The effects of room acoustics on normal‐hearing children: Implications for intervention

Abstract

It is well recognized that the acoustical environment in a classroom is an important variable in the psycho educational achievement of hearing‐impaired children. To date, however, there remains a paucity of information concerning the importance of classroom acoustics for populations of children with normal‐hearing sensitivity. The present discussion will examine: (1) commonly reported levels of classroom noise and reverberation; (2) the potential effects of classroom acoustics on the speech recognition of several populations of pediatric listeners (young children, children with language/articulation disorders, non‐native English children, children with minimal hearing loss, developmentally disordered children, children with central auditory processing disorder); (3) intervention strategies, such as sound field amplification systems, to benefit normal‐hearing children in the classroom setting; and (4) implications of appropriate classroom acoustics to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).