Hearing Loss

Mild (21 - 40dB)

Mild hearing loss means that you have normal hearing, but it may sound muffled. If there is background noise, it gets very hard to hear conversation. Most children aren't fitted with hearing aids unless the hearing loss is close to 40dB. 

Moderate (41 - 70dB)

Moderate hearing loss requires you to use hearing aids to talk with other people. Without hearing aids, you must rely on lip reading or body gestures. This often requires upmost levels of concentration, draining the child's energy. Even when you wear hearing aids, it can still be hard to focus on the speech of the person your talking to because the background noise is amplified too.

Severe (71 - 90dB)

If you have severe hearing loss, then you cannot hear normal conversation at all. The child may detect loud voices at a close distance, and can hear trucks and loud cars. Almost all of the time, these children are fitted with hearing aids, however, sometimes if the hearing loss is close to 90dB, they can be fitted with cochlear implants.

Profound (91+dB)

If you have profound hearing loss, it will be almost impossible to hear even people shouting in your ear. Some may be able to hear loud vehicles, such as trucks and airplanes, however, some may not be able to hear anything at all. For profound hearing loss, students often don't use hearing aids, instead opting for cochlear implants. Also, sometimes the child will use sign language, and not use a hearing device.