The term “neuropathy” is used to refer to any and all malfunctions or diseases of your nerves. For example, peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which your peripheral nervous system is damaged. It is the vast communications network that transmits information from your brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to every other part of your body.

Auditory neuropathy (AN) is a hearing disorder that is marked by sound entering your inner ear normally, but the transmission of signals from your inner ear to your brain is impaired. It is a variety of hearing loss where your outer hair cells within your cochlea are present and functional, but the sound information is not faithfully transmitted properly to your auditory nerve and brain.

Auditory neuropathy is known by other names. It is also known as Auditory Neuropathy/Auditory Dys-synchrony (AN/AD) or Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD).

Auditory neuropathy is a disorder that can affect anyone at any age. The number of people with this condition is unknown. What is known is that auditory neuropathy affects a relatively small percentage of people who are hearing-impaired or deaf.

Auditory neuropathy is a condition that is not fully understood at the present time. Researchers believe that this disorder may have more than one cause. Possible causes include:

• Faulty connections between your inner hair cells and the nerve that goes from your inner ear to your brain
• Damage to the nerve going from your inner ear to your brain
• Damage to your inner hair cells (specialized sensory cells in your inner ear that transmit information sounds through your nervous system to your brain).

There are signs and symptoms that may be an indication of auditory neuropathy. Some of these include:

• Normal Hearing, but trouble understanding
• Anywhere from mild to severe hearing loss
• Poor speech-perception abilities (trouble understanding speech correctly)
• Speech perception that is worse than the degree of hearing loss would indicate
• Hearing sounds, but difficulty recognizing spoken words
• Sounds fading in and out and seeming out of sync.

You or a loved one may have auditory neuropathy. Auditory neuropathy and/or complications that have resulted from this disorder or other disabling conditions that you have along with it may be why you are disabled and in need of financial assistance.

You or your loved one may intend to apply for the financial help that you need from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by auditory neuropathy and/or complications that have resulted from this disorder or other disabling conditions that you have along with it. You or your loved one may have already applied, and your claim was turned down by the Social Security Administration.

If you or your loved one plans on reapplying or appealing the denial, always remember. People who have a disability lawyer standing with them like the one you will find at Social Security Home are approved more often than people who are not represented by a disability attorney.