Decoding thoughts is more difficult than decoding speech produced out loud. The reason for this is that we do not know exactly how and when the brain activity generated while thinking maps to speech sounds, given that there is no sound produced during thinking.

Step one: The outer part of the ear captures a sound wave and funnels it through the ear canal, where it strikes the tympanic membrane (or outer layer of the eardrum). Step two: The sound wave causes the eardrum and the three small ossicles bones within the middle ear to vibrate.

Also referred to as “internal dialogue,” “the voice inside your head,” or an “inner voice,” your internal monologue is the result of certain brain mechanisms that cause you to “hear” yourself talk in your head without actually speaking and forming sounds.

Your voice comes out of your mouth, travels round to your ear, and down your ear canal. But there is another way for the sound of your own voice to reach the cochlea and for you to hear it: through the bones in your head. As you speak, your vocal chords are vibrating, which in turn vibrates your entire skull.

There is a genuine auditory experience enabled by a functional auditory system when we hear silence. But there is no auditory experience possible at all when the auditory system is malfunctioning (as in the case of deafness), and therefore it is also not possible to hear silence under such a condition.

Primarily though, most completely deaf people think in sign language. Similar to how an “inner voice” of a hearing person is experienced in one’s own voice, a completely deaf person sees or, more aptly, feels themselves signing in their head as they “talk” in their heads.

“Hear” is the inaccurate term to use, because deaf parents do not HEAR their baby cry. They utilize their other senses such as sight and touch. If the baby moved, the deaf parent will wake up knowing that the baby is either moving or crying. Some deaf parents put their arm or leg near the baby in the crib.

Signs of hearing loss in your baby can include:

• Not being startled by loud sounds.
• Not turning toward a sound after he’s 6 months old.
• Not saying single words like “mama” or “dada” by the time he’s 1 year old.
• Turns his head if he sees you, but not if you only call out his name.
• Seems to hear some sounds but not others.

Crying is crying, and babies all cry for the same reasons. So there is no fundamental difference in the way Deaf babies of Deaf parents would cry compared to Hearing babies of Hearing parents. However, one difference may be related to the feedback that the children get.

Treatment depends on both the cause and severity of the deafness. Sensorineural hearing loss is incurable. When the hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, they cannot be repaired. However, various treatments and strategies can help improve quality of life.

By 3 or 4 months of age, babies are usually able to turn their heads toward a sound. Head turning helps to strengthen weak neck muscles and stretch tight muscles. Here are some tips to urge your baby to turn his or her head: t From about 6 weeks to 3 months: Enjoy close face-to-face “conversations” with your baby.

She found that infants with profound hearing loss vocalized significantly less than hearing infants. However, when the infants with profound hearing loss received cochlear implants, the infants’ vocalizations increased to the same levels as their hearing peers within four months of receiving the implants.

Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR)—This screen measures how the hearing nerve and brain respond to sound. Clicks or tones are played through soft earphones into the baby’s ears. Three electrodes placed on the baby’s head measure the hearing nerve and brain’s response.

Infections such as rubella, cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasmosis and herpes can cause a child to be born deaf. There are also a range of medicines, known as ototoxic drugs, which can damage a baby’s hearing system before birth.

Listening toys Toys that make simple sounds are great for hard-of-hearing babies, as they can help train the brain to hear specific sounds. Just make sure the toy is not too loud, or the sounds too abstract. One of Harry’s favorite listening toys is one that makes ocean sounds when you tap on it.

Deaf children are no different. All babies and children are pre-programmed to listen and talk. Deaf babies and children are pre-programmed to listen and talk.

Do…

1. Listen to him.
2. Spend time playing and talking with him.
3. Don’t forget daily routines that will help him to hear and experience repetitive talk, games, songs and rhymes.
4. Make sure you check his hearing aids/Cochlear implants every day and that you know where to go for help.
5. Respond to him with talk and smiles.

Auditory training presents listeners with various sounds, such as syllables, words, or phrases. The listeners are then taught ways to recognize and distinguish these different sounds from one another. Lip reading. Using lip reading, someone with hearing loss can watch the movements of a person’s lips as they speak.