Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) is when there is a hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other ear. It may be congenital (from birth) or from something that happened after birth (medication, trauma, genetic).

The ear has three parts: outer, middle and inner. Sound enters the ear through the ear canal (part of the outer ear), hits the eardrum (beginning of the middle ear) and shakes the three bones in the middle ear.

Parents and Professionals work as a team to determine the most appropriate treatment for a child with hearing loss based on several factors: Is the loss permanent or temporary? Will the child be aided or not? Will surgery be an option later on or right away?

Hearing loss is the number one birth defect in the United States. It often occurs alone, with no other mental or physical challenges to the child.

When children with hearing loss receive timely and appropriate diagnostic and intervention services, they can have positive language, listening and speech outcomes.

An audiogram is a graph to show the softest levels of sound your child can hear. It is a picture of the results of the hearing tests that are done by an audiologist.