---
title: What is a Hearing Communication Disorder?
description: What identifies a hearing disorder? What are the symptoms and signs? And, what are the treatments?
---

[Communication Matters | Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center Blog](https://blog.chsc.org/blog)

# [What is a Hearing Communication Disorder?](https://blog.chsc.org/blog/what-is-a-hearing-communication-disorder)

 Written by [Bridgid M. Whitford Au.D, CCC-A](https://blog.chsc.org/blog/author/bridgid-m-whitford-au-d-ccc-a) | Feb 2, 2018 7:26:04 PM

A [**communication disorder**](https://blog.chsc.org/blog/what-is-a-communication-disorder) is an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems. A communication disorder may be evident in the processes of hearing, language, and/or speech. A communication disorder may range in severity from mild to profound.

A [**hearing disorder**](http://www.chsc.org/audiology/) is the result of impaired auditory sensitivity of the physiological auditory system. A hearing disorder may limit the development, comprehension, production, and/or maintenance of speech and/or language. Hearing disorders are classified according to difficulties in detection, recognition, discrimination, comprehension, and perception of auditory information. Individuals with hearing impairment may be described as [**deaf or hard of hearing**](http://www.chsc.org/community-center-for-the-deaf-hard-of-hearing/).

**Deaf** is defined as a hearing disorder that limits an individual's aural/oral communication performance to the extent that the primary sensory input for communication may be other than the auditory channel.

**Hard of hearing** is defined as a hearing disorder, whether fluctuating or permanent, which adversely affects an individual's ability to communicate. The hard-of-hearing individual relies on the auditory channel as the primary sensory input for communication.

[View full post](https://blog.chsc.org/blog/what-is-a-hearing-communication-disorder)

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