Deafness classification

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Saumya Easaw, M.B.B.S.[2]

Classification

These categories may be overlapping. Deafness or hearing impairment may be:

Unilateral – loss of hearing in one ear only
Pre-lingual – deafness at birth or deafness acquired before language is learned
Peri-lingual deafness|Peri-lingual – deafness acquired while in the midst of learning a first language
Post-lingual – acquired after a language has been learned
Partial loss of hearing|Partial – limited hearing loss
Progressive hearing loss|Progressive – hearing loss which increases over time
Profound – complete or near-complete inability to hear
Tone deaf – inability to distinguish between relative pitch (in music)
Tinnitus – hearing damage characterized by a high pitched ringing in the ears which drowns out other sounds

Age of onset is also a significant factor.

References

Classification