1. Sound in the Ear Presentation
How the Ear works, Hearing Loss & Amplification
By Rachel Elert, TC/HI, IISD

2. Nice to Meet You! My name is Rachel Elert.
I am a Teacher Consultant for the Hearing Impaired with Ingham ISD
All my students have hearing loss
I teach teachers, students & parents

3. Hearing One of the 5 Senses Fully developed at birth
How we learn language
Critical to the attachment of meaning to the world around us

4. The Ear Outer ear Middle ear Inner ear Acoustic nerve
Brain' s auditory processing centers
The outer ear consists of the auricle (pinna) and the external auditory canal. The middle ear consists of the tympanic membrane (eardrum), the ossicles (malleus, incus and stapes), and the Eustachian tube. The inner ear consists of the cochlea, the vestibular system, and the auditory nerve. The auricle collects sound waves which are funneled by the external auditory canal to the tympanic membrane. The sound waves hit the tympanic membrane and set the ossicles into vibration. This vibration moves the footplate of the stapes in and out of the cochlea's oval window. The fluid inside of the cochlea is set into motion generating nerve impulses. These nerve impulses are then transmitted by the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are heard as sound.

5. How Sound travels through the EAR
Something vibrates and creates a sound wave.
The sound wave travels to the ear and is collect by the outer ear.
The sound wave then moves into the ear canal.
When it reaches the end of the ear canal, the sound waves bump up against the eardrum.
The ear drum vibrates with these sound waves.
The vibration moves tiny bones in the middle ear.
These bones carry vibrations into the inner ear to a fluid-filled tube called the cochlea.
The fluid inside the cochlea vibrates a series of tiny hairs called cilia, which are attached to auditory nerves.
The movement of these cilia stimulates the nerve cells, and they send signals to the brain via the auditory nerve.
The brain processes these signals into the sounds we hear

6. Testing Hearing

7. Testing Hearing

8. AUDIOGRAM OF FAMILIAR SOUNDS FREQUENCY IN CYCLES PER SECOND (HZ)
125
250
500
1000
2000
4000
8000 10 20 z v
f th s p h g ch sh 30 j
mdb n ng
e i 40 l r o a 50 u
HEARING LEVEL (dB HL) 60 70 80 90
100
110
120
AUDIOGRAM OF FAMILIAR SOUNDS
FREQUENCY IN CYCLES PER SECOND (HZ)

9. FREQUENCY IN CYCLES PER SECOND (HZ)
125
250
500
1000
2000
4000
8000
LOW PITCH
HIGH PITCH
FREQUENCY IN CYCLES PER SECOND (HZ)

10. SOFT 10 20 30 40 50
HEARING LEVEL (dB HL) 60 70 80 90
100
LOUD
110
120

12. Unfair Spelling Test Number your paper from 1 – 5
Unfair Hearing Test (High Frequency)
Hearing Loss Examples
Normal - Severe

13. Ways to correct hearing loss
Personal:
Hearing Aids
Cochlear Implants
In the classroom:
Amplification where the teacher wears a microphone
Sound goes directly into the student’s ear
Sound is amplified in speakers in the classroom

14. Different types of Hearing Aides

15. Hearing Aids a microphone to pick up sound
amplifier circuitry to make the sound louder
a receiver (miniature loudspeaker) to deliver the amplified sound into the ear
batteries to power the electronic parts

16. Different Types of Cochlear Implants

17. Cochlear Implants EXTERNAL PARTS:
a battery operated external speech processor that converts sound waves into digital signals
a magnetically attached connector that transmits the signals to the implant
INTERNAL PARTS:
an internal implant surgically placed under the skin on the skull and linked by a wire array to the hearing nerve

18. Parts of cochlear implants
Microphone 4. Receiving Coil
Processor 5. Electrode Array
Transmitting Coil

20. Classroom Amplification
Direct FM bypasses all classroom / environmental noise and puts the teacher’s voice IN the student’s ear

21. Tips for Communicating with D/HH
DO:
Get their attention first by placing hand on shoulder
Look at them when you are talking
Write down miscommunications
DON’T:
Repeatedly tap their shoulder
Shout or speak exaggeratedly
Have them repeat themselves more then 2x

22. Remember: There is Nothing wrong with their BRAINS – only their EARS don’t work!