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@debbysabrina

My granddaughter who is two months old failed her hearing test twice in the right ear. She went to an audiologist who said she has mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Does anyone know about this and can you please explain it to me?

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Replies to "My granddaughter who is two months old failed her hearing test twice in the right ear...."

@debbysabrina I'm surprised no one responded to you yet unless they did it on another topic page.
Sensorineural hearing loss means a loss of the hearing hair cells in the cochlea (inner ear). I believe we start with 15,000 hair cells in each ear when born in a normal ear. These cells send the vibrations that come from the middle ear to the brain. As we lose those cells, we typically start having problems understanding words clearly, especially in noisy settings. Mild to moderate isn't too serious yet and can be very successfully assisted with hearing aids and assistive listening devices like microphones. Technology is amazing nowadays and continues to improve. However, know that there is no cure (yet) for sensorineural hearing loss.
The problem with sensorineural loss is that it typically gets progressively worse and you continue losing hair cells over time. The key at such a young age is to find a good audiologist who understands childhood hearing loss. Where I live (Phila.) most people take their children to one of the large children's hospitals where there is a lot of research being done. But is needs to be treated immediately with hearing aids so that the child's learning growth is not affected. Students can have their hearing aids connected to an FM System thru Bluetooth that the teacher wears around their neck so that the teacher's voice goes directly into the child's aids. So they can perform just like any other student if they start wearing the aids now as a child. My Chapter of the Hearing Loss of America gives out a scholarship to a graduating senior every year and I am amazed at how well these students have adapted to their hearing loss through the use of aids and technology.
Good luck with it and don't hesitate to come back to this forum if you have more questions,
Mike