Hearing and communication

Hearing is a fundamental part of our communication, since without correct hearing, the interpretation of the sounds of our environment becomes impossible, as well as communication with our fellow human beings.

Communication as a process through which ideas, emotions and thoughts are exchanged, requires an ear that allows for the proper reception and interpretation of sounds.

Maintaining a healthy ear and a correct hearing is a necessary condition to hear the sounds of our environment, that is why we say that hearing and hearing are a fundamental part of ensuring our survival as individuals.

Hearing in language development

During the first stages of life and in which language develops, the good condition of the auditory system is a fundamental condition. Language is part of the development of our socialization and humanization.

The ability to communicate verbally develops from the first months of life through adolescence.

The ability to communicate verbally develops from the first months of life through adolescence.It is during the first years of life when the greatest learning speed takes place and the basic tools for its mastery are acquired.

For this reason, if there are hearing problems during this stage of life, it is of vital importance that we can detect and remedy them in order to not hinder the correct development of language and communication in the child.

Parts of the Ear

The ear is divided into three parts: outer ear, middle ear and inner ear.

The ear is divided into three parts: outer ear, middle ear and inner ear.

How do we hear?

From the external ear we receive the sound wave "the sound" which in turn is channeled to the tympanic membrane. When the sound reaches the tympanic membrane it causes a vibration, this movement is transmitted to the chain of ossicles and in turn to the cochlea, generating movements in its structures that stimulate the sensory hair cells that send impulses through the auditory nerve, finally transmitting the sound to the brain where the signal is decoded and meaning is given to the sound.

We will now explain the functioning of the ear in each of its stages, from the moment a sound reaches the external part until a bio-electrical signal reaches the brain, which allows us to hear it.

External ear: The sound waves reach the pinna, where they are picked up and conducted to the external auditory canal, up to the eardrum.
Middle ear: The eardrum is a membrane, which vibrates due to the acoustic waves and also moves the chain of articulated ossicles (also called ossicular chain). When this chain of ossicles moves, the stapes, which is the last ossicle, communicates the movement to the cochlea or the cochlea. At this stage, acoustic energy is transformed by vibrating the eardrum, and then into mechanical energy when the ossicles move.
Inner ear: The cochlea, or cochlea, is filled with fluid. When the stapes is pushed, the liquid moves. As the fluid moves, the mechanical energy of the moving ossicles is converted into hydraulic energy.
The organ of Corti: Contains the hair cells, which are stimulated by vibrating their cilia with the movements of the inner ear fluid. At this stage, the hydraulic energy of the fluid is transformed into bio-electrical energy, which is transmitted by the auditory nerve to the central nervous system, where it is processed.

Our hearing requires specific care and attention

Why do we need two ears?

Having 2 healthy ears allows us to have a better perception in the localization of the sounds that surround us, besides allowing us to have a better intelligibility in noisy environments and therefore, to maintain a good sound perception.

We need two microphones independent of each other, OUR TWO EARS

The auditory center of the brain needs two "microphones" that are independent of each other: our two ears. This is precisely why if only one of our ears is working, it is much more difficult for us to understand speech in a noisy environment or to localize sounds.

In the past, sound carriers were recorded with only one microphone, which made the music and voice sound flat and unnatural. This technique was replaced a long time ago by stereo recording, in which sounds are recorded with two microphones and sound alive and natural.

We need to maintain a good level of hearing in both ears to enjoy life to the fullest.

The cases of binaural deafness are in a similar situation, because in humans hearing functions according to the principle of stereophony.

Communication and hearing loss

If we have hearing problems at an early age that hinder the development of language and cause difficulties for proper communication, it may be the case that in adult stages of the individual will develop a hearing impairment that hinders communication.

An individual who does not correctly capture the sound in all its richness of frequencies and intensities will not be able to correctly process the sound and therefore, will not be able to understand speech correctly.

This is a serious problem because not only do we lose the ability to have good communication, but we will also develop a degenerative process at a cognitive level.

Hearing is a fundamental element in communication.

As we can see, both in stages of growth and development of the individual and in stages of maturity, the danger of developing problems to have a good communication is closely associated with our hearing.

For this reason, when we observe signs of hearing impairment or lack of speech development, we should get in the hands of health professionals for an evaluation and diagnosis of our hearing, in order to avoid the isolation caused by hearing loss.

You should always seek the help of a hearing care professional.

For this purpose, we have ENT specialists who will be in charge of the diagnostic evaluation, speech therapists who will work on language development or language rehabilitation, and audiologists who will adapt and adjust the hearing aids for proper hearing.

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