As is clear from this text, management of children with hearing loss has many interrelated components. Key among them is provision of comfortable audibility of the information-bearing components of the acoustic speech signal. Accomplishment of this goal sets the stage for optimal development of the ability to interpret, produce, and use language in its spoken form. It follows that a thorough understanding of the acoustic speech signal and its information-bearing properties is an important component of the knowledge base of clinicians, educators, and therapists involved in the management of children with hearing loss.