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Shortly after Liberal leader Stéphane Dion publicly revealed this week that he has a hearing problem, Gael Hannan got an e-mail from a colleague saying "I knew it."

People who suffer from hearing loss can easily spot telltale signs in others like them who may try to conceal the fact they're struggling to keep up with the flow of conversation, said Ms. Hannan, program manager at the Hearing Foundation of Canada.

"Those of us who are experienced in the ways of hearing loss can tell when someone is focusing and watching the lips," said Ms. Hannan, who also suffers from hearing loss. "You have to really try and focus and concentrate when you have hearing loss, especially someone in Stéphane Dion's situation, where you have a lot of information coming at you."

The Liberal Leader said this week he has a hearing problem that makes it difficult for him to isolate sounds and catch the intonation of words, which may explain the trouble he has communicating in English, his second language. Although he has seen a hearing specialist, he said, he does not know the name of the ailment he suffers from.

Now, hearing loss experts and advocates are applauding Mr. Dion's move to speak openly about the issue and give voice to those who may feel stigmatized by their hearing problems.

"One in a place of power might not want to say 'Pardon me' or 'I didn't catch that' because it might be misread as not understanding the question from a cognitive point of view. This is why a lot of people try and hide their hearing loss," Ms. Hannan said. "I am delighted he has come forward."

Hearing problems are quite common, with about 10 per cent of the general population being affected by a hearing disorder, according to the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

The auditory system is set up to help people focus on one sound even when there are other noises competing for attention, an ability known as the "cocktail party effect," said Prudence Allen, director of the National Centre for Audiology at the University of Western Ontario.

But people who suffer from hearing loss have trouble distinguishing between sounds, making some everyday situations challenging to cope with. The hearing problem described by Mr. Dion - difficulty isolating noises in crowded rooms, for instance - is a common ailment that may be classified as sensorineural hearing loss. It makes it hard for people to hear high-frequency noises such as consonants.

"Hearing-impaired people have a great deal of difficulty with it," Dr. Allen said. "Restaurant conversations are really difficult."

Mr. Dion said his mother suffered from a similar problem. Although there are many factors that can cause hearing loss or damage, it's very possible Mr. Dion inherited the problem from his mother, according to Bill Campbell, president of the Canadian Academy of Audiology and audiologist at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

"What he's described sounds like a very, very common complaint among the adult population," Dr. Campbell said.

"You may inherit a predisposition to damage from noise," he added.

Audiologists say that Mr. Dion faces an additional challenge because he is often trying to communicate in English, his second language, a feat made more difficult if he has trouble hearing in some situations.

"As adults we are able to fill in the blanks as it were, so if you're aware of the language and the context of the conversation, it's very easy to cope with mild [or] high-frequency hearing loss," Dr. Campbell said. "If English is a second language, it becomes very difficult because even with no hearing loss you have to pay close attention to hear what's being said. If you're operating without the ability to hear clearly, it becomes very difficult to hear and understand a second language."

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Communication disorders

There are a variety of hearing problems, such as the one Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he suffers from, that are common throughout the country. About one in 10 Canadians suffer from some type of hearing disorder, according to the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Communication and speech/language disorders can affect neural programming, articulation, voice, speech and motor control.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DISORDERS IN CANADA - PREVALENCE BY PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION

Speech

0-4 years: 5-10%

5-19 years: 5-10%

20-64 years: 6%

65+ years: 125

Language

0-4 years: 2-5%

5-19 years: 5-10%

20-64 years: 6%

65+ years: 12%

Voice

0-4 years: 6%

5-19 years: 6%

20-64 years: 1-6%

65+ years: 6+%

Stuttering

0-4 years: 2-5%

5-19 years: 4-8%

20-64 years: 1%

65+ years: 1%

*These statistics are a 1996 composite of a number of sources including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Statistics Canada, and provincial associations of speech-language pathology and audiology

SOURCE: CALSPA.CA