Behind The Ear Hearing Aid - A BTE hearing aid typically loops over the top of the ear. The microphone, processors and amplifier are in the unit behind the ear, while a small tube or wires lead to an earpiece. These often are recommended for children, or for people with more severe hearing loss.

Bone Anchored Hearing Aid - The BAHA is a bone conducting assistive listening device that is attached to the bone behind the ear via a screw.

Bone Conductive Hearing Aid - Often used in people with abnormal formation of the ears, the Bone Conductive Aid fits on the head, and bypasses the ear canal by sending signals directly to the bones of the ear.

Brainstem Implant - auditory prosthesis that bypasses the cochlea and auditory nerve. This type of implant helps individuals who cannot benefit from a cochlear implant because the auditory nerves are not working.

Captioning - text display of spoken words, presented on a television or a movie screen, that allows a deaf or hard-of-hearing viewer to follow the dialogue and the action of a program simultaneously.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder - inability to differentiate, recognize, or understand sounds; hearing and intelligence are normal.
Cerumen: See Earwax

Cholesteatoma - accumulation of dead cells in the middle ear, caused by repeated middle ear infections.

Cochlea - snail-shaped structure in the inner ear that contains the organ of hearing.

Cochlear Implant - medical device that bypasses damaged structures in the inner ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve, allowing some deaf individuals to learn to hear and interpret sounds and speech.

Cognition - thinking skills that include perception, memory, awareness, reasoning, judgment, intellect, and imagination.

Completely In The Canal Hearing Aids - These tiny units have only been available in recent years. With this assistive listening device, the microphone, processors and amplifiers all are contained in a single tiny device, which fits directly into the ear canal. They require a full sized ear canal, so typically cannot be used by children. They also are generally used only for people with mild hearing loss.

Conductive Hearing Impairment - hearing loss caused by dysfunction of the outer or middle ear.