Auditory Neuropathy in Children

Auditory neuropathy is a disorder where sounds enter the ear in a normal way but become impaired when being transmitted from the inner ear to the brain. Hearing impairment can range from mild to severe and may cause some sounds to be less audible than others.

Causes

• According to a study by the University of California, Irvine, auditory neuropathy is caused by a lesion on the eighth cranial nerve. Sound normally travels from the inner ear along the eighth nerve and to the brain stem.

Who Does it Affect?

• Auditory neuropathy affects people of all ages, from infancy to adulthood. A relatively small percentage of people who are deaf or hearing impaired are affected by this disorder.

How It Affects Children

• Children born with audio neuropathy may or may not show improvement in their hearing over time. If they do not show improvement or their hearing worsens, they may have to learn sign language as their first language and/or wear a hearing device.

Does Hearing Ever Improve?

• Some infants diagnosed early on with audio neuropathy gain hearing ability so that they can hear and speak within a year. Some infants progressively worsen, and some stay the same.

Treatment and Approaches

• Methods of treatment and education for children with auditory neuropathy are still debated, but most hearing professionals agree that parents should work with a team of professionals so that they can determine the best approach that will benefit the child, the parents and the child's caregivers.