Glossary ( M to Z )

Terms A through L
MAP	The “listening program” stored in the memory of the cochlear implant processor.
Middle Ear	The middle section of the ear that contains three tiny bones, through which sound is conducted from the eardrum to the inner ear. This is where ear infections are usually located.
Mild Hearing Loss	A child is unable to detect sounds until they are in the loudness range of 26 dB to 40 dB.
Moderate Hearing Loss	A child is unable to detect sounds until they are in the loudness range of 41 dB to 55 dB.
Moderately Severe Hearing Loss	A child is unable to detect sounds until they are in the loudness range of 56 dB to 70 dB.
Otitis Media	An infection in the middle ear which can result in a temporary slight-to-moderate hearing loss. Fluid build-up without a current infection may also cause a temporary hearing loss. Children who already have a permanent sensorineural hearing loss need the advantage of every bit of hearing available to them. For this reason, parents of deaf and hard of hearing children who suffer from chronic ear infections should seek help from a specialist (otologist).
Otoacoustic Emissions	A sensitive microphone is placed in the child’s ear while the audiologist presents several “clicks” or “tones.” If the child’s cochlea is normal, an echo of the clicks or tones comes back and is recorded. The absence of an echo may indicate a hearing loss, and the child then receives further hearing tests.
Outer Ear	The visible part of the ear that we can see, as well as the ear canal, which channels sound from outside through to the eardrum.
Profound Hearing Loss	Child is unable to detect sounds until they are 90 dB or louder.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss	Something is wrong with the inner ear (for instance nerve endings in cochlea are damaged). This is a permanent type of hearing loss.
Severe Hearing Loss	Child is unable to detect sounds until they are in the loudness range of 71 dB to 90 dB.
Single-Sided Deafness (SSD)	The term given to unilateral sensorineural deafness.
Slight Hearing Loss	A child is unable to detect sounds until they are in the loudness level of 15 to 25 dB.
Sloping Hearing Loss	A child’s hearing loss is not the same across all frequencies (pitch). In most cases, a child with a sloping hearing loss has better hearing in the lower frequencies than in the higher frequencies. On such a child’s audiogram (graph), you would see a sloping downward line that connects the symbols ( X, O or > and < ) which mark the loudness of sounds heard at different pitches.
Sound Field	Sound is presented through loud speakers. Testing in sound field tells us what the child can hear with his better ear.
Speech Awareness Threshold	The quietest level at which the child detects speech 50% of the time. This is tested by the audiologist.
Speech Banana	Shows the loudness level of speech sounds on an audiogram.
Speech Discrimination Test	Shows how well a child hears the different vowel and consonant sounds in words. This is most often used with a child who has developed speech and oral language.
Speech Reception Threshold Test	Shows how loud speech must be before a child can understand words spoken by the audiologist. The audiologist may ask the child to point to familiar toys or pictures of objects. For example, “Show me the airplane.”
Threshold Level (T level)	The minimum level of electrical stimulation required at each electrode along the cochlear implant electrode array for a child to first hear a sound.
Tympanogram	The results of tympanometry testing (mobility of the eardrum) are recorded on a graph or chart. A graph with a flat line indicates middle ear problems such as presence of fluid (no mobility). A graph with a curve like a mountain indicates normal mobility.
Tympanometry Testing	A small probe is placed in your child’s ear while the movement of the eardrum is measured. This test shows if there is a problem in the middle ear, such as middle ear fluid which may accompany or follow an ear infection.
Unilateral Hearing Loss	Person has a hearing loss in only one ear.
Visual Reinforced Audiometry (VRA)	A toy that lights up and moves (for instance, a toy monkey that claps his hands) as soon as a child indicates in some way that he is aware of a sound (such as a tone) that has been presented. The child learns that when he responds to sound, he is then rewarded or reinforced with the moving toy.