex: the audiologist looked at my audiogram to see my hearing level.

audiometry

testing how well someone can hear.

ex: the audiologist used audiometry to test his hearing.

otoscope

a small tool a doctor uses to look inside your ear.

ex: the doctor used an otoscope to look at my eardrum.

audiologist

a person who tests hearing and helps people with hearing problems.

ex: the audiologist tested her hearing and explained her results.