California Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI)

Profound Hearing

A person with a profound hearing level will not hear any speech and only very loud sounds. Will rely on vision rather than hearing as primary sensory channel for communication. Own speech is unintelligible. A parent of a deaf child might encounter the term “profound hearing level” when discussing the results of their child’s hearing tests with a doctor or audiologist. They may be told that their child has a profound hearing level and will need to learn to communicate primarily through sign language and visual cues.