192 why children lose their hearing and what we can do
How the ear works
The ear is made up of 3 main parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and
the inner ear. The outer ear is the part you can see. The middle and
inner ear are inside the head and cannot be seen. All 3 parts of the ear
are needed for a child to hear.
The outer ear picks up a sound.
It travels through the ear canal and
ear drum to the middle ear.
Then the inner ear sends the sound to
the brain so he can hear it.
The brain then helps a child
understand what the sound means.
Problems in any part of the ear can cause deafness
Problems in the outer ear and middle ear:
• ear infections (page 193)
• something blocks
sound from
traveling through
the ear (page 198)
Outer ear
• injury (page 214)
Middle
ear
Inner ear
Problems in the inner
ear and the nerve
leading to the brain:
ear canal
ear drum
• infection during
pregnancy (page 208)
• baby’s brain damaged
during labor or birth (page 212)
• childhood illness such as meningitis (page 201)
this tube
connects
to the nose
and throat
• lack of iodine in mother’s food during pregnancy (page 207)
• medicines that damage hearing (page 206)
• deafness passed down in families (page 214)
• damage from loud noises (page 213)
nerves to
the brain
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)