How much of a teacher's speech can a child with a hearing loss of 20 dB hear?

A child with a hearing loss of 20 dB typically has some difficulty hearing softer speech sounds, as normal speech averages around 60 dB. With a 20 dB loss, the child may miss certain phonemes or parts of speech that fall within that range, particularly when environmental noise is present or if the speaker's voice is not particularly loud.

The amount of speech that can be heard is closely tied to the decibel level of the sounds being produced. Research indicates that a child with mild hearing loss (which 20 dB falls under) may be able to understand about 75% or more of the speech in a quiet environment. However, when accounting for factors like background noise and conversational dynamics, it's realistic to estimate that the child may perceive approximately one quarter of the speech, especially in less favorable listening conditions.

This understanding emphasizes the substantial impact that even mild hearing loss can have on a child's ability to fully engage with spoken language in typical classroom settings, which reinforces the need for supportive measures to ensure effective communication.