The Speech Detection Threshold is the weakest intensity at which a child demonstrates awareness that a sound is present, when that sound is speech. This threshold usually corresponds with a child's best hearing threshold for sounds at any frequency.

The Speech Reception Threshold is the weakest intensity at which a child can recognize familiar words, either by repeating them or by pointing to pictures as they are named. The Speech Reception Threshold usually corresponds, as well, with a child's average hearing thresholds across the audiometric frequencies.

The Speech Discrimination Score or Word Recognition Score is the percentage of one-syllable words a child can identify (without visual cues), when the words are heard at a loudness level that is comfortable for the child.

Speech discrimination ability usually is quite good in a child with conductive hearing loss, as long as the words are presented at a level intense enough to overcome the loss of volume from outer or middle ear dysfunction. For children with sensorineural hearing loss, however, speech discrimination ability may be reduced even when the words are presented at intense levels, and may be particularly poor when background noise is introduced.