CIC
Cochlea
Conductive hearing loss
Congenital hearing loss
Custom-made

CIC
A CIC is the smallest hearing aid style available. CIC stands for Completely In the Canal. This style of hearing aid is suitable for mild to moderate - sometimes even severe - hearing losses, and is custom-made to fit deep inside the ear canal. Most children do not have large enough ear canals to use this style of instrument.

Cochlea
The cochlea is the inner ear. It resembles the circular shell of a snail and houses a system of tubes filled with a watery liquid as well as tiny hair cells.
When the hair cells move because of incoming sound the sound is transformed into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain.

Conductive hearing loss
A conductive hearing loss is due to a problem in the outer or middle ear which makes it difficult for the sound to reach the inner ear. It can be both temporary and long-term.
The most common causes of a conductive hearing loss can be a build-up of wax in the ear canal, a perforated eardrum, fluid in the middle ear (which is common in children) or damage to the middle ear bones (the ossicles).

Congenital hearing loss
Having a congenital hearing loss means that the hearing loss is present at birth. Congenital hearing losses can be hereditary, due to an infection or disease during pregnancy, or even due to birth complications. The causes of some congenital losses are not known.

Custom-made
This means that an impression is taken of the child’s ear to ensure that the ear mould (or ITE hearing aid) fits exactly to the child’s ear canal to avoid feedback or irritation.