What is the current national standard for hearing classification?

The sound that a person can perceive through hearing ranges from 20 HZ to 20 kHz and from 0 dB HL to 130 dB HL. When the sound reaches or exceeds 130 dB HL, a person will feel earache and discomfort. Based on the frequency of sound and a person's ability to perceive the intensity of sound, the World Health Organization has developed a classification standard for hearing impairment. It is recommended that hearing impairment be categorized into four grades based on the average pure tone hearing thresholds of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear: 26-40 dB HL for mild, 41-60 dB HL for moderate, 61-80 dB HL for severe, and ≥81 dB HL for extremely severe. Children are in the critical period of speech and language development, hearing health is especially important. Therefore, some foreign scholars suggest that as long as the children's hearing loss is higher than 15dB HL or monaural hearing loss should be given timely attention and intervention. Hearing disability is a category of severe and permanent hearing impairment, which is categorized in terms of the functional impact of hearing impairment on a person. Hearing disability is recognized when the severity of the hearing loss reaches the legal standard and continues to affect the person's daily activities and social functioning. In order to emphasize the importance of children's hearing health, the World Health Organization defines hearing disability for adults as the average of permanent unaided hearing threshold levels ≥41 dB HL at 4 frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz in the better ear, and for children as the average of permanent unaided hearing threshold levels ≥31 dB HL at 4 frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz in the better ear. In 2010, China promulgated the National Standard for Classification and Grading of Disabilities of Persons with Disabilities (GB/T26341-2010), which stipulates the standards for assessing hearing disability.