My child was dignosed with a mild hearing loss 30dbl in both ears due to nerve damage. Mild hearing loss does not sound that bad to me. Could you put it into persepetive in terms of how she is hearing. She is speaking in full sentences although not as clear as my other childen were at her age. I guess my question is what is the "cut off" in terms of decibels for treating hearing loss? Thank you , Tina

Dear Mrs. Madison
You are absolutely correct that a "mild" hearing loss isn't extremely bad. Your little daughter can speak in full sentences, but as you said, they are not as clear as other children her age. And that is a reflection of what she hears. She certainly does hear speech, but not as clearly. And the sounds that are probably most difficult for her are /th/ and /s/. Your question, then, is what does she really hear? What does speech sound like when a person has a mild hearing loss?
Many audiologists have tried to create audio tapes of different degrees of hearing from mild to severe. One such tape is made by a company called Garlic Press. The tape is titled, "Sound Hearing." You might want to contact them at 541-345-0063 or through their website at www.garlicpress.com. I tried their website and could not access it, so I phoned to confirm that the tape is still available. It is and you might find it useful for other family members, too.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Sutherland