Praxis Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (5272) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The degree of hearing loss referred to in the question is crucial for understanding how it affects the perception of speech. In the case of profound hearing loss, which is characterized by thresholds greater than 90 decibels, individuals typically cannot hear sounds at normal conversational levels and may only perceive vibrations. While severe hearing loss might allow for some residual hearing, allowing certain sounds or loud speech to be perceived to a degree, profound hearing loss generally means that individuals do not receive any auditory input from speech at normal volumes.

Originally, the concept of losing 100% of normal volume speech aligns with a severe degree of impairment, particularly profound hearing loss. Individuals with profound hearing loss rely heavily on visual cues, such as lip-reading or sign language, and often need amplification devices or other interventions to access sound.

Therefore, the highest degree of loss, which is profound, is the most accurate response regarding complete loss of normal volume speech perception. Understanding the distinctions between these levels of hearing loss is critical for appropriate educational and communication strategies for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.