Information on Hearing Differences

There are different levels of hearing. Audiologists test a patient's hearing levels by playing sounds at different frequencies/pitches (measured in hertz or Hz) and loudness (measured in decibels or dB) in each ear. They record this information on an audiogram.

In general, people who have hearing within normal/typical limits (hearing up to 25dB for adults, or hearing up to 15 dB for children) can hear most speech sounds in quiet and comfortable listening situations. You can have a hearing difference in one or both ears.  Having a hearing difference can affect children and adults in many ways.